Everyday Green Home

Can business be a force for good?

There is a huge transition taking place within our culture and society right now. We are seeing some fascinating changes, many of which are being integrated from the younger generations up to the older generations.

Whether we realize it or not, most of us vote with our pocketbooks. Today's younger generations only support the companies that uphold the values they want to encourage. My generation tends to buy from companies we believe in. Those companies share our values and do things that we feel are important. We also like to get involved and make things happen.

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. I am pulling an episode out of the archives today with Suzanne Shelton of the Shelton Group. In our conversation, Suzanne and I dive into the notion of companies being a force for good.

Suzanne is an optimistic and inspiring individual with a wealth of relevant information! She founded The Shelton Group, which has done a lot of research and focuses on sustainability, social justice, and the emerging idea of ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) within the mainstream.

Suzanne is a huge believer in business! She understands that when companies benefit from their actions, it inspires them to do more. She and I agree that businesses can be an agent of change and help us wrestle with some of the big immoral problems that exist out there today. Stay tuned for more!

The Shelton Group

The Shelton Group is the country's leading marketing communications firm that focuses exclusively on the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) space. It is there to help companies gain a market advantage as a result of what they do to create a sustainable and socially just world.

Suzanne founded the company twenty-nine years ago, and they have focused on the ESG space for the last fifteen years.

How The Shelton Group achieves its aim

The Shelton Group achieves its aim by creating ongoing insights gatherings to discuss the thinking and the expectations of the market and how people's thoughts and expectations translate into the brands they prefer and the products they buy.

Those insights then get applied as marketing communication strategies and communication platforms which the company then amplifies out, over time, on behalf of their clients.

The bias of the Shelton Group

The Shelton Group believes in the power of organizations and entrepreneurialism. It fundamentally trusts in the strength and intensity of business and competition.

Suzanne thinks she is also wired that way!

A force for good

Businesses can be a force for good if everything they do benefits the business in terms of money or profit.

Solving problems in the world

Business can be utilized as a force for good to help with solving some of the many problems in the world. Realistically, however, the only way that any business can work as a force for good is if there is some monetary value in it for that business.

A pragmatic approach

Suzanne believes that businesses need to explain pragmatically how they can read and measure their market advantage and how they intend to execute against that.

An optimistic view

Suzanne is an optimist. She is sure that we will weather the storm of the global pandemic and come out stronger and better than before on the other side. She also feels optimistic that businesses will solve some of the world's greatest challenges.

The good news

Over the last couple of years, Wall Street has been asking questions that they were not asking five years ago. Investors are also asking questions on investor calls with Fortune 500 companies about diversion and inclusion policies or greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, if a company does not have its environmental and social acts together, it will not be in a position to answer those questions.

Corporate America

Now that Wall Street has started asking those questions, Suzanne finally feels that financials are a part of the environment and part of the work-streams within our society. She also believes that Corporate America is now motivated in a new way.

The best thing that's happened

For Suzanne, the best thing that has ever happened to move everyone towards creating a sustainable future is that Wall Street has started asking some vital questions that they were not asking before.

The ESG framework

The ESG framework is a framework through which rating agencies measure and rate the performance of companies based on a host of metrics under the environmental, social, and governance categories. Those scores get reported to fund managers and investors on Wall Street. Part of the ESG framework is to obtain metrics on social issues, including gender equity, racial equity, and even pay equity.

Where business needs to go to create meaningful solutions

Although what has been happening in America over the last couple of years is generally not good for business in the long run, Suzanne points out that there is no business case for global warming or societal unrest either.

Suzanne's advice for business people

Suzanne advises business people to embrace stakeholder capital and a triple-bottom-line approach to move forward, make sense of the world, and help create world peace. She believes that that will ultimately be the best approach for businesses, the world, and the planet because they are all connected.

Referral Links:

My website Green Home Coach

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home

Instagram & Facebook: @greenhomecoach

Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products

The Good Company Report, Shelton Group

Sustainalytics

Just Capital

Change the World - Fortune

Pearl Certification

"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

We all care about the health of our family and friends and want them to live in a safe and healthy environment.

A few years ago, The US Green Building Council created a movement, campaign, and toolkit called the Living Well Standard, which published a message that still stands true today. It spells out how much it matters that the places we live, work, and play should not hurt us but protect us and enrich our lives in a sustainable way. That should be a standard that we can all expect and enjoy, rather than a luxury or a privilege.

Environmentalism is all about people and living well. But that tends to get lost amid all the advocating, politics, and policies. That is why I am all about action because words do not mean much until we get in there and do something!

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I am pulling a show out of the archives in which I have a great conversation with my co-host, Tony Pratte, and we share a lot more detail about the Living Well Standard and toolkit. We discuss how the Living Well Standard helps people help themselves, each other, and the environment. We also talk about the action we can take, as individuals, to make a difference.

What we do matters, and every little bit adds up! Stay tuned for more!

The Living Standard

The Living Standard, released by the US Green Building Council, is all about people. It is a dialogue to help people understand more about green living and sustainability.

