Every one of us on this planet leaves an eco-footprint as we go about our daily activities. This footprint consists of the CO2 and other greenhouse gases that result from our use of transportation, energy consumption and rubbish disposal. The impact from resources consumption in our daily lives shows up in these footprints, as does a communal impact resulting from pollution and contamination caused by manufacturing, wars, and the degradation of biodiversity.

Your eco-footprint will be here well after you are gone. Like a fossil record, it remains for eons and eons. You can’t eradicate your footprint, but you do have the ability to minimize it – and you can influence others to minimize theirs, as well.

The world’s best scientific minds believe that a combination of global warming, depletion of the planets resources from dominant patterns of production, consumption, wars and over-population are causing environmental devastation. We all face a responsibility to help protect and restore the Earth’s ecological systems.

The most significant changes each of us can make in our impact on the Earth’s ecology are related to lifestyle, transportation, shelter, and family. We can’t all do everything possible to reduce human-induced environmental degradation, but we can each do something now. Here are a few things you can do now to have a measurable effect on the footprint – and planet – you leave behind:

LIFESTYLE
RECYCLE paper, plastic, metal, batteries, reuse old things or donate them to a good cause, sell them or give them away.
TURN OFF THE LIGHTS when you leave a room.
CLEAN YOUR HOME, CAR AND BODY with green, non-toxic products.
COMPOST your yard and garden waste to keep it out of landfills and sanitary sewers.
LINE DRY your clothes – and if your city has rules against this, change them.
EAT SUSTAINABLY by choosing organic, fair trade, and locally produced foods when they are available.
REDUCE JUNK MAIL by opting-out at www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist
TURN OFF THE FAUCET when brushing your teeth or washing dishes.
SHORTEN YOUR SHOWER and remember that tub baths use tens of gallons of water – save them for treats.
START A RECYCLING PROGRAM at your company, church or school.
TURN OFF APPLIANCES especially TV sets, stereos and computers that draw phantom energy with their instant-on features.
TURN OFF YOUR HOT TUB during the summer.
BUY WHAT YOU NEED, not everything the Joneses buy.
AVOID BUYING DISPOSABLES when there is another option.
BUY SUSTAINABLE when shopping for clothes, coffee, chocolate, anything.
FORGET ABOUT whether to choose paper or plastic bags: they use about the same resources for production and disposal – instead, reuse, recycle, and byob.
ENCOURAGE YOUR COMPANY to turn off office and plant lights and computer monitors.
ENCOURAGE YOUR ORGANIZATION, CLUB, CHURCH, SYNAGOGUE, MOSQUE AND TEMPLE to develop an environmental sustainability plan.
GIVE GIFTS that improve the environment, from light bulbs to tree seedlings.
PLANT A TREE or start an organic garden.

TRANSPORTATION
CAR POOL in low-polluting vehicles.
RIDE A BIKE to school, work, the store or the gym.
WALKING reduces pollution and avoids parking delays.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION reduces the use of land for roads and reduces the pollution from personal vehicles.
BUY A CAR, SUV OR TRUCK that gets at least ten more MPG than the one your’re replacing.
NEW VEHICLES AND FUELS like hybrid, electric and bio-fuel produce fewer emissions and make a public statement that you’re going greener.
SMALLER VEHICLES use fewer resources to produce and get better mileage.
JOIN A CAR RENTAL POOL and use a car only when you need it.
TURN OFF YOUR PARKED VEHICLE
BUY ONLINE, save trips to the mall. Besides less personal vehicle fuel and emissions, many on-line companies use better logistical and delivery services to save more fuel.
REDUCE AIR TRAVEL for business: video conference or web conference whenever feasible.
TUNE UP YOUR CAR and keep your tires properly inflated for better mileage and less pollution.

