Snappy Green » Green Tips

Fun at Fairfield Earth Day

ctgreenrealtor — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:27:17 +0000

If the thought of having a very pleasant day and mingling with genuinely nice people peaks your interest, would you be even more interested if at the same time, you could pick up tips on how to save money and live a healthier life? You can do all this at Fairfield Earth Day coming to Fairfield Warde next Saturday April 28^th. Now in its 14^th year, this is a celebration of our town and earth that draws well over 1000 people each year

Eating delicious organic food, seeing the infamous Trashy Fashion Show, listening to live music and seeing an electric car are a few of the fun things you can do. Mingle with one of the 60 or so Exhibitors and pick up valuable green tips. Don’t know what to get for Mom for her upcoming day? Here you can find reasonably priced and health inspired gifts for purchase. Want to get educated on how local townsfolk are contributing our community’s green movement and the latest green trends? Listen to presentations and participate in round table discussions. There is something here for everyone!

Years ago I left Earth Day with a recycled blue jean pencil with two kids with big smiles on their faces. Today I am on the committee and an Exhibitor with a green orientation to an otherwise traditional business. Fairfield Earth Day has been a good learning ground for me and even as someone who works the event I still look forward to it as one of the most relaxing and enjoyable days of my year. I hope you will join us at Fairfield Earth Day and don’t forget to stop by and introduce yourself to Snappy Green! David and I are both going to be there and we are looking forward to meeting you.

wendy@ctgreenrealestate.com William Raveis Real Estate

WSJ ~ American’s Need to Pay Attention to Their Trash.

DavidPopoff — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:42:58 +0000

Wall Street Journal, Grappling With a Garbage Glut, April 14^th, 2012.

New York City carts out 12,000 tons of trash a day.

Los Angeles has constructed a garbage mountain 500 feet high.

The average American tosses out 4.4 pounds of trash per day. USA population 313,000,000+ and counting.

American communities on average spend more money on waste management than on fire protection, parks and recreation, libraries or schoolbooks, according to U.S. Census data on municipal budgets.

In Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and Denmark all send less than 4% of their trash to landfills. Recycling rates are two to three times higher than America’s along with community base utilities that burn trash to provide electricity.

To be more aware of your trash outlay take a count next week on your trash output. Last week I counted my trash, 7 bags total with:-

1 bag going to compost
2 bags bottles and can recycle
1 bag paper recycle
3 bags garbage.

We have 3 small garbage cans in the kitchen, one for garbage, a bin for bottles and cans, one for paper recycling along with a counter container for composting.

By David Popoff, Lower Fairfield County Realtor ~ Green, Darien, Ct.

Green Dorm Rooms

ctgreenrealtor — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:11:36 +0000

by Wendy Martinenas

Snappy Green is all about green living in the home so at first I thought that writing about green living in the dorm might be off topic. Then I realized that the dorm is someone’s home too. What inspired me was green student U. This one particular article describes how the University of Virgina is displaying green dorm rooms. It’s interesting to note, that it doesn’t mention that these dorm rooms are in LEED certified buildings or anything close to being an energy saving structure. What it does do is give examples of eco friendly items that kids can bring into their rooms such as energy saving small appliances (the micro & fridge), green cleaning products, etc.

[[Show as slideshow]]

Bravo to UVA for doing this but also for pointing out that going green does not have to mean taking drastic measures like ripping out perfectly functional windows to replace them with the latest E coated kind. Being green, in Snappy Green’s view, is making a contribution on any scale that makes sense in the situation and that is comfortable for you. In addition every eco conscious choice you make, over the alternative, contributes to the collective green effort and greater good of our planet. Wow, when you put it like that, it sure makes you feel magnanimous, and rightfully so.

So this all made me think, when my daughter went to the University of Connecticut this year what she chose to take. We had no control over the fridge because her roommate supplied that. We did look for a microwave with an energy efficient label but could not find one. In her room, is recycled paper for her printer, plant based laundry detergent and hand dish detergent to wash actual silverware and plates. She also has a Brita pitcher to filter water and quite frankly too many cups. In our defense she did need a cup for every situation: a regular water bottle, a water bottle with a built-in filter (for when she didn’t have access to the Brita), a coffee cup, a coffee thermos for on-the-go drinking and regular cups for use in the dorm. I am sure there are things I am forgetting. All of this was so easy. It just takes a mindset motivated by the knowledge that this behavior really is necessary if we are going to preserve our planet. Kudos to Steph, for making her own contribution.

According to Wiki Answers there are 14.4 million students in the US alone. There’s a Starbucks on every college campus I went to visit and I can’t fathom how much garbage from paper coffee cups is generated as a result. Think of the impact if all of them did what Steph does and what UVA is suggesting we do.

Wendy@ctgreenrealestate.com William Raveis Real Estate

Find Out How GREEN You Really Are With The Practically Green Score Card.

DavidPopoff — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:30:36 +0000

By David Popoff.

See how green your home and lifestyle is compared to others with the Practically Green Quiz and Score Card website. But this website is not just about getting a score but is here to educate you on more ways to become sustainable responsible. Each Green Action comes with three parts:

Learn Why ~ explains the benefits of the green action
Learn How ~ provides information on how to achieve the green action
Products ~ provides links to help achieve green action

Practically Green is also interactive where you can:

Suggest a green Action ~ the other great part of this website is it is always growing, if you see something missing “Suggest an Action”. There are hundreds of green actions at Practically Green but with your participation there will be more, already I have suggested a dozen new green actions, you should too.
Earn Green Badges ~ a fun way to keep track on how you are doing.
Create Green Goals ~ will set a green action on your calendar.

Go now to the Practically Green community and see how well you are doing with you sustainable healthy lifestyle.

David Popoff is a Realtor ~ Green designee in lower Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Green Facts & Information from the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection.

DavidPopoff — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:27:56 +0000

By David Popoff.

Going Green in Connecticut is growing by leaps and bounds and the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection has several links to some very good information for the public. The following fact sheets are intended for the homeowner who is interested in sustainable home renovations and remodeling. Green built homes are:

Energy Efficient
Site Responsive
Water Conserving
Material Responsible
Healthier to live in
Less Maintenance

The following fact sheets address some of these attributes:

There are many other sources of information in Connecticut for Green Building and Lifestyle living:

David Popoff is a Connecticut licensed Realtor, LEED AP and GREEN accredited.