The Living Standard is a toolkit

The Living Standard is a toolkit designed to help us improve our conversations about what we can do to live a green and sustainable lifestyle.

Small things count

If you can picture a billion people making small changes, you will see that it ultimately adds up to a billion small changes happening all over the planet. So, if you make even a small and incremental change in your life, you will not have to worry about the big environmental problem.

A big conversation

Talking about the environment is a big conversation because there is a lot that we need to understand. Unfortunately, many people tend to have problems when they talk about the environment because they become consumed with the big picture.

What we need to understand

We need to realize that everyone looks at things a little differently, and there are certain things about which we will not always agree. That, however, will make no difference to the kinds of small, common-sense changes that we all can make.

There is always something you can do.

There is always something you can do to be part of the solution and change things for the better.

Sometimes, we can become overwhelmed with everything we need to do to green our homes. It helps to know that whatever we do on a small scale will ultimately also work on a bigger scale because, even if it is something small, it will still move the needle.

The US Green Building Advocacy Committee

A while ago, the Missouri Gateway Chapter of the US Green Building Council asked Tony to be on their advocacy committee.

Why the Living Standard was released

The Living Standard was created to move the environmental conversation away from jargonized, scientific, builder-speak towards a more common language that can easily be understood by everyone.

A non-confrontational conversation

A conversation about sustainability and greening the environment does not have to be confrontational.

The goal of this podcast

The goal of this podcast is to have heartfelt conversations and keep politics out of the way.

How to have the right kind of conversation and take it to even more people

We need to speak to more people who live outside of our community. We also need to use inclusive language and powerful images to help everyone feel that they can take the action that is needed daily to create a sustainable environment for all.

It's all about a choice

It's all about the choice you make. You can choose to take a small, incremental step now that will make a big impact later on.

The top three things you can do to make meaningful small changes in your home

1. Use only LED lightbulbs
2. Use green cleaning products
3. Use recycled toilet paper

Referral Links:

My website Green Home Coach

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home Facebook group

Instagram & Facebook: @greenhomecoach

Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products

The Living Standard Tool Kit

The Living Standard Campaign

The Standard Issue Report

Are you interested in making your next home a healthy, eco-friendly one? We have partnered with RealtySagePros.com to help match you to expert agents who are matched, based on your unique real estate needs. It's free, has no obligations, and takes less than 5 minutes.

"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

There seems to be an app for everything right now!

Could you imagine downloading an app for your house? Or even a whole bunch of apps? Well, that is what you need to do if you have a smart home!

But how do you go about connecting everything in this time when technology is constantly moving and things keep on changing?

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I am happy to have my co-host and resident expert, Tony Pratte from The Sound Room, joining me to have an in-depth conversation about the latest technological developments for smart homes.

In this episode, Tony and I talk about the intersection between home and tech, and we discuss the digital revolution that we are going through right now. Tony sheds some light on the technology you need for your smart home and explains how to connect and control everything to make your home easier to live in and more comfortable than ever before. We also offer some great tips for having a smarter and more connected home.

Things are moving fast

Technology is moving so fast right now we can barely keep up! Between the 1960s and the 1910s, technology did not change much. Now, the average homeowner seems to feel like a deer in headlights with all the technological changes happening!

A proprietary system

Our internet and cable provider also provides systems for security and home automation. So in my home, we have a proprietary app for security and our home automation system. Having a proprietary system means that the provider is the only one who can work on it.

Adding a system

If you already have a proprietary system and would like to add another DIY system, you will need to have a separate system for that. You will also have to have different apps for each system.

Thermostats and HVAC warranties

I have to use the thermostat supplied by my service provider, even though I liked the one I had before, better. If I have a problem with the thermostat and bring in an outside party to change it, it would result in the warranty on my HVAC system being voided immediately.

Key entry points

There are key entry points for smart homes. The HVAC system is one key entry point, and security is another.

Environmental control

Environmental control takes care of your home infrastructure. That includes your security, HVAC system, and door lock.

Entertainment

The entertainment side controls the audio and video in your home. It can also control the home security side.

Security cameras

Both the environmental controls and the entertainment controls can control security cameras.

Video

The environmental side might handle some small light audio, but it will not cope with video.

A digital revolution

We are now experiencing a digital revolution known as the Fourth Revolution. Although it is a technological and digital revolution, it is how our lives are evolving. It is no different from the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Science fiction

Our current technology is like science fiction. Tony points out that science fiction is rooted in what is to come in terms of technology.

Affordable technology

Technology is expensive initially. But as it advances, people find ways to make it more accessible and affordable.

Smart homes

Smart homes have individual components that can be controlled remotely by a third-party device, like an app on a smart device or with voice control. The idea behind smart homes is to make our lives more convenient and comfortable and save time and energy.

Connected homes

In a connected home, everything is connected to the internet. All the items in the home are also connected via the same app or third-party device. A connected home absorbs and transmits data by working through the internet.

Maintenance

In a connected home, the appliances transmit data to the manufacturers to inform them when parts start to fail. That makes home maintenance easier and allows the appliances to last longer.

