It Is Easy Being Green In Northeast Ohio

"When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world." -John Muir



The people passionate about sustainability in Northeast Ohio never cease to amaze me. From the moment the realization of Entrepreneurs for Sustainability(E4S) existed, which claims 7,000 members, I have been in awe that our tiny area of the world has incredible thinkers, inventors, and
pioneers in sustainability.


Upon reviewing my weekly email from the Cleveland Green Building Coalition, I found an unusual amount of green building events. Oh maybe it is because spring has sprung but I don't think so.

Here are some of the events:

• NEO Green Building & Design Expo: http://www.neogreenexpo.com/, March 20, 2010
• Sustainability Breakfast Series: Finding Green in Existing Buildings: http://www.cleveland.uli.org/, March 24, 2010
• Majora Carter: Greening the Ghetto: How Much It Won't Cost Us, March 30, 2010
• Second Annual Green Gala featuring speaker Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: http://www.ecowatch.org/, April 9, 2010

If you live in NEO please take the time to attend one of these events.
Happy Spring!

GREEN Alternative to Air Purifiers

Who knew that an electric run air purifier is not as effective as a few everyday common houseplants to help improve our indoor air quality-and the electric version is not as GREEN?



The EPA states the air in your home or office is 5-100 times more polluted than air outside. What does that say about the products we use in our home and office?

What are the items that are creating toxic environments?

1) Traditional cleaning products

2) Paint, sealants, caulks, stains

3) Carpeting

4) Mold & Mildew

5) Wood products like countertops, cabinets, flooring

6) Dust

7) Tobacco smoke



As you can see some of these items are man-made and the others occur in nature naturally but all have a high VOC content(volatile organic compound). What can we do to improve the indoor air quality? The answer is so simple. Place live houseplants in your home. Well you need to care for them appropriately too. While researching ways to cleanse the air in space stations, NASA found certain houseplants cleanse the air of some of the VOCs such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene-all included in the EPA's list of potentially hazardous VOC's. In this study, NASA studied 19 different houseplants for 2 years including two flowering plants and the remainder being common everyday houseplants. The NASA study showed the recommendation of 15-18 houseplants for an average 1,800 square foot home could improve the indoor air quality. To read more about the study and learn the simple science go to: NASA.



Here is the list of plants with their common names included in the study:

• english ivy


• spider plant


• golden pothos


• peace lily


• Chinese evergreen


• bamboo or reed palm


• snake plant


• heartleaf philodendron


• selloum philodendron


• elephant ear philodendron


• red-edged dracaena


• corn stalk dracaena


• Janet Craig dracaena


• Warneck dracaena


• weeping fig

If you have pets, please check the list for potentially hazardous plants before using them in your home.

I encourage you to incorporate at least a few of the plants included in the study in an area you spend the most time whether it is your home or office or both. Greenery not only improves indoor air quality but it is a living being that will improve your mood(see http://www.plantsforoffices.com/ study).

References
NASA, Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement, September 1989, by Dr. B.C. Wolverton, Anne Johnson, Keith Bounds

http://www.plantsforoffices.com/a290279-office-plants-can-improve-employee-productivity-.cfm, Indoor Plants Improve Mood

5 Simple Ways to Save $$$ While Saving the Planet

Just last week after I explained to a new client that my business was formed by a mission to carry sustainable products, she told me she didn't believe in global warming. Hmmm, ok, well-I shut my mouth, made my eyes squint into their normal position and continued to show the products that she requested to see. It does still amaze me that people refuse to believe there is a problem in our over- populated, over-consumed world. Whether you believe in global warming or not this post may help save your small business or home money. Practically speaking you can save money and help to save the planet.

1) Turn off and unplug any electronic equipment when not in use.

Phantom energy loss is the loss attributed to energy usage when electronics are turned off but still plugged in. To understand phantom energy loss go to: http://http//www.cornhusker-power.com/04-30-09.asp.

2) Reuse paper: flip the white sheets over and use side two for printing, writing notes or lists, coloring pages for children, shred it and use for packaging or garden mulch

3) Refill printer cartridges: instead of buying new printer cartridges and throwing away more plastic into the landfills, have the old cartridges refilled which is less expensive than purchasing new cartridges.

4) Install aerators on all faucets: this is very inexpensive and can save a home approximately 13% in water reduction. We recently bought a lavatory faucet aerator and a kitchen faucet aerator at our local hardware store for less than $5.00 a piece. For more information: http://http//www.h2ouse.org/tour/details/element_action_contents.cfm?elementID=1D4BABB7-8E4C-4524-98836EECCC5AEE08&actionID=78FA9A8B-2756-4B2E-88D58A48310FAA76

5) Change light bulbs to CFL's. These bulbs are 4x more efficient than an incandescent bulb and will last 10x longer than incandescent bulbs. For more information: http://http//www.eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm

Here are 5 simple and inexpensive ways to reduce waste and save money for your small business or home. Please feel free to post your strategies to save money and resources.