This Memorial Day will be a sales tax Holiday for energy efficient products. Think of the back-to-school tax free weekend only for your home.

Austin real estate is going to keep getting better with green choices.  “Going Green” means making environmentally conscious purchases when you need to purchase something.  Buying something because it’s green is counter-productive.

“If you’ve been thinking about finally buying those energy efficient light
bulbs, purchasing a programmable thermostat, or actually replacing the
refrigerator, dishwasher or air conditioner with a cleaner more efficient
one, memorial day weekend is the time to do it. You’ll save money, while helping to reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions,” noted Lone Star Chapter Conservation Director Cyrus Reed.

But are there any downfalls? For instance, what happens to all of the old appliances when they are replaced? This ECO-Consumerism drives me nuts sometimes. While I appreciate what this piece of legislation is trying to do, I can’t see throwing out so many appliances that work for shiny new ones. How is this in the spirit of “going green”?

I say if you have an appliance that you were thinking of replacing anyway, use this tax holiday to save yourself some money while supporting the environment by making an eco-conscious choice on something you were going to purchase anyway. Don’t throw that 4-year-old dishwasher in the landfill for the upgraded model, but do replace that 30-year-old A/C unit that’s on the fritz.

Stock up on light bulbs for when your current ones burn out. If you’re going to replace working bulbs, do it only in rooms you have lit very often, perhaps your family room or study. Why toss out all of those perfectly good bulbs from the bathroom that you zip in and out of?

If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, I say go for one. I’ll make an exception here because they save so much energy!

Take advantage of this city incentive if you have been waiting to stock up on bulbs or replace a dying appliance, but remember to recycle your old appliances whenever possible and don’t bother with upgrades that don’t make sense!

And check out this link on eco-consumerism. Monbiot has expressed my concerns beautifully!

Tags: austin, carbon footprint, economy, energy star, environment, green, green energy, hot market, housing, nature conservancy, real estate by Aria
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This morning’s paper has an article announcing that wireless phone carriers are making an effort to use renewable energy to power their towers. Wireless is still a growing industry, and it certainly a large one. Will the trend catch on? Consumers are looking for greener options right now, but we do not yet have all of the answers about renewable energy. We don’t know which form is most efficient, practical, or affordable. When companies take on the challenge of renewable energy, they are able to use their resources to answer these questions by experimenting with different technologies currently available.

According to this article, wireless companies are experimenting with wind power, solar panels, hydrogen fuel cells, and geothermal cooling to power and maintain the various pieces of equipment required to deliver wireless communication to the consumer. Because they are big business, they are very focused on efficiency and the bottom dollar. Compared to government efforts that are typically relatively inefficient with tons of red tape, I have high hopes for the knowledge we can gain from responsible companies using their resources to learn more about how to implement and develop renewable resource technologies.

If you know of any other companies working toward a better tomorrow, let me know. I would love to know what Austin-based companies are doing in this realm.

Tags: carbon footprint, energy star, green, green energy, health, living, nature conservancy, renewable energy, responsibility, wind power by Aria
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You don’t have to be a tree-hugger to appreciate the benefits of making green changes in your life. Instead of a large post, today I will give you some resources that should help you cut through the mess and find some practical tips that are easy to implement in your own life.

Energy Star - http://www.energystar.gov/
A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. This website has many tips on making energy-efficient choices.

The Nature Conservancy - http://www.nature.org/
See their Carbon Footprint Calculator at http://nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator to get a picture of how your household effects the world.

Tags: austin real estate, carbon footprint calculator, energy star, green, living, nature conservancy by Aria
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