Setting scenes

In connected homes, you can set scenes. For example, if you set up a "good morning" scene and turn it on by pushing a single button, the shades will go up, the door will unlock, the security system will disarm, the coffee pot will start making coffee, and music and the TV will switch on.

Systems and apps

You can have several systems within a single app. You can also have a few single items, like voice-controlled Delta Faucets, that do not reside inside that app but can be tied into the overall system and controlled with a third-party voice-controlled trigger.

Crossing systems

Alexa and Google are the primary platforms for voice control. At The Sound Room , they also have more basic environmental systems that will operate well with Alexa and Google. The Sound Room provides a more custom DIY initial install experience and support.

A growing awareness

There is a growing awareness of the possible impact of having wifi-based electronics in our homes or on our bodies.

Crowded homes

The term crowded home was coined because people's homes are so crowded with technology right now.

Infrastructure

In the future, every electric item in our homes will be on wifi, so we will need the proper home infrastructure to support those devices.

A hard-wired data jack

Having a hard-wired data jack on your smart TV will ensure that you have a continuous stream of the internet going to the TV, regardless of the number of people using the wifi in your home.

Lighting

The lighting in smart homes can be controlled remotely by a third-party device. Most lighting controls involve replacing the switches, not the light-bulbs. Lighting is more complicated, especially when it comes to dimmers and LED light-bulbs.

Remodeling

When remodeling a home, if you would like to have someone like Tony install a DIY home-control system, rather than having a professional system installed, the people living in the home need to be smart and experienced enough to manage and support their items and equipment.

CEDIA

CEDIA is an association to help people find integrator companies, like The Sound Room, in their cities. They handle all the accreditations and certifications and put on an annual show for custom electronics installation companies.

Three tips

Three tips for having a smarter and more connected home:

1. Put in the best wifi system that your budget and home can handle. (This is vital because it is the backbone of a smart home.)
2. Get a video doorbell.
3. Find one item that would improve your life, like smart light-bulbs, a Sonos music system, or a learning thermostat, install it, and test-drive it.

Most of us do not realize how often our beliefs, values, and traditions play out in our lives because they are so deeply entrenched.

Working with sustainability and green over the years has taught me a lot about people. I have learned how much our beliefs, values, and even our traditions impact the way we live our lives and how the way we live connects with climate change and sustainability.

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I will be focusing on beliefs, values, and the traditions we tend to adopt. I will offer you some alternative perspectives for looking at your home and living in it. I will also explain how the way you think impacts the way you live.

Thinking is changing

Mainstream thinking is changing. Ideas around what people consider green, eco-friendly, and environmentally friendly have advanced over the last decade.

Raising awareness

Climate change, social injustice, and wastage affect all of us. Chemicals, toxicity, and polluted air impact our health, and when things in our homes are off-gassing, that can make us sick. That is why I have become more and more committed, over the years, to raising awareness around those issues.

Writing about what matters

Over the last ten or twelve years, I have written many articles about what matters to me, like committing to using sustainable building practices and making sure we have comfortable and healthy homes in which to live. Recently, I felt honored when the National Association of Home Builders asked me to write a piece for their blog.

Living green

Living green involves our common sense, making mindful choices, and using whatever we have wisely. We need to remember that our choices influence everyone around us and the environment in which we live.

Getting your beliefs and values to work for you

Getting your beliefs and values to work for you starts with a personal evaluation. For your home, the first step is to understand that your home influences not only you but your entire community.

Give yourself some grace

You cannot do everything right all the time, and none of us are perfect. So learn to be okay with doing whatever you can as much as you can. I do my best to follow how I want to do things 80% of the time and give myself grace for the other 20%. Remember that you also need to give grace to others.

A good example

I strive to be a good example. I have worked hard to be an example to my children and others in my family.

Get to know what you believe in and value

Get to know your beliefs and your three most important values. Then, take action and do whatever you can to live up to what you believe and value.

Helping people

Helping people has always been part of my life. Part of the reason I became the Green Home Coach was to help people like you learn how to help yourself so that you can help others do the same.

Sharing your superpowers

Sharing your superpowers is helpful to others and very rewarding!

A better way

Become aware of better ways to do things so that you can live a healthier and more comfortable life in your home.

Waste

I have worked hard to come up with ways to reduce the amount of waste in my home. I am still working towards finding out how to waste less time, however!

My book

A few years ago, I wrote a book called Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home. I loved having the opportunity to put my beliefs into action! None of the basic concepts in the book have changed since I wrote it. You can ask to join my Facebook group to see a video synopsis of each chapter.

Things you bring into your home

Everything you bring into your home should be made from natural, sustainable (renewable), or responsible materials.

Start small

When you decide to take action, start small. Pick three things that you can do better, and stick with them. (I chose to use only LED lightbulbs, green cleaning products, and tree-free toilet paper in my home.)

Stay in line with what you believe

Make sure that every decision you make for your home stays in line with what you believe and value.

Referral Links:

My website Green Home Coach

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home

Instagram & Facebook: @greenhomecoach

Does Greener Living Support Your Values?

