GREEN LIVING

Although there are many things that apply to Green Living, we chose to launch the site with information on energy related issues. This section will change regularly and we will bring you different aspects of living a green life. If you ever want to find an old article written in this section, it will be archived on our Sage Advice/blog page.


REDUCE…REUSE…RECYCLE

The “three R’s” are still the best guidelines today for green living: reduce, reuse, and recycle.  It’s your day-to-day actions and habits that matter most for improving your health and the environment while saving you money, even though there are a lot of great technological advances in green living.  Everything we buy uses resources to manufacture and transport the products, even recycled ones.  So the most effective guideline is to first and foremost reduce your purchases, which means using fewer resources to begin with.  When you do need to make a new purchase, look for green products that use post-consumer recycled materials; are durable; are highly energy-efficient; are used (or “vintage”); are made locally; use less packaging; and don’t contain toxic materials.  In addition, reduce your resource (i.e., energy and water) use at home.  You can also become more conscious of food waste (about 1/3 of food in the U.S. goes to waste): keep better track of groceries, and if eating out (where most entrees are enough to feed two people), split your meal with your friend!

Before you do dispose of or recycle a product, consider whether there is any reuse for it.  An old cookie sheet with an old dishtowel laid flat on it can become a place to put snowy boots by the front door.  Old yogurt containers can be used to start seedlings for your garden.  You can store leftovers in empty jam jars.  You can print draft documents on the back of old paper already printed on one side.  Still usable, if a bit worn, items can be donated to charities or schools.  The ideas are endless; it just takes a bit of a change of thought and habit to find other uses for items that usually just get thrown away and fill our landfills.

The last guideline for green living (after you have reduced your purchases and reused what you already have) that most people are already familiar with is to recycle used paper, newspaper, plastics, glass, electronics, etc.  Every town has its own rules for what it accepts; be sure to become familiar with them and then implement the recycling!  And even though recycling can use a lot of energy to create new products, it keeps the materials out of the landfills.

CARBON OFFSETS

Most people have heard of global warming by now, and the contribution of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, to this phenomenon.  You can directly participate in solutions to global warming by first figuring out your personal contribution level, called your carbon footprint.  Using one of the many carbon footprint calculators available on various websites, you identify the sources of carbon dioxide emissions in your life from such activities as driving, flying, and home energy uses to get an estimate of your emissions.  

Once you have an idea of your current carbon footprint, you should first and foremost take conservation steps to directly reduce your emissions (e.g., drive less, make your home more energy-efficient, shop locally).  

To balance out your carbon dioxide impact (after you have taken steps to reduce it directly), you can buy carbon offsets, which reduce new emissions of carbon dioxide elsewhere on the planet.  For example, your purchase of carbon offsets could finance wind farms in Iowa, or reforestation projects in Washington.  Each carbon offset provider offers different ways of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.  

There are many carbon offset providers, and to date there are no regulations or standards for this fast-growing market.  When choosing a provider, be sure to evaluate using the following basic criteria to identify credible offsets, as determined by the Environmental Defense Fund:

•    Are the emissions reductions achieved with sound methodologies and practices?

•    Can the emission reduction claims be verifiable by a third party?

•    Are the emission reductions permanent?

•    Was the emission reduction achieved with a net positive environmental and community impact?

•    Is the offset serialized and tracked so that it is not sold twice?

Once you have identified a provider, be sure to buy the carbon offsets!

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AUDITS

An important step of green living should be an evaluation of your home’s energy uses, and then implementing the recommended improvements to your home. By doing this, you will be immediately reducing your use of non-renewable resources (i.e., fossil fuels), reducing your environmental impact (and your carbon footprint), and ultimately saving costs.  This is also important if you are considering installing renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, or microhydro systems:  by reviewing and then improving your energy consumption, you will ultimately need a smaller (and less costly) system.