SHELTER
BUILD OR REMODEL your home with toxic free and sustainable materials.
TURN DOWN HEAT AND COOLING when you leave home for work or vacation.
REPLACE LIGHTBULBS with fluorescent and LED bulbs for energy and dollar savings.
REDUCE WATER USE by installing low flow toilets and showerheads.
LIVE IN A BIG-ENOUGH HOUSE for lower energy and material usage.
SEAL UP AIR LEAKS around windows, doors and electric sockets.
INSULATE walls, foundations, and ceilings
REPLACE OLD WINDOWS with triple glazed gas-filled windows.
FIX leaky faucets.
BUY ENERGY STAR-rated appliances
COLLECT RAINWATER from gutters to water plants.
BUILD RAIN GARDENS and plant native drought resistant plants.
GO CHEMICAL FREE on the lawns.
PUSH your mower and sweep your leaves instead of using power tools that burn gas or electricity – and enjoy the quiet.
WASH CLOTHES in cold water with bio-degradable laundry products.
PROGRAMMABLE thermostats at home and work save energy at home and work.
CEILING FANS can reduce heating and cooling needs.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY can be used at home: install solar water heaters, wind turbines, geothermal heat and cooling, photovoltaic and electric co-generation units.
CHANGE YOUR PAVING replace outdoor hard surfaces like driveways and patios with permeable surfaces to prevent water run off into storm sewers and wetlands.

POLITICS AND FAMILY
VOTE for individuals and policies that protect the environment.
RUN for public office, and green-up local, state, and federal laws.
START A GREEN organization, study group, book club or CSA farm.
DISPOSE of diaper and medical waste safely – whatever choice you make.
READ poetry and fiction and view art and theatre that consider the Earth.
PLAY in ways that respect the environment.
LEARN about how plants and animals and people are inter-related.
TEACH your children what you have learned about preserving the planet.
JOIN an on-line green community for resources and networking.
DONATE time and money to environmental action.

And most of all, don’t lose heart or grow discouraged. We can restore the world’s most important resources – and we are among those resources.

Solar Energy

You can use the energy from the sun to heat your home, thus solar energy. The amount of solar energy that is transmitted from the sun in the United States in just 20 minutes can supply our energy needs for an entire year. This energy is free. We just have to have a system in place to capture the energy. Solar heat works by absorbing the sun’s radiation and converting this to heat energy. Natural convection or air movement is an integral part of successful solar heating installations. This solar heat can then be used to heat your home whether a small area or the entire home. You can also use solar energy in your water plumbing system.

There are many benefits to using solar heat in your home, for example, it:
• is environmentally friendly
• does not pollute or produce greenhouse gases
• helps conserve the earth’s energy resources
• is the best choice for people with allergy problems and chemical sensitivities
• is stable in price. Although the solar energy is free, the system will have a one-time cost (equipment/installation), but then you don’t have to worry about future oil prices or inflation.

Passive Solar Heating
A passive solar heating design does not actually include any sort of mechanical heating device. Rather, passive solar heating functions by incorporating building features that absorb heat and then release it slowly to maintain the temperature within the home. These building features, often referred to as thermal mass, may include large windows, stone flooring, and brick walls.

For passive solar energy to be utilized effectively there must also be a means for the heated air to circulate throughout the home. The natural circulation of air is usually enough as long as doors are left open throughout the home, however, sometimes fans are also incorporated into the design to facilitate this.

While these may sound like relatively simple measures, passive solar heating features can reduce heating bills by almost 50 percent. And, in many cases, especially if you’re working with a builder who is familiar with the processes of passive solar heating, building a passive solar home may cost the same as building a conventional home.

Active Solar Heating
Active solar heating is similar to passive solar heating, but it is a much more involved process and generates much more heat than passive systems do. Active solar heating relies strongly on three components: a solar collector to absorb the solar energy, a solar storage system, and a heat transfer system to disperse the heat to the appropriate places in your home.

Active heating systems can be divided into two categories: air systems and liquid systems. The differences in the heating systems are in the way the solar energy accumulates in the solar collector. Liquid systems use a liquid to collect the energy in the solar collector; whereas air systems absorb the energy through the air.

Since solar collectors are normally installed on the roof of the building being heated, it is best to place the hot air outlet in the ceiling to shorten the duct run. A system installed in this manner mixes the air in a building like a ceiling fan in addition to supplying solar heat.

The downside of an active solar system is that the initial installation costs are much higher, since in most cases you will also need to install a traditional heating system for the times when the solar heating can’t work—many cloudy days in a row, for example. Active solar heating systems can be expected to supply between 40 and 80 percent of your home’s heating, depending on the size of the system you have installed as well as the climate where you live. However, in the long term you will reap the benefits (and break even) through significant savings on utility bills.

As a stager I work with realtors and homeowners to market properties. The principles of professional staging create a story about the house and the lifestyle that comes with that house. That story creates the emotional connection that we all want in the place we choose to call home – and that is quite magical when it is created in a place we don’t actually yet live. It is what makes staging a viable and indispensible marketing tool.