Women Want Sustainable & Healthy Homes — How 4 Female Members Deliver

What does it mean to "be green" anymore?

"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

Did you know that reusing stuff is back in vogue again?

People reuse things for many different reasons. When they do, it always reminds me of my grandmother because that is her legacy. She was one of the biggest motivators for me getting involved in the green and sustainable world.

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte, The Green Guy, is joining me to have a conversation about my grandmother's legacy of reusing almost everything.

In this episode, Tony and I discuss how different generations relate to the notion of reusing things, and we also talk about what we can learn from how our grandparents and great-grandparents did things.

My grandmother

My grandmother was born in 1909 in a small town in South Texas. She was a young woman during the Depression. Back then, most communities were small, rural, and self-sustaining. So things were scarce and had to be reused. I remember her telling my sisters and me when we were little to use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

My mother's generation

My mother grew up simply and frugally. Even though she learned to do without many things during World War 2, it was her generation that brought in the mass manufacturing of convenience and luxury items.

The next generation

People from each generation usually want to ensure that those in the next generation will be in a better position than they were. Most parents are willing to work hard so that their children do not have to work as hard. They want to know that their children are well provided for, well-educated, and in a position to make more money than they did.

Resources

We need to learn to use all our resources wisely if we want them to be available for the next generation to use.

Creating a culture of reducing, reusing, recycling, and refusing

The culture of reducing, reusing, recycling, and refusing is becoming more fashionable lately. Especially amongst the younger people.

Tony's family

Tony grew up in a working-class family. They lived comfortably but not ostentatiously. They budgeted, planned, and only spent money on necessary things.

Education

My parents sacrificed a lot to give my sisters and me a private school education. They saw a good education as a foundation for us to be in a position to do whatever we wanted for the rest of our lives. My sisters and I are very grateful for their sacrifice!

Reusing things

My grandmother used to reuse things like foil, rubber bands, paper clips, and nails. Some of that rubbed off on me. So when I get a plastic take-out container, I either reuse it or throw it away in the recycling bin. I do not buy zip-lock bags anymore. But if I get one, I wash it out and reuse it. I also save and reuse glass jars.

The younger generation

Some younger people do not think they will have the opportunity to live the same lifestyle as their parents did, or to retire, because they have high college debts and do not have high-paying jobs. Prices also keep rising, and they do not budget, so they struggle to put any money aside.

Easing the financial burden

There are things they can do to ease their financial burden. Many of them are learning to hold onto things and reuse them. They are also learning to stretch their budgets more.

Buying used items

I buy as many used items as I can. Used furniture is safer because it has already off-gassed.

Changing our lifestyle

My husband had brain surgery a few years ago, and that changed everything for us. Although we live comfortably, we have a simpler lifestyle now and use fewer resources than ever before. Apart from saving money, we now also save time and energy.

A fine line

There is a fine line between hoarding and keeping everything and being wise about keeping the things you will need.

Neighborhood swaps

Neighborhood swaps are a great way to get what you need when you need it, without having to buy things you only use once in a while, like trailers and gardening equipment.

Follow the four Rs

1. Refuse: If you do not need something, do not get it.
2. Reduce: You will use a lot less if you take only what you need. (Like unnecessary packaging.)
3. Reuse: Wash and reuse items like plastic or glass containers. We reuse straw bales that people have used for Christmas decorations in our garden.
4. Recycle: Recycling something will change its form. (Newspapers can be recycled into writing paper.)

Packaging has changed

Many people have changed their attitudes about reuse because packaging materials have changed so much over the years. Learning to refuse unnecessary packaging, and reusing whatever you can to store things in, is a great way to tackle two problems at once in a sustainable way.

Getting only what you need

Focus on getting only what you need. Then, when you occasionally splurge on something you want it will feel so much more special!

Referral Links:

My website Green Home Coach

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home

My fav reusable bags...for everything! (and search "bags")

Uncluttering Life

"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" Has a New Sibling…Refuse! with Tony Pratte

Recycled Crafts: Crafts Made Using Recycled Materials

"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

Houses and buildings are moving like crazy, but supply chains are still nuts!

Remodeling has been affected by all the craziness that is going on with homes and homebuilding. However, when we decide to do a remodel, we have the opportunity to do some amazing things to make our homes even better!

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today, my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte, is joining me to have a conversation about remodeling and building. We will cover the building envelope, systems, and changing fixtures and finishes.

Build My Future

Build My Future is a one-day construction event. It is an interactive job fair designed to give high school students a hands-on opportunity to experience how things get done in the construction industry and skilled trades. I assisted in bringing a Build My Future event to Oklahoma City in 2019. We hosted another event in Oklahoma on October 26th, 2021, and I was both honored and excited to be part of it!

Labor shortage

The labor shortage keeps on getting worse, but we need people to build houses. That is why events like Build My Future are vital.

People power

There appears to be a trend towards making things more and more efficient, but we still need people-power on building sites and behind the brains to make it all work.