Although you can do your own efficiency audit of your home, you may be limited to what you can effectively evaluate without all the equipment that a professional auditor has available.  To locate an auditor, first contact your local electric or gas utility provider.  Some utilities provide free or low-cost audits for their customers.  If your utility does not provide that service, check your local yellow pages under “energy” for a residential energy auditor.  For more information see the U.S. Department of Energy’s website on home energy audits: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11180  

Sealing your home to energy losses is an important step in any green project.  As determined by the energy efficiency audit, this can include caulking existing windows, adding insulation in attics and basements, and replacing old windows.  This “sealing the envelope” will greatly reduce your energy consumption.  Note that it is also important to consider any possible radon hazards (especially when sealing your home); this invisible and odorless natural radioactive gas can accumulate in your home if it is very well sealed and you are in an area of the country that has high radon levels (see EPA’s map of radon zones http://www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html).  Testing for and fixing radon is easy and inexpensive and should not be overlooked.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Renewable energy systems are those that use an energy source (such as the sun, wind, or water) that is renewable and not finite (like fossil fuels), is clean and nonpolluting, and is free.  In addition, the energy is fairly reliable and not controlled by other countries or companies.  The technologies are established and readily available, and include solar hot water systems, solar electricity, wind power, and microhydro.  They can be cost-effective depending on your location and uses; and many states offer rebates that can help lower costs further (check with your state and local governments to see what is available in your area).  Renewable energy systems can help you achieve energy independence and reduce your environmental impact.

Solar Hot Water Systems

Most homes use conventional gas or electric-powered water heaters.  If you are not ready to install a solar system to integrate with your existing water heater, you should consider at least installing a water heater blanket to reduce the energy loss of the water tank.  At a low cost, a blanket can reduce your water heater energy loss by about 20%.  

If you are interested in supplementing your conventional system with a solar system, there are several options available depending on the climate where you live (see below).  Regardless of the option, all solar hot water systems consist of solar collectors and a water storage tank.  The solar collector is typically located on the roof or the ground near the house, and needs to be located so that it receives full sunlight year-round (e.g., will not be shaded by deciduous trees in the summer).  The collector is connected to a water storage tank via copper piping; the storage tank usually is located next to the conventional water heater, along with various pumps, sensors, and controls.

Solar hot water systems are either direct (i.e., heat water that you use) or indirect (i.e., heat a fluid such as propylene glycol that heats the water you use).  For warm climates where there is infrequent freezing or cold weather, there are solar batch systems or thermosiphon systems, both of which are passive systems (i.e., do not require a pump for circulation).

The batch system is the simplest of the solar hot water systems, consisting of a water tank located on the roof or ground outside the house where it absorbs sunlight during the day.  The heated water feeds directly into the various hot water faucets in the house.  The drawback with batch systems is that hot water is typically available only in the afternoons and early evening.  However, the system can be plumbed into a conventional water heater so that hot water can be available at all times of the day and night.

Another option for warm climates is the thermosiphon system.  This works with a collector and storage tank, with pipes connecting the two.  With the tank located in the house but higher than the collector, as the liquid in the system is solar heated in the collector, the liquid expands and rises via convection, thereby creating a natural pump (i.e., thermosiphon).  This system can use water (which is a direct, or open-loop system) or propylene glycol (which is an indirect, or closed-loop system).  The latter is a bit more complicated due to the addition of a heat exchanger and the maintenance that is required of the propylene glycol (e.g., replacing the fluid when it deteriorates over time).

For colder climates, a pump circulation (i.e., active) system is needed, which includes gravity drainback systems and closed-loop antifreeze systems.  The first, the gravity drainback system, uses water as the heat transfer liquid (and so is a direct, or open-loop system).  The system consists of the solar collector mounted on the roof, a water storage tank, and a pump to return the water to the collector.  To avoid freezing when the circulating pump stops (i.e., when the sun stops warming the collector), the water flows via gravity out of the system into the storage tank.  

The other option for cold climates is the closed-loop antifreeze system.  This consists of the same components as the gravity drainback system, but uses propylene glycol as the heat transfer liquid (and so is an indirect, or closed-loop system).  In addition, other components are required such as a heat exchanger, expansion tank, and fill valve, making this a more complex system.  However, the antifreeze provides excellent protection against freezing and is most useful for homes with hard water.

