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Monday, August 31, 2009

Green Sales

How to Boost Your Home's Value Before a Sale by Going Green
Green Real Estate Education is green "training the chain" of professionals in real estate transactions to bring information to home buyers and sellers on achieving basic economical energy savings, as well as financing these types of renovations. Energy-efficient homes, and especially green-certified properties, are some of the most sought-after residences and are gaining strength daily. The entire building industry is changing towards sustainable and green techniques; it's about time we embrace the new green revolution.

Six Green Strategies for Selling Your Home
Let’s face it. This is not an easy time to sell a house. Improving your home’s energy efficiency is always a good idea, but when you’re getting ready to sell, a few simple, green fix-ups could help put a sold sign on your lawn.

7 Eco-Friendly Tips To Sell Your Home
If you’re going through the same thing or are thinking about selling sometime soon, then you might be interested in some eco-friendly tips to sell your home.

For more information on green selling - and buying - contact the Eco-Broker Certified experts of the NOVA Green Team!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Green Flooring

How to Choose Green Flooring
Two of the most common flooring materials -- carpet and vinyl -- pose risks to ­the health of the environment and your home.

Bamboo flooring: Looking good for the environment
Bamboo flooring has come a long way in a short time. Once only available in lighter natural shades and hard to come by, it is now a hot new choice for flooring in new homes and remodels.

A House for the Future, Now
Camela and Wes Speer’s new house in Lorton will be environmentally friendly, energy efficient and unlike anything else around. It will also be one of the most carbon-neutral homes in Virginia.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Going Green At Work

How to Go Green: At Work
A greener workplace can mean a lighter ecological footprint, a healthier and more productive place to work, and good news for the bottom line. Whether you’re the boss or the employee, whether your office is green already or still waiting to see the light, some practical steps can lay the groundwork for a healthy, low-impact workspace.

5 Simple Ways to Green Your Office
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average employed American works 9.3 hours per day —that’s more time than dedicated to any other activity. Not surprisingly, offices account for nearly a fifth of all commercial energy consumption. The good news? Greening your workplace can be both simple and cost effective. Try these steps today!

10 Ways to Go Green at Work
Greener homes are in the spotlight these days, but what about the other places where many of us spend huge chunks of our time--our offices? Some simple changes of habit can save energy and resources at work, and these small steps can be multiplied by persuading the powers-that-be at your workplace to adopt environmentally friendly (and often cost-effective) policies.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Back To School...The Green Way!

8 Ways to Green Back to School
Don’t be fooled: Even if Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” has been playing nonstop lately, the beginning of another school year is quickly approaching.

How to Go Green: Back to School
So, how do you combine school's three R's -- that's readin', writin' and 'rithmetic -- with the planet's three R's of reduce, reuse, and recycle? Here's how to follow up your green summer, full of green barbeques and fun, with a green school year.

Back to School Green Shopping Guide
Today's new green school supplies are high on style and usability, as well as increasingly affordable.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Green Tax Credits

2009 Top Green Tax Credits and Deductions
A tax credit is a one-for-one dollar reduction in your total tax bill. Think of it as the government literally giving you a credit for a particular amount of money off of your tax bill. A tax deduction on the other hand reduces your taxable income. Once you have all of your deductions taken off of your total income, this amount is then the amount of money you will be taxed against. The difference is a large one in that a tax credit is much more beneficial than a deduction, but both are useful in reducing your tax bill.

Green Energy Home and Auto Tax Credits in the 2009 Economic Stimulus Package
As a soon to be home owner, I was surprised at the amount of "green" tax credits available in President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package (aka 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). The $1500 energy efficiency credit has been well publicized, but there are a lot more goodies in there that you could save you a lot of money when it comes to tax returns next year, and reduce your carbon footprint to boot.

Friday, August 7, 2009

GIY: Green It Yourself

How to Make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit
Non-toxic cleaning can give you a deep feeling of gratification in knowing that your family’s health is protected, and that your home is a place for your bodies to rest and recuperate rather than promote harm.

Green Homes & Green Solutions For Your House
These articles feature energy saving tips about existing appliances and home systems, explanatory information about Energy Star ratings and unique approaches to gardening and landscaping. Get started by selecting a topic below.

Planet Green - Do It Yourself
Multiple articles on green DIY projects.

Do It Yourself Green Roof
A green roof is a roof that is covered with vegetation. Very popular in Europe, they are an excellent and economic way to reduce energy costs, insulate during the winter, and cool during the summer. Aside from receiving special tax benefits, green roofs can save the home-owner a ton of money throughout their lifetimes, sometimes up to 50% of what they would otherwise spend on energy and insulation.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Local Green News And Events

Upcoming Events - Piedmont Environmental Council

Keep Loudoun Beautiful To Host Canoe Cleanup Project, Volunteers Needed
In an enduring effort to preserve Loudoun County's environment, Keep Loudoun Beautiful is hosting its annual canoe cleanup project Saturday, Aug. 8. The outing is focused on the Potomac River and the litter that has collected in its waters. In past years, volunteers have filled garbage bags with tires, bikes and other sorts of random trash.

New Loudoun Homeless Shelter Receives Green Building Award
From more than 2,500 nominated projects, the new Loudoun County Homeless Shelter has been selected as a Green Building of America Award-winning project and will be featured in the magazine Real Estate and Construction Review - Green Success Stories Edition.

State, Local Governments Will Help Save Planet...
Like many states, Virginia confronts its share of challenges with energy and climate. Under current business-as-usual emissions projections, Virginia's greenhouse gas emissions are projected to rise about 1 percent per year by 2025. Moreover, Virginia imports approximately 20 percent of its energy, and as the state's population grows - over the next 10 years, 500,000 people are expected to move into Northern Virginia alone - Virginia will be severely challenged to stabilize, much less curb, greenhouse gas emissions.

Groundbreaking held for emergency operations center
He added the facility would also be certified as a green building with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver status.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Alternative Energy

Scavenging Energy from Evaporation
According to NewScientist: “The researchers added metal plates to the walls of the central stem and connected them to a circuit. The charged plates and the water within the stem create a sandwich of two conducting layers separated by an insulating layer – in effect, a capacitor.”

Future Uses of Solar Energy
According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy arm, there will be more breakthroughs in new materials, cell designs, and novel approaches to product development in photovoltaic research and development. Future uses of solar energy could include our mode of transportation and even clothing, which will be equipped to produce clean, safe electric power.

Ambitious green targets boost renewable energy
Fund managers say this increased commitment, together with a similar focus from the US, plus stronger moves towards clean energy from China, is welcome news for an industry that has been slow to take off – and has suffered more than others in the recent downturn.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Green Products

Prepara sprouts dirt-free garden
Thankfully, there is hope for busy and forgetful people like me. The Prepara Power Plant doesn't require any soil, planting, or high maintenance. Herbs, small vegetables, fruits, and salad greens grow quickly, as the container provides the seeds with the right amount of nutrients and water.

"Green" Back to School Supplies
As July comes to a close it's time for stores to roll out "back to school" sales. This year when you're filling your cart with supplies take some time to look around at some of the greener products out there.

Supermarket small steps: new eco-friendly household products
Steep prices for natural, organic household products are fortunately becoming a thing of the past with the entry of new products on supermarket and drugstore shelves. While it’s important to support the smaller companies who have been taking environmental initiatives since well before consumers demanded it, sometimes we just have to listen to our wallets and shop the big box retailers who are staying competitive with shoppers’ green expectations.