So how does green come into that? Today buyers are looking for green features. In May of 2008, NAR published a report that indicated that 9 out of 10 REALTORS® said buyers are looking for green features and that interest would continue to rise.
• And, in a trend that could signal greater attention from institutional investors, Energy Star buildings are selling for an average of $61 per square foot more than their peers, while LEED buildings command a remarkable $171 more per square foot.
• According to a recent study, LEED buildings command rent premiums of $11.24 per square foot over their non-LEED peers and have 3.8 percent higher occupancy.
• Rental rates in Energy Star buildings represent a $2.38 per square foot premium over comparable non-Energy Star buildings and have 3.6 percent higher occupancy.

Obviously, hiring me as a stager is not going to give you a Platinum LEED rating, so what do I bring to the table? First I can take a look at the home and review the already existing features that are green, and then give the homeowner a list of features they can market as green. My knowledge of sustainability, green features and practices, energy and water efficiencies and conservation, and grants and tax credits available to finance eco-friendly repairs and upgrades will serve my client well as we go through the consultation phase of the staging project. During the consultation I recommend repairs and upgrades that will help sell the property and I use my green knowledge to ensure they know the choices which will up their green quotient. I can also provide them with the sources and resources to get this done through my knowledge of green products and relationships with service providers with a commitment to energy efficiency, durability, sustainable products and practices, durability, value and healthier options for the home.

The information we provide during the course of getting the home ready to sell and the environmentally sensitive choices we help the client make is only the beginning of the impact an EcoStagerTM can make for the seller. Many clients use the information we give them during the consultation when they move to the next home to continue moving towards a more sustainable life. And, the changes we help to implement and the information we help the seller provide the buyer can be the beginning or continuation of moving towards sustainability for the buyer as well. The service and knowledge we provide are invaluable and, for real estate professionals, making an EcoStagerTM part of your team is the best value you can provide for your clients.

“Green construction is a construction project built to a standard higher than building codes, they last longer are cheaper to operate, sell for a premium, use fewer resources and have a lower impact on the environment.”Source: Alliance for Sustainability, Mike Holcomb / 2007

Chic Home Interiors does Home Staging, Interior Redesign and Training in Staging, Color and Green Build Science. Our training arena is all of North America, while our design and staging is in the San Francisco Bay Area only. Visit our new Green Website.

Icestone [is] a durable surface made 100% from recycled glass and concrete. I first heard of this product about 2 years ago and initially thought it would make very cool looking countertops. A few weeks ago, I attended a product knowledge seminar on Icestone and now, the “green” side of it is growing on me. So I thought I would take time today to share a little more about Icestone and point some of the key factors that define it as a green product and company.

Icestone (http://www.icestone.biz) is a man-made product that is suitable for both, residential and commercial applications. Most people will use it for countertops and backsplashes but it can also be installed as flooring. Think about 1950′s terrazzo floors in the government buildings. Icestone offers a similar look but with more vibrant colors and a variety of shades.

How are the product and the company green?
-Made in USA – the factory is in Brooklyn, NY.
-Reuses glass bottles – beer, wine, sparkling water bottles … out of the landfill and into the countertop. The color of the recycled glass gives the shade to the slab.
-VOC free – no petroleum content and water based sealers. So helping in the wellness your family.
-Day-lit factory – saving energy where it matters the most.
-Grey water recycling – conserving and reusing resources to make a true impact on the environment.

What certifications does Icestone hold?
B corporation – “a new type of corporation which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corporations are unlike traditional responsible businesses because they: meet comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards.”

Cradle-to-Cradle Gold – recently awarded Gold, this certification “provides a company with a means to tangibly, credibly measure achievement in environmentally-intelligent design and helps customers purchase and specify products that are pursuing a broader definition of quality.”

NSF certified – certifies that Icestone is suitable in a food service area like a kitchen.

These are just a few points that make Icestone highly desirable and worth considering when selecting your countertops or looking for something different for flooring. New shades are coming out. Who knows, it may be the one you’ve always wanted.

So keep on recycling those glass bottles. They may one day reappear… in your kitchen countertop!

Written by Valery Tessier-Leon for Case Design/Remodel. 

For more information on Case Design, please go to http://www.casedesign.com