Everyday more and more people are learning about sustainable living. We hear green this and green that. We even have a new term in the “green” vernacular called “green washing”. Green washing is the act of promoting a service or product as “green” when it really has no legitimate connection to the concept. So it can pay to become aware of the difference between green washing and authentic green. Take the following quiz to test your green prowess (answers below): T F 1. The prevailing system of storm water management whereby rainwater is collected from impervious surfaces and directed into natural and manmade tributaries is an environmentally sound and necessary policy. T F 2. Green cocktails are those made with spirits from local distilleries that use organic ingredients or have significant recycling programs for the by-products. T F 3. Investing in a dual-flush toilet and low-flow faucets in a bathroom are enough to earn you high marks for a green bathroom retrofit. T F 4. Ideally, you will have large conifers on the fours sides of your home to serve as wind blockers in the winter, and to shield the sun’s rays in the summer. T F 5. Ammonia based products are an environmentally friendly way to clean your kitchen and bathroom, because its naturally occurring elements of Nitrogen and Hydrogen (NH3) actually serve to diminish your home’s carbon footprint. T F 6. Sustainable living practices for renters are pretty much limited to conservation choices and wishfully suggesting green upgrades to landlords, since tenants are usually not permitted to make cosmetic and structural changes to a home. T F 7. People with green, money to invest, can do so even in the stock market, in a truly green way. T F 8. Vendors claiming their produce is more green because it has been grown locally are a good example of green washing. T F 9. Bamboo is the green-minded consumer’s wood of choice because it is really a grass and not wood at all, and if properly cultivated and harvested has a minimally negative environmental impact. T F 10. Junk in the trunk of your car unnecessarily adds to the cost of operating your vehicle and indirectly adversely impacts the environment. T F 11. Green-living is a matter of mindset. Virtually every decision you make has an environmental impact, even something as seemingly environmentally benign as a wedding. T F 12. In the cold season it is most energy efficient to set your home’s thermostat to 68° and leave it alone, rather than turning it down when you leave and back up when you return. T F 13. The most important aspect of wall insulation in the home is the vapor barrier, because moisture penetration quickly negates the insulation’s R factor. T F 14. The major drawback to the enjoyment of solar energy as a resource is the affordability of photovoltaic systems and their ongoing maintenance. T F 15. Recent, mounting scientific research indicates that indoor air quality can be more polluted than outdoor air even in the largest and most industrialized cities. T F 16. Research has shown that, whether renting or buying a home, high on your list of necessary characteristics should be to find a home with no mold. T F 17. It is a modern day myth that what people do on the surface of the land affects the purity and availability of water deep in the earth’s aquifers. T F 18. Zoning rules and local ordinances are good places to find visionary solutions to our issues with sustainable, healthy living. Answers to: Test Your Green Prowess 1. F Rainwater is our only long-term source of fresh water—therefore, a critical resource. 37 inches of rain per year, falling on a 1,000 square foot roof, amounts to about 25,000 gallons of water. Why turn this potable rainwater into filth, and spend millions of dollars sending it to a neighbor down stream, and then spend more money to mine and purify water from local reservoirs and our receding aquifers? This arithmetic will not work for long. Check out http://www.cdfinc.com/resources/publications.html and download the publication "The Ecology and Culture of Water." 2. T That, and using juices from locally grown fruits, as opposed to imports, helps avoid the environmental cost of shipping. But there’s more: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/cocktails/index.html 3. F You probably only hit the tip of the iceberg if that’s all you do. What about disposables and cleaning agents? Have you integrated the use of recyclables? Learn more: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/bathrooms/top-bathrooms-tips.html 4. F Although wind screens are a good idea, you would want them on the unsheltered side, while big deciduous trees on the south facing side will keep the direct sun off the home in the summer while allowing the warming sun rays through in the winter. Keep reading: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/home-buying/home-buying-basics.html 5. F While ammonia may kill many household bacteria, the offsetting environmental cost in terms of interior air quality and contamination of the environment may be even more detrimental. The impact on the carbon footprint is nonsense. There are environmentally friendly alternatives: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/buying-guides/green-cleaning-supplies.html 6. F It is so that landlords are in control of replacing home fixtures and appliances. But the type of consumables a renter uses, such as cleaning products and paper products are well within their control. Tenants can also use the leverage of lease negotiations to bargain for green upgrades. Every little concession matters and is worth the effort. 7. T It’s about what you invest in. You pick the investment. Is it a product or service grown of a sustainable consciousness? More on this: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/green-investing/index.html 8. F Think about the environmental impact of preserving, packaging, and shipping perishable products. Research shows that the average distance food travels from harvest site to the dining room table is between 1,500 to 2,500 miles. The consumptions of fossil fuels alone is enough to dub this environmentally harmful. But there's more to this: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/green-eating/green-eating-statistics.html. Also check out http://www.localharvest.org for local farmer’s markets nearest you. 9. T Bamboo has proved to be a sustainable substitute resource for furniture and even building systems such as floors. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/green-furniture/green-furniture-top-tips.html 10. T Especially if the junk is heavy. You use more fuel, regardless of whether your fuel is the modern bio variety or the old fashioned fossil fuel. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/green-cars/green-cars-top-tips.html 11. T Think about the miles Uncle Ted or Aunt Mable must travel to enjoy your wedding? Use recycled invitations, and proudly inform your guests you did so. Help heighten their awareness. Read more about how to do environmentally friendly weddings. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/weddings/top-green-weddings-tips.html 12. F The amount of energy needed to heat the house back up is less than what you would expend keeping it at 68° F. The same concept holds true for air conditioning in the warm months. Don’t believe it? http://www.eere.energy.gov.consumer 13. F Actually, air gaps or holes are more detrimental. According to the US Department of Energy, “…sealing air leaks is 10 to 100 times as important as installing a vapor barrier.” http://www.eere.energy.gov/guildings/info/documents/pdfs/26451.pdf 14. F It is true that active solar energy systems are more expensive in up-front costs than traditional energy systems, but passive solar can be enjoyed with proper site selection and observance of certain construction methods, such as the placement of windows and use of overhangs. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy01osti/27954.pdf 15. T Out-gassing of building materials, byproducts of gas and electric appliances, and toxic finishing materials such as paints and varnishes are just a few of the sources of toxic pollutants in the typical home or office. http://www.epa.gov/appcdwww/iemb/insideiaq/fw98.pdf 16. F Mold is a natural part of our environment, and it is virtually impossible to find a home with no traces of mold of any kind. The important thing is to create a home environment that is not conducive to mold growth. This generally means controlling moisture. Read more: http://www.epa.goc.iaq/molds/images/moldguide.pdf 17. F A healthy environment is a presentation of an intricate and delicately balanced ecosystem. It is absurd to think that we can forsake one part, expecting it not to have an adverse impact on the remainder of the ecosystem. http://www.epa.gov/safewater/privatewells/pdfs/household_wells.pdf 18. F At the present time, many zoning rules and local ordinances make green living illegal, inasmuch as many of these strictures were 1-solution-fits-all and developed in a time of environmental obliviousness and cheap energy. For more on this topic see: http://www.cdfinc.com/resources/publications.html If you correctly answered 14 or more of these, you are on the environmental awareness track. Keep going! You are an inspiration. If you correctly answered between 8 and 13 of these, you have a clue, but need to do some research. Don’t get discouraged, get excited! If you correctly answered 7 or fewer, you have your work cut out for you. But take heart, if you simply took the time to test yourself, there is hope for you and for our planet. Thank you for your interest. Dan Wilhelm ABR, ABRM, CRB, RMP, EcoBroker® 678-397-1282 |