Solar Electricity

Solar electric systems consist of photovoltaic (PV) modules made from silicon dioxide backed with metal and sealed with glass or plastic.  Producing direct current (DC), an inverter is required to convert the electricity into alternating current (AC), which is what is used in the home.  There are then three options for the rest of the system: grid-connected, grid-connected with battery backup, and stand-alone.  

With a grid-connected system, any excess electricity generated flows directly into your local utility’s electrical grid, and is the simplest of the systems.  Many utilities track this through one electrical meter on your house that runs forward when electricity is being drawn from the grid, and backwards when electricity is flowing onto the grid.  Called net metering, you are only charged for the net use of energy from the grid (check to be sure your state provides for net metering).  

A grid-connected with battery backup system adds a battery system (and various other components) to provide backup in case grid power goes down.  The excess electricity generated by the system is stored in the batteries until they are full, at which time the electricity is diverted to the grid.  This system also requires that your state and local utility allow for net metering.

The stand-alone system is just that—a system that stores the produced electricity in batteries alone and is not connected to the grid.  It may require more maintenance but allows you to be completely independent of the electrical grid.  

To help you find a solar electricity installer in your area, go to www.findsolar.com or check your local yellow pages.

Wind Power

Another renewable energy source for homes is wind power, which is typically applicable to more rural areas of the country with sufficient wind and no ordinances prohibiting the installation of a wind machine.  Most residential wind turbines consist of a horizontal axis machine supported by a tower structure (the greater the height, the greater the power due to the increase of the speed and smoothness of the wind).  The blades of the machine are attached to a rotor that captures the energy and converts it to mechanical energy via a spinning shaft, which in turn is attached to a generator to convert the energy to electrical energy.  The DC current then needs to be converted to AC current via an inverter.

Similar to solar electricity, there are three options for the rest of the system:  grid-connected, grid-connected with battery backup, and stand-alone, all of which are described above with the solar electricity discussion.

The general rule of thumb is to install a wind turbine on a tower such that nothing within a 300-foot radius of the tower is within 30 feet of the height of the tower.  The height of the turbine is the most important aspect of installing a wind machine, as well as sufficient wind resources (see the wind atlas for the U.S. at http://rredc.nrel.gov/wind/pubs/atlas/).

In addition, there are roof-mounted wind turbines.  Working on the same principle as the larger wind turbines, these do not need to be on a tower but rather are mounted on your roof.  They are smaller in size and, therefore, produce less wind power than a tower-mounted turbine.  However, they may be useful in more residential and urban areas, given sufficient wind resources.

Microhydro

If you have a stream or waterfall on your property, you may be able to tap into the energy of water.  Similar to energy production at large dams throughout the country, electricity can be generated on a small scale too—called microhydro.  The electricity is produced through water moving under the force of gravity, and the potential energy is determined by the pressure (or head) and flow.  Two situations are typical—either a low head/high flow setting, or a high head/low flow setting.  Determining your setting will determine the type of equipment to install.  Regardless, both systems require a water intake site, a pipe that preferably runs downhill, a water turbine (though very different in configuration for the two systems), and a generator that produces electricity from the water energy.  The water flowing through the turbine is then returned back to the stream.  

Although not all sites are suitable to microhydro, those that are can provide a very cost-effective renewable energy option.  A good site provides continuous power, and can be winterized to be useful year-round.  Note that it is important to be sure that the system does not interfere with the hydrology and biology of the stream; consult with a professional.

WATER CONSERVATION

While the earth’s population tripled in the 20th century, the use of water resources increased six-fold, and wastewater increased dramatically.  This has resulted in less water, and less usable water for populations worldwide.  Poor water management has led to high water stress in over half the U.S., which means less available water not only for households but also for agricultural irrigation (which represents 66% of the water withdrawals overall).  The increased water use by humans also significantly impacts aquatic ecosystems and their dependent species, resulting in environmental imbalances.  Therefore, it is increasingly everyone’s concern and responsibility to become better conservers of water.

There are hundreds of ways of conserving water both inside and outside your house; check out the various websites such as http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/ or http://h2oconserve.org/home.php?pd=index to get tips and start conserving water today!