Commercial building versus home building

The commercial environment has done a much better job of adopting healthier, greener, and more sustainable building principles than the home building environment has done. That is so because the homebuilding environment is based on repeatability, while commercial building is based on one-and-done plans. So, with commercial building, everything gets re-engineered, and with home building, there is a set of plans.

The goal

The goal of homebuilding is to build as efficiently as possible, using the same plan but with some tweaks.

Bridging the gap

There are tremendous opportunities in the home industry for adopting greener and more sustainable building principles. People who do what I do help bridge the gap between the home industry and the commercial industry.

A labor of love

When remodeling a home, we often take products built in a repeatable fashion and tailor them to our specific needs and desires. Remodeling a home is usually a labor of love because it tends to be quite a challenging undertaking!

Unforeseen situations

Whenever you remodel or redecorate a home, you have to make provision for unforeseen situations.

The building envelope

The building envelope is what protects the inside of a home from the outside. It includes the walls, the windows, the doors, the roof, the basement, and the foundation slab. That is the best place to start with a remodel or an upgrade if it involves tearing out or removing walls or building an addition to the house.

Some key things to do for the building envelope

• Do an air-sealing package. That should include the exterior walls, the base or floors, and the ceiling and roof.
• Caulk the joints if you see any light shining in from the outside.
• Seal everything up properly. Particularly around the windows, doors, and openings for electrical wires, plumbing fixtures, or anything else that has to go through the walls.
• When buying sealants, ask the salespeople for advice about the best products to use for each different area of the house.
• Put in healthier and better insulation than there was before. (You can get a low VOC insulation that will not off-gas as much as others. There is a certification called Green Guard Gold that independently verifies products that do not off-gas much.)
• Have a conversation with your contractors and sub-contractors about using greener and healthier products. If they don't want to do things your way, find another contractor.

Windows and doors

Buy the best windows and doors that your budget will allow. Remember that windows are harder to replace than to install. Also, make sure that you put in windows and doors with the best insulation rating. It helps to work with an experienced home professional.

Roofs

Replacing the roof shingles on your house will allow you to choose the best and healthiest options, even if that only means choosing the color. Use your common sense when making that choice. Pay attention to your region, and remember that dark colors absorb light and heat, while light colors reflect light and heat. The choices you make not only need to look good, but they also need to perform well.

Renovation loans

If you get a renovation loan when buying a home, it will add all your renovation expenses to your mortgage. That means you can get all your renovations done before moving in. Look on www.desireusa.org for incentives and rebates to help you make your home just the way you want it.

Systems

Modern homes rely on systems for heating, cooling, and ventilation. Remodeling your home will provide an excellent opportunity for you to add a fresh air intake to your heating, cooling, and ventilation system.

Moisture

You want to get the moisture out of your house because it could cause mold. So, you need a system that ventilates as well as heating and cooling your home. In some climates, you might also need a humidifier or a dehumidifier.

Professionals

It is worth spending some extra money on a professional because that will ensure that things get done in the right way.

Zoning your system

A properly sized and zoned heating… system is achieved by carefully calculating the loads for the home and its occupants. Then it will not have to work as hard to achieve comfort and control. Properly sizing and zoning any system is key to achieving good outcomes and works even better with a high energy system.

Water heaters

There are various options for water heaters. You could select a tankless water heater, a high-efficiency tank, or even a solar water heater. Remember to look for the Energy Star label!

Maintaining your system

If you maintain your heating, cooling, and ventilation system it will last much longer. Use the best filters you can and don't forget to change the filters regularly.

Fixtures and fittings

Replace your lightbulbs with LEDs, and whenever you replace your plumbing fixtures, get low-flow fixtures. (Unless you have an automated lighting system where the type of lightbulb you use matters.)

Better options

There are better options for flooring, kitchen and bathroom cabinets and countertops, and paint. Always choose low or no VOC paint. You can use sustainable, low or no VOC, or recycled flooring, and use solid wood cabinetry. Always check your sources when using recycled items, and make sure that none of your building products contain formaldehyde.

Remodeling is a labor of love and we're here to inspire you to make your home everything you want it to be!

Referral Links:

For some of my fav products for remodeling and redecorating, go to Everyday Green Home and search "paint", "lights", etc.

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home

4 Benefits of Green Remodeling

A Green Certified Remodel!

Lessons Learned From My Own Remodel

The Top 10 Myths About Green Home Remodeling

Explaining High-Performance Building

Benefits of Green Remodeling

Book: Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies by Eric Corey Freed

BONUS for RENTERS

Build My Future OKC

DSIRE

"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

Recycling has gone awry, and there is plastic everywhere!

Do you sometimes forget to put recyclable items, like plastic soda bottles, pill containers, and the little plastic takeout cups and lids from takeout food, in the right place and end up throwing them out with the trash? Or have you ever had something that you would like to recycle, but you do not know what to do with it?

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I am excited to have my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte, AKA Tony, the Green Guy, joining me in my virtual studio for another episode in our series on the climate crisis, where we discuss convenience, where our plastic products come from, and tips you can use for better and wiser recycling!

