SYNRGYdesign

I’ve been asked by a few people how they can start “going Green”.  I believe they ask me because they know I’m an architect and think that I may have some insight into “going Green”.  I wish I could tell them something new and exciting that would change their world and make “going Green” a lot easier so that everyone can do it.  There are some simple steps that everyone can do that will help and just so you know, I do follow them.  For starters, here’s my list of some simple things to do to start “going Green”.

1.  Use a refillable water bottle.  I don’t buy the individual water bottles.  I buy the 2.5 gallon bottles and fill up a re-usable bottle when ever I go out.  If I’m at home, I use the same glass for the entire day and just keep refilling it with water.

2. Recycle all your paper and cardboard.  I’ve found that you can recycle quite a bit of paper and boxes if you just make a conscious effort before you throw everything in the trash to see if it’s a good thing to recycle or not.  We shred all the import papers, but every piece of paper or cardboard or plastic that we can recycle we do.  We have a recycle box that we use to help separate the things.  I’ve gotten to the point where our recycle bin is filled more then our regular trash bin.

3. Turn the heater down when during those cold winter days (keep in mind I live in Southern California also).  I’m the last person to say don’t turn the heater on.  I don’t like to be cold.  But if you turn it down during the day and just put on a sweater and open the blinds and let the sun in.

4. Turn off the AC off.  Now I haven’t lived in a house with an AC since my parents place until just recently.  So I haven’t had to deal with the temptation of turning on the AC when the hot summer months push the temperature to over 100 degrees.  But I have found that even though I can turn the AC on now, I don’t.  I have gotten used to and enjoy the fresh air that comes when you open a few windows.  Now not every house or building is designed with cross ventilation in mind.  And I for one do not like sleeping in very hot weather.  But I have found that opening a few windows especially at night and letting the cool air in and closing the windows during the peak hours of hot temperature during the day does help and makes it comfortable most of the time.

5. Don’t run your major appliances - dishwasher, washer, dryer - during peak hours (10 am to 3 pm).  Being in California and the threat of possible rolling blackouts to conserve energy has mad many people aware of peak hours over here.  Living in an older house, with an electrical panel not sized for today’s electrical requirements, I’ve learned to not overload my usage too much.  I don’t do laundry or the dishwasher during those peak hours.  I don’t run the AC before I try opening the windows and using some well placed fans to provide a cross ventilation breeze going.

I will post more tips later but these are an easy way to start the Green process.  If everyone did a few of these steps every day, we would make a big difference.  They aren’t new or inventive techniques and I’m sure many of you already do quite a few of them yourself.

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