We all need to be socially responsible in saving our environment to ensure the safety of our wildlife and to preserve our planet for the future! Over the past number of years, I personally, I have undertaken the following initiatives:

• Driving a HYBRID vehicle
• Installing CFL lighting in all fixtures that will accommodate them
• Replacing most appliances and equipment in both my home and office with Energy Star
• Installing a Honeywell programmable thermostat
• Recycling all paper goods
• I support Eco-Peg, a Manitoba organization that promotes buying local and living green. I will donate $250 to the eco-friendly organization of your choice by mentioning Eco-Peg when buying and/or selling a property through me.
• Using ORGANIC fertilizer in the spring and summer, even before it became law
• I am a member of National Association of Green Agents and Brokers (NAGAB). NAGAB is the only branch of the Realtor family focused on Green Residential real estate transactions. The association is dedicated to improving the professional competence of its members in Greenrealestate™ practices.

 
What is Greenrealestate ™ ?

Greenrealestate ™ is in the business of making home energy conservation an intrinsic part of everyday life through the marketing and sales of more energy efficient new and resale homes. A synopsis then provides that Greenrealestate™ goals are to:

• help reduce energy waste through increased energy conservation,
• promote environmental awareness,
• reduce monthly home energy costs,
• lead to increased sale prices of Greenrealestate™ certified homes,
• help leave the world a better place for future generations,
• reduce energy reliance on offshore interests.

Greenrealestate™ understands how to maximize the economic value of properties by emphasizing energy conservation strategies that increase your clients homes resale value. Greenrealestate™ is an innovative program designed to increase its selling price, reduce its selling time while helping to green the planet.

Whether you are thinking of selling today or in the future the Greenrealestate™ program makes good economic cents:

• Saving money on energy costs in the short term,
• Selling your home for more money in the long term,
• Helping to fight climate change,
• Protecting the natural environment,
• Improving air quality.

 

(courtesy of eco-peg.com)

• Buy a programmable thermostat and set it to automatically adjust your home's temperatures, saving energy when everyone is away for the day or sleeping.
• Install ceiling fans, which use less energy than regular fans and cost about one cent for two hours of operation. In comparison, a room air conditioner costs about $0.17-$0.25 per hour, and central air, $0.67-$1.00 per hour.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). You'll save about 66% in energy, and get about 10 times more life from them.
• Use one refrigerator. Having a second fridge in your home can add up to $150 per year to your hydro bill.
• To help save up to $85 yearly, dry your clothes either outdoors or on an indoor drying rack rather than in the dryer.
• Run your dishwasher only when it's full. Unlike rinsing a few dishes, your dishwasher uses about 40 litres of water, no matter the size of the load. However, a full load of dishes in the dishwasher uses less water than an equal amount of dishes washed by hand.
• Got a leaky tap? Fix it; a tap dripping one drip per second wastes about 10,000 litres of water a year
• Use a rain barrel under your downspout to collect water for watering the garden.
• Bring your own bag when you head to the store. More than 55 million plastic shopping bags go into homes across Canada...every week...

 
ARTICLES

• The benefits of making your home green

 

(courtesy of MREA)

Learn how to make your home more energy efficient at the Manitoba Hydro Web Site

Help your younger children learn about their Footprint at www.kidsfootprint.org

Reduce your Footprint at home and at work. Learn how at the David Suzuki Foundation

A whole blue box full of environmental calculators and links from our Government.