Creative solutions

Even though Tony and I do not always see eye-to-eye on everything, we are not afraid of having difficult conversations. We are just as willing to talk about things we disagree on as we are about things we agree, to find creative solutions.

Katharine Hayhoe

Katharine Hayhoe is a well-known Texas-based climate scientist. She is encouraging people everywhere to open up the conversation about the climate crisis.

Back in the day

When Tony and I were growing up, we had to pay a deposit for the glass bottles the soda came in. We would get the deposit back again when we returned the empty bottles. We also had regular recycling drives in our neighborhoods.

What has changed?

Convenience, or taking the easy way out, has taken precedence over everything else, and many people do not think twice about throwing away single-use containers or packaging materials.

Impatience

Our lives have become more complicated. Most people are used to getting whatever they want immediately or getting instant responses from others whenever they try to contact them, so they have become impatient. As a result, they are unwilling to make a plan to recycle something and would rather throw it into the trash immediately.

The unintended consequences of convenience

There was an explosion of fast food in the 1980s. Since then, it became all about convenience, and we never stopped to think about the unintended consequences of what was happening.

Plastic

Plastic has had more unintended consequences than we ever imagined.

Behavioral inertia

As a result of getting used to doing things very easily, many of us now suffer from behavioral inertia when we need to change our habits. In a book I read, the author explains that it is far easier to change an existing habit than it is to start a new one.

Swaps

Get into the habit of swapping single-use or unrecyclable plastic items for items that can be reused or recycled sustainably.

The numbers

In the United States, in 2017, we produced 35,400,000 metric tons of plastic. Of that, only 11% got recycled.

You cannot mix plastics that are to be recycled

More than 70% of recyclable materials land up in landfills. That can happen because people throw items that are not recyclable into recycling bins, which could contaminate an entire batch of recycling. Another problem is that many municipalities have not been able to keep their recycling programs going or going as robustly as before. New types of plastic also complicate things by adding to the vast assortment of plastic products that we still need to figure out what to do with.

What recycling means

Recycling something means rescuing and processing the material it is made from to make something new.

Driving the market

We need to drive the recycling market by demanding more recycled products. That will motivate companies to provide more vibrant, sustainable, and financially rewarding recycling services.

Virgin plastic

The bulk of our virgin plastic gets made from petroleum. By recycling that plastic, we recycle the inherent value of those products.

Where do our products come from?

Supply chains have become globalized and very complex, so many of us do not know where our plastic products come from. We need to pay more attention to that and learn more about it.

Cut out the waste

There are many good uses for plastic. To get the best use out of plastic, we need to cut out all the wasteful ways it gets used.

Recycling labels

Only one in five Americans always look for the recycling labels on items before throwing them away. Brands could help by making more of their packaging materials recyclable and making the labels on their packaging easier to see.

A fast-growing number of solutions

A fast-growing number of solutions are coming up for recycling. Many new companies are using less or no packaging. Solutions are also being provided by businesses like my son's company, Printerior, which makes 3D printing filaments out of recycled plastic.

Some tips for better and wiser recycling:

• Try to use non-disposable items at least 80% of the time.
• Ask yourself if you truly need an item before purchasing it.
• If an item does not need to be packaged after you have bought it, accept the receipt and carry it out of the store.
• If you have to choose something disposable, choose something reusable or easily recyclable.
• Develop the habit of always doing whatever you need to, to dispose of items responsibly.
• Read the labels, and put whatever you are throwing away into the right place.

Referral Links:

My website Green Home Coach

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home

One way to chip away at our mountains of plastic waste is to re-use it. Printerior Designs is doing just that! SHOP Recycled 3D Printer Filament https://printeriordesigns.com - 15% discount with coupon code GREENHOMECOACH

For some of my fav recycled products go to Everyday Green Home and search "recycled"

Earth 911 Recycling Guides

The How2Recycle label needs a massive campaign - and brands should make it happen, from the Shelton Group blog

The Challenge of Recycling, National Geographic

Products made from petroleum

Terracycle

"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

So many people have been buying and selling houses over the past year!

Lately, people have been much more concerned about their health and wellness, both in their lives and in their homes. Fortunately, we now get to take our health and wellness into account when looking for a new home or fixing up the house we are living in.

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I am excited to bring you another teach-talk! Today I will be doing Part 2 of an episode I did a couple of weeks ago with Tee (Therese Forton-Barnes) of The Green Living Gurus. In that episode, Tee and I had a fantastic conversation about different ways to make your home better and how to clean up your house to make it less toxic, safer, and healthier for everyone living in it.

In this episode, I will be talking about what you, as a new home buyer, need to look for to find a new home that works for you and has all the elements you need. I will help you formulate a plan and share some of the things I learned from my experience of buying a home about five years ago.

Specific things

When buying a new home, there are specific things to look out for that will give you a good starting point for having health, wellness, and comfort in your home. You also need to notice the things that are missing so that you can build them in and improve your home.

Upgrading

If your home has a very old furnace or air-conditioning system, it could be a perfect opportunity to upgrade to something energy-efficient with healthy ventilation. Possibly an air-purification system, too.

Financial assistance

Many options are available for loans or financial assistance for energy-efficient home upgrades, either through the FHA or privately.

A plan

You need to know what you are looking for when buying a new home, and you also need a plan to know where to start. I will help you formulate a plan using a hand-out I helped create for a mini-workshop for new home buyers that was put on several months ago by a mortgage company in Oklahoma City.

Lists

• Make a list of your top three non-negotiable priorities. (These are the things you must have.)
• Make a list of your top three "nice-to-haves". (These are things you would like to have but could do without if they were not there.
• Make a list of the top three things that you will not accept under any circumstances. (If you are working with a realtor, share those things with them.)

Finding things you want that will meet your health, safety, and comfort requirements

• Look at the neighborhood where the house is to make sure that you will be happy living there. Communities and neighborhoods can differ a lot.
• Check to see if the home has enough insulation and that it will perform. (Energy assessments are available in most communities across the US if you want to be sure.)
• Check for ventilation. Make sure that there are operable bath fans and a kitchen range hood that vents to the outdoors.
• Check for any spots, and notice any musty or suspicious smells. If you find any wet spots, have them inspected to know why they are there.
• Look for durable and easy-to-maintain finishes and materials, like hardwood floors and scrub-able paint. (Use low or no VOC paint if you need to repaint.)
• Look at the countertop materials in the bathrooms and kitchen. Make sure that they are durable and meet your lifestyle.
• Find out what the operating and maintenance costs are. It is vital to know what you are getting yourself into and how much it will cost to run your home. (Set aside between one and three percent of the purchase price of the house for your annual maintenance.)
• Take the hassle factor into account. Make sure that the house is as easy as possible to run and maintain.

Book

I recommend reading Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies by Eric Corey Freed. Although it is a little dated, it covers all the basics, and I learned a lot from it!

Have a happy, healthy day!

Did You Miss Part 1 with Tee?

Health, Happiness, and Homes with Tee of the Green Living with Tee Podcast

Referral Links:

My website Green Home Coach

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home

Health Happiness and Home - How to Pick A Home that Truly Works FOR You

Book: Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies, by Eric Corey Freed

BONUS for RENTERS

"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

Finding a new home is not easy. We all want to live in a comfortable place that keeps us in good health and wellness, but many of us do not even know where to start because there are so many factors to consider.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today I am sharing the podcast with Tee (Therese Forton-Barnes), the host of the Green Living with Tee Podcast. Both Tee and I have a strong desire to help people make their homes healthier, so we decided to introduce our two audiences to each other by co-hosting this show.

In this episode, we will be diving into some simple and straightforward ways to ensure that your home is safe, healthy, and comfortable for you, your family, and the whole community.

About Tee

Tee lives in Buffalo, New York. She has the Green Living with Tee Podcast, a business called The Green Living Gurus, and a product line called Tee's Organics, which will launch soon.

Tee came out of college as a party planner. She ran a party and wedding planning business for thirty-five years. When the pandemic started, it was the perfect time for her to start helping people get toxic chemicals out of their homes and introduce them to a new and healthier product line.

Why should you have a greener home?

The air inside your home could be between five times and a hundred times more polluted than the outdoor air. To live your best and healthiest life, you need to control what you bring into your home. Take everything you use in your home, like cleaning supplies, laundry detergents, and even air fresheners and candles into account because the chemicals in those could weaken your immune system and potentially cause cancer or other illnesses.

One thing at a time

Talking about toxic chemicals can be scary for some people when they realize that there could be toxic items in every room.

One thing at a time

The only way to tackle the task is to do just one thing at a time and do the best you can.

Baby steps

Buying a new house is the perfect time to do a healthy detox inside the house. If you feel overwhelmed, start with baby steps, and have fun while you are doing it!

Doing it better

Having a greener home means doing things better! Regardless of where you live- if it is in a small apartment in the city or a large house in the country, there will always be things you can do to clean the air, lower the toxicity, and make your home safer and healthier for yourself and your community. Every little bit counts!

Regulations

There are currently no strict regulations for the chemicals that get used in our homes.

Understanding your home

Green homes can be certified by the National Green Building Standard, endorsed by the National Association of Home Builders. The requirements for that certification include homeowner education and homeowner documentation to prove that the people living in the home know how to operate it and keep it at its best.

Location

If your home is near factories that produce pesticides, you could find some of those toxins venting into your home. Toxins (like those found in dryer sheets) could also be venting out into the environment, and your home, from other homes nearby.

Structure

There could be toxic chemicals in the products used to construct the walls and roof assemblies of your home.

Moisture

Ensure that your home was built to keep the moisture out. That will prevent poisonous molds from growing inside the house. When buying a house, look out for any wet spots on the walls, ceilings, and floors. Also, look out for wood rot around the windows and doors.

The Hayward Score

The Hayward Score can be used to assess the overall toxicity in your home.

Ventilation

Having good ventilation in your home is essential. It is vital to have fresh air circulating in your home, especially if it is air-tight. Opening a window just a crack will improve the overall air quality of your home.

