Washer & Fridge Rebate Programs for Washington State

Looking to replace an old fridge or clothes washer?  Two great rebate programs exist in Washington state:

Water Wise program:  Save up to $100 on a washer!  Check here for participating utility companies , qualifying products, and rebate forms.

Cash for Appliances program:  Save up to $100 on a washer and $75 on a fridge!  The $5.6 million set aside for this program is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and is expected to result in 15,000 fridges and 45,000 clothes washers being replaced with new efficient models, saving Washingtonians $1,006,607 in energy costs, 355 million gallons of water, and preventing 8042 tons (16,083,192 lbs.) of CO2 annually. 

Need to recycle your old appliances but don’t know where to go?  Check the Washington State Department of Ecology’s search tool for service providers by city.  You can also look up places to take batteries, construction and landscaping material, electronics, and hazardous waste.

Green Transactions – Ideas to Borrow, Trade, & Buy Used

With the current recession, it’s a great time to consider other ways of getting the things we need than running to the store and buying them new.  Plus buying used/trading/borrowing reduces our use of natural resources and manufacturing pollution – so its good for your wallet and our environment!  And we’re guessing with all the spending that occurred before the bubble burst, there’s a lot of buried treasure out there in closets, garages, and cabinets – just waiting to get a second chance.  Here’s some ideas to get started:

• Local libraries have books, music, and movies for free!
• Attend or organize a clothing swap with your friends, family, and neighbors to give away old and get “new” in return.
• Its getting that time of year – plan or participate in a community garage sale and start shopping at the local ones. 
• Use online services likes Craigslist and Ebay to find quality used goods – including furniture that is often higher quality than new.  Can also use to get an idea of what things are worth.
• Check out local re-use stores like Goodwill, Value Village, Second Use, and RE Store.

What do you have that you could ‘trade in’ for something ‘new’ to you?

Share your ideas, we’d love to hear them and share with others!

US Department of Labor Announced $2M Grant to Train Veterans in Green Jobs

Priority will be given to workforce development projects that focus on connecting veterans to career pathways and training programs that will prepare them for careers in any of the following seven categories defined in the Workforce Investment Act:

• Energy-efficient building, construction and retrofit industries
• Renewable electric power industry
• Energy efficient and advanced drive train vehicle industry
• Bio-fuels industry
• Deconstruction and materials use industries
• Energy efficiency assessment industry serving the residential, commercial or industrial sectors
• Manufacturers that produce sustainable products using environmentally sustainable processes and materials

For more information, visit http://www.dol.gov/vets

Bloom Box – Taking America off the Grid?

The Bloom box is a new fuel cell (a device that continuously changes the chemical energy of a fuel and an oxidant directly into electrical energy) that is cheaper to produce and does not require expensive to handle hydrogen as a fuel.  The likes of Fed Ex, Walmart, and Google are already beta testing the units and Ebay says they have saved $100,0000.00 in power costs in nine months.  Colin Powell is on their board of directors, it can use various types of clean fuel (like biogas), and the founder expects to have one in every home within the next 10 years. 

Here’s a video from 60 minutes - you tell me, is this the next big break in clean energy or just another $400 million pipedream?

Caltrans wants to harm National Treasure to increase commercial traffic on Highway 101

Have you ever seen the ancient Redwoods in Northern California, trees with trunks larger than a car?  (As evident by the several ‘drive through’ tress used to ‘promote’ the parks – luckily they are not boring through anymore trees as you get the jest merely standing in their presence.)  The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) wants to widen the highway at Richardson Grove to increased commercial truck traffic and while technically no old growth tress will be removed, 30 will have their roots cut and 87 other trees will be removed having a huge impact on the grove and it’s endangered wildlife.  As one blogger argues, this area of Humbolt county can get its goods through other means, so why not save this national treasure for future generations and pay a little extra for gas and products?  And with old growth forests taking centuries or millennia to mature, their ‘worth’ intact would seem to far exceed their permanent loss.

http://greenlivingideas.com/topics/travel-and-vacationing/caltrans-harm-growth-redwoods-richardson-grove

How Clean are Bagged Salads?

