Who Turned Out the Lights – Part 2

"A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children." – Audubon

 
 
Who Turned Out the Lights? – Part 2
 
 

I’ve talked about being green and renewable energy. This is a hot topic across the country and with all that talk it must be that it’s something relatively important or at least that we’re thinking about our planet. This is an age old problem, but it’s become more serious in the last 50 to 75 years with the creation of plastics, etc. Although these simplify life; they’re a danger to our planet.

Over my life I’ve observed how people like my grandparents lived. Back in the day, my grandmother collected grease and made it into laundry soap. Sounds a little strange using grease to wash clothes; but, it actually cleaned the clothes perfectly.   Grandma planted a garden, grew vegetables and fruits, and then canned the vegetables. She gathered wild berries in the country to make jams and jellies and her homemade bread was to die for. Quite old fashioned by today’s standards. However, Grandma was very GREEN when green was only a color. Today, we buy our soaps and foods from the local grocery store. Very few of us have the pleasure of fresh homemade bread and preserves; and hardly anyone in the city cans vegetables and fruits in the fall for use throughout the rest of the year. 

Obviously, Grandma was one smart cookie, but another thing she did was used tubs in her sink for dishwashing; one each for washing and rinsing. Today, almost every home has a dishwasher. If you’re looking to buy a home, the lack of a dishwasher though not a deal breaker, would be a desired amenity. By the way, I’ll get back to the wash tub issue in a minute.

Water conservation has also been a hot topic for a number of years. Our water comes to us from the snow in the Rocky Mountains and it works its way to us via various streams and rivers; the rivers make their way to our local water treatment plant and from there to the faucets in our kitchens, etc. Basically, it goes through a recycling process as it makes its way from community to community before it gets to us.  In the 70s, the water conservation concept was presented through ads such as “Save Water, Shower with a Friend”. Many of us took this to heart, taking a step in the direction of water conservation. Now, we should take another step in being green – go back to washing dishes by hand. In hand washing dishes there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.

1.)    A Dishwasher heats and uses hot water that reaches temperatures hotter than 140° F, because it takes water that hot in order to melt the dishwashing soap, remove the grease and sanitize dishes. To reach this equivalent in sanitization, consider pouring a capful of Clorox into the washing and rinsing sinks.

2.)    Research indicates a load of dishes cleaned in a dishwasher requires 37 percent less water than washing dishes by hand. HOWEVER, if you fill the wash and rinse basins of your sink rather than letting the water run, you’ll use half the water of a normal dishwasher load.

3.)    Approximately 80 percent of the energy your dishwasher uses goes to heat water. Remember, by saving water, you’re also saving the energy used to pump, treat, heat, and clean it up afterwards in your city’s waste water facility.  About 50 percent of a city’s energy bill goes to supplying water and cleaning it after use!

4.)    If you must use the dishwasher, try using the air dry cycle to conserve some energy.

So, the next time that you prepare a meal, hand wash your dishes rather than using your dishwasher. As for the wash tubs, when you’re through washing the dishes, recycle the rinse water by using it to water house or patio plants. You can also use the wash water by dumping it down the toilet; swish the toilet with the brush and Voila! You’ve killed two birds with one stone.   Sooner or later, the light will come on as to more ways you can work towards being GREEN. Keep striving towards this goal and don’t allow anyone to “Turn off Your Light”. Just become “GREEN”!

For more information about how you can work towards a greener lifestyle, go to www.Regeneration.org

 
 

Please call Chris or Terry, if you would like to discuss the above further or discuss:

 
  • Purchasing a home or condo;
  • Selling your home or condo*;
  • Income Property, or
  • A free comparative market analysis of your home or condo.

 

*     If your property is now listed with a broker, please disregard this offer, as it is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other brokers.

 

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