Systems

Have a fresh air intake put onto your HVAC system, and use the best filters that you can. A great trick I learned is to turn on the blower fans when I dust and vacuum to suck the dust out of the air. Remember to replace the filters regularly to ensure that the heating and cooling system keeps on working efficiently.

Air purifiers

Air purifiers can catch some of the chemicals that you cannot prevent from entering your home.

How to make things better and reduce the risk of getting sick

• If you buy a new house, give it some time to off-gas before you move in.
• Leave dry-cleaned clothes or any new items outside for a while to off-gas before bringing them inside.
• Choose interior surfaces that are easy to clean and durable. That will prevent having to use chemicals to clean them.
• Paint your walls with low or no VOC paint.

Tee's top three tips for healthier homes:

1. Ditch the dryer sheets and change your laundry detergent for a chemical-free option.
2. Use only chemical-free cleaning supplies or make your own.
3. Filter your water and stop buying bottled water.

Light bulbs

Use LED light bulbs. They are recyclable, last for years, and use less energy.

Toilet paper

Use tree-free toilet paper so that you do no longer flush trees down the toilet.

Labels

Read your labels and get to know the ingredients in everything you buy.

Remember- it all starts with clean air, clean water, and natural light.

Referral Links:

FREE Download - Health, Happiness, and Home: How to Pick a Home that Truly Works FOR You

My website Green Home Coach

Green Living Gurus

Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home

Green Living Gurus Do You Think Your Home is Healthy?

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

What is a Healthy Home?

BONUS for RENTERS

Award-Winning Spec Home Healthier

Healthy Home Buying from Wellness Mama

"This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

The topic of unintended consequences is huge! Just thinking about it is enough to make my head spin!

There are so many different aspects to consider in that regard, particularly when you think of unintended consequences in terms of their impact on the environment, climate change, and the day-to-day way we live our lives.

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I am excited to have my favorite co-host, Tony Pratte, joining me live in-studio to tackle the tremendous topic of unintended consequences.

In this episode, Tony and I talk about how we need to think a little more about everything we do because there will always be some other effect or consequence to any of our actions.

Leaping to conclusions

So often, people leap to the conclusion that a certain solution is the only solution. I do not think that there is only one solution for anything.

It will take many solutions

I feel it will take many solutions to improve our health, safety, comfort, and this planet on which we live.

A systemic approach

Often, when looking for a solution, people fail to look any further than the next step. That is why we need to look at things systemically.

A catchy phrase

A catchy phrase or trending meme will not suspend the law of physics, the law of gravity, or the law of mathematics. Just because something sounds good, it does not mean that it is the right way to do it. Nor does it mean that there will be no consequences for that action.

Introducing a biological organism into a different environment

If we want to prevent something from getting out of balance, and we introduce a biological organism into an environment in which it is not naturally found, we are merely treating the symptom. To find a solution, we need to look at what caused the imbalance in the first place.

Tradeoffs

The departments of natural resources in the different states have programs that trade certain species to find out if they can exist in different environments. They do that for research purposes and also to increase biodiversity.

An example

An example of that happened in Missouri, where there was an overpopulation of white-tailed deer. A little more than ten years ago, some of the white-tailed deer got placed in a different location, and in return, the state of Missouri got given some armadillos. As a result, and as an unintended consequence, Missouri now has a growing population of armadillos.

An unintended consequence with wolves

We can see a similar unintended consequence where endangered wolves got reintroduced into places with a lot of ranching.

Unintended consequences can also be good

An example of a positive unintended consequence happened in Illinois when bald eagles got reintroduced. Illinois is one of the favorite migratory spots for the bald eagle to breed. So the unintended consequence is a lot of extra tourism in the area.

Fully understanding the unintended consequences

If people fully understood the unintended consequences of their proposals, they would be less likely to go forward with risky ventures.

Out of control

It has often happened that species brought in from other places to solve short-term problems have blossomed out of control in a new location. That unintended consequence is that the artificially introduced species then has to be controlled.

Native plants

It is always best to use native plants for your landscaping to avoid using extra resources to keep your plants alive.

Building science

Everything you do to protect yourself from the environment has a tradeoff. Building science looks at everything from a systemic perspective. It helps to control the tradeoffs and minimize the things that you do not want to happen.

Building tighter homes

In the 1970s, we started building tighter homes to save energy. However, we did that without considering what we were putting into our homes. The unintended consequences emerged about fifteen years later with mold issues in those homes and a generation of kids with more asthma cases than had ever been seen before.

Healthy homes

The materials used in your home need to be permeable. Your home needs to breathe and allow the air to circulate to let water vapor through so that the interior can dry out.

Be prepared

Be prepared for future unintended consequences that could pop up in unexpected ways when you least expect them.

Referral Links:

My website Green Home Coach

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home

Easily find stylish, energy-efficient options for your home. Enter "energy" in the search bar on the Shop page!

Green Living - Saving Ourselves

Does Greener Living Support Your Values?

Taking on Climate Change at Home...from NPR

How to Fight Climate Change at Home