If you’re like me, you probably assumed “pre-washed” and “triple washed” meant the food is ready to serve.  Guess again - a Consumer Reports’ test has found unacceptable levels of bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination in 39% of their samples – ACK!  Here’s some precautions you can take:

• Wash the greens yourself (if you don’t already own a salad spinner, get one – inexpensive and worth the reduced hassle)
• Buy as far from the expiration date as possible to reduce bacteria levels
• Choose fresh greens when you can as bagging changes the environment in ways that might promote bacterial proliferation.

World’s top 3,000 companies cause $2.2 trillion/year in Environmental Damage

These are the findings of a UN commissioned report expected to be released this Spring and includes all 500 companies on Standard & Poor’s list of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States (like Exxon Mobil, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Apple). 

Should be good fodder to add to the debate of sustainability versus cheaper products – are consumers ready to see the REAL price of the products they are purchasing?  Take organic versus industrialized food – yes organic is more expensive, but one can argue that consumers of organic items are just paying the true costs of producing the product where those buying industrialized are paying less because they are passing the environmental and sustainability costs to future generations.

What are your thoughts?

Top 5 Billionaires Saving the Planet

Check out this video and see how these folks are sharing their wealth with the world!  Didn’t know Ted Turner’s philanthropy arm created Captain Planet series – loved that cartoon! 

Three ways a Green Contractor can save you Money and Piece of Mind

Speaking to the Cedar River’s Businesswomen’s Network (CBRN) in February, I outlined 3 ways a green contractor (someone that focuses on sustainability) can save you money and piece of mind.  Here’s an excerpt of that talk:

Operating Costs - Being smart with design and using resource efficient products, a green contractor can create space that uses less water.  Electricity use is reduced by capitalizing on natural lighting and insulation, using energy efficient products, and increasing wall depth.   Products and building solutions that are easy to maintain and will stand the test of time should be selected, more so since we live in the Pacific Northwest where moisture and mold are serious issues (and cheaper to avoid than to repair).   Peace of Mind:  Using less natural resources reduces the impact on our environment (saving something for our children and their children); building space that is easy to maintain; building to last means less materials and labor over the lifetime of the space, reducing stress, costs, and impact to the planet.

Materials - Smart design reduces the amount of materials and customization required, including the cost of labor.  A green contractor should also have the experience and knowledge to know which products have been properly vetted (there are alot of new green products on the market these days).  Recycling and scraping reduces and recoup costs while diverting materials from the landfills and all waste should be properly disposed.  Also using products from recycle and reuse distributors (like EcoHaus and The ReStore).  Peace of Mind:  Less waste going to landfills, less material being used, less impact on the planet.   Properly disposing of waste versus burying it under your new home or addition to save costs.   Using locally produced materials and distributors whenever possible supports local families and our communities while reducing resources use for packaging and shipping. 

Health - Being sick is not only a hassle and a bummer, but it costs us money in lost wages and medical expenses.   And while everyone should limit their exposure to toxic chemicals and fumes because of their impact on our health, the elderly, pregnant, and children are more susceptible (asthma is the #1 chronic illness in children and its direct cause is indoor air quality).  A sustainable contractor should be well versed in how to make your space more healthy using smart design and selecting lower or no toxicity products.   For example, using sustainable breeds of hardwoods, wool carpet, or natural linoleum (made from linseed oil, cork, limestone, tree rosin and natural minerals) over petro based vinyl and carpet.  Or formaldehyde free cabinetry given Europe, Japan, and California have established strong standards to reduce or eliminate the use of formaldehyde in home products.  Peace of Mind:  Your health and that of your family and clients!  More days to be with those you love, disease and pain free.

Got questions or want more information?  Post and we’ll get back to you shortly!

www.GreenEarthConstruction.us

GEC is making its Seattle Home Show debut!

Thinking about a remodel, addition, or building a new home – need replacement services (windows, flooring, etc), repair, or maintenance – want to see the latest in innovation and approach?  Come check out the 2010 Seattle Home Show at the Qwest Field Event Center February 20-28 and stop by and say hi! 

We are sharing booth space with our friend Will Thomas Designs who has over 30 years design, drafting, and construction experience in old home architectural styles, blending additions and remodels for seamless presentation, incorporating green technology, and designing to lower construction costs.  A perfect fit for GEC, no?

 

See you there!