Green Resources

C.A.R.'s Green Tips - are part of the Association's effort to raise member awareness about environmentally sound practices and offer REALTORS® ideas for greening their business practices and better serving their green-minded consumers.  For more green real-estate-related tips and discussion, visit C.A.R.'s green blog:  http://www.car.org/blogs/index.php

Tip #1 - RECYCLED PAINTS MAKE A SPLASH - What happens to all the latex paint that is dropped off at hazardous waste centers?  It's recycled and is being resold at your local paint distributors, Dunn-Edwards and Kelly-Moore, for example.  Recycled paint may sell for less, but the quality and viscosity are qugmented by blending with virgin materials.  For more information and complete list of recycled paint distributors, visit http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/ConDemo/Paint/

Tip #2 - GO AHEAD, HAVE YOUR CAR WASHED - Statistics show that paying for your next commercial car wash could be much more water-efficient than doing it yourself with the garden hose.  A typical commercial car wash uses 100 gallons less water per car than a home wash, and, in may cases, professional car wash facilities also reuse and recycle the rinse water.

Tip #3 - SMALL DRIPS ADD UP TO BIG LOSSES - A small drip, even five drips per minute, from a leaky home or office faucet can waste more than 250 gallons of water annually and boost water bills.  The American Water Works Association's Water Wiser Drip Calculator can help you calculate your home's or office's water loss.  For information, please visit http://www.awwa.org/awwa/waterwiser/dripcalc.cfm

Tip #4 - EcoENVELOPES SEND A STATEMENT - Want to tell your green clients that you care, increase response rates on direct mail pieces, and save money?  EcoEnvelopes allow you to send statements to clients in a reusable double-perforated eco-friendly envelope and forego the need to include a reply envelope.  It sounds a bit like origami, but it's easier:  Outgoing mail's presorted bulk mail imprint appears through the envelope's transparent window; recipients simply place payments and response back in same envelope, pull down the double-perforated flap, seal it, and send.  The U.S. Postal Service approved the envelopes for use in February and users report savings from no longer needing to send courtesy reply envelopes:  To learn more visit http://www.ecoenvelopes.com/

Tip #5 - RECYCLING NO-NOs - Here are five things that, according to earth911.org, will contaminate or thwart paper mills' attempt to recycle paper & cardboard.

Tip #6 - REMOVE LIGHT BULBS FROM THE VENDING MACHINES - You can save approximately $100 annually by removing the light bulbs in your office vending machines.

Tip # 7 - CHOOSE A LEAD-FREE PDA - Yor PDAs, cell phones, and batteries contain lead that can end up in the groundwater supply if not disposed of properly.  The next time you are updating your PDA, consider gigabytes and lead.  Look for devices that are Rosh - (Restriction of Hazardous Substance Directive) compliant.  These devices adhere to directives that ban the use of hazardous materials in their manufacture---lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyis, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers.  For more information, see http://www.rohsguide.com

Tip # 8 - GREEN YOUR OFFICE - If you are looking for a distributor of green office supplies - - everything from cleaning supplies to refillable pens, paper cups, and furniture - - The Green Office (www.greenoffice.com) is a good place to start.

Tip #9 - DOWNLOAD MUSIC - Whenever you can, you might choose to download your music, instead of purchasing a CD.  If you want to recycle your CDs and DVDs, visit the Compact Disc Recycle Center of American at http://www.cdrecyclingcener.com/ to find the nearest recycle center, or visit http://www.cdrecyclingforfree.com/.  The latter accepts your mailed CDs and DVDs; you pay the postage.

Tip #10 - KEEP THE CORD - When purchasing a phone for your home or office, consider buying one with a cord.  Cordless models drow power in charging and standby modes, while older models use very little power.  The savings per phone: 28 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.  If 5 percent of households opted for one phone with a cord, the savings would amount to 140 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, according to "The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time."

Tip # 11 - POST OFFICE RECYCLES ELECTRONICS - The next time you're in the post office, ask the postal clerk for an envelope to recycle your cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, ink jet cartridges, digital cameras, and small electronics.  The post office provides this for free.

Tip # 12 - CEILING FAN VS. AIR CONDITIONERS - Instead of running an air conditioner at a cost of 16 cents per hour or 43 cents per hour for central air, use a ceiling fan.  If you use an air conditioner, select an ENERGY STAR variety, which will save 20 to 40 percent in energy consumption as compared with conventional air conditioners according to The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time."

Tip # 13 - BLUE-RAY DISCS SHRED - Blu-ray discs hold five times more content than traditional compact discs and are composed of 50 percent paper, allowing them to be shredded, and making them easier to dispose of than traditional compact discs.

Tip # 14 - OPT FOR LINOLEUM INSTEAD OF VINYL - If it's time to change the break room floor, opt for linoleum instead of vinyl.  Linoleim is made from all-natural resources, while vinyl is made from petroleum.