Everyday Green Home

The approach of fall presents a wonderful opportunity for us to speak about the outdoors!

I really appreciate the cooler weather and love being able to spend time outside without getting too hot! Also, when August rolls around each year, I cannot help thinking about the harvests that will soon be coming in from the farmer's markets- and even from my garden!

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today I am excited to bring you another Everyday Green Home Podcast Teach Talk! In this episode, I will be talking about the harvest, the garden and outdoors, maintenance, and what you need to do to get ready for the cooler weather. I will also share some fun ways to get outside and enjoy the milder weather.

Our garden

We have the craziest garden, and it is producing right now.

My first harvest

Although we are, at best, experimental gardeners, our very first harvest for this year was a massive Armenian cucumber!

Sustainable and chemical-free experimental gardeners

Being experimental gardeners, we have been trying out many different things. Everything we do gets done as sustainably and chemical-free as possible.

Farmer's market

We love our farmer's market! There is a farmer we buy from there who grows the most beautiful chemical-free produce.

Straw bale gardening

Last summer, we started gardening with straw bales. We did it because Oklahoma has very clay-ey soil, so it takes a lot of compost and augmentation to prepare the soil for growing vegetables.

A raised-bed garden

Using straw bales creates a raised-bed garden, which is a lot easier on the back and knees.

How we got our used straw bales

I placed a notice on our local neighborhood Facebook group just after Halloween last year and once again after Thanksgiving where I offered to collect the straw bales that people had been using as decorations. By doing that, we managed to acquire fifteen straw bales that people would otherwise have thrown away.

Reusing resources

Collecting used straw bales gave us an ideal opportunity to reuse some resources that were already out there. We also saved a lot of money because we did not have to pay for them.

Conditioning the straw

Before planting, the straw needs to be conditioned to break it down into compost. We left our bales to sit over the winter, and in early spring my husband treated them with natural fertilizer and water for a few weeks.

Fun

Straw bale gardening has been lots of fun, and my husband and I have learned a lot from doing it!

Seedlings

We also grew our own seedlings this year. Unfortunately, the tags I made faded in the sun, so we were not entirely sure what we were planting. Next time, we will find a better way of noting what the different seedlings are.

A drip system

My husband put in a drip system with a timer to water the garden. That allowed us the freedom to spend some time away from home, and still keep our garden growing.

Harvesting

Last year, we heard that an ice storm was coming at the end of October, so we went out into our garden with flashlights the night before the storm and harvested everything.

Preparing

This year, we plan to be more prepared for the harvest. We also plan to have our garden well-prepared for the winter.

Saving seeds

We managed to save some of the seeds from what we planted, and what we bought from the farmer's market, last year. Some of the plants we have this year come from those saved seeds. We dried them and kept them in the refrigerator to preserve them.

Keeping notes

We plan on keeping notes of the things that work best in our garden.

A good time to plant

Fall is a good time to plant new trees and shrubs and to seed new lawns or turf. Look for sustainable turf if possible because it requires less water and maintenance.

Outside maintenance

For us, outside maintenance includes cleaning up in the garden. I have also been collecting seeds from the wildflowers in our garden.

Inspect your home

Inspect the outside of your home to make sure that everything is in order, for the winter. Remember to do the little things like changing your heating and cooling filters and your water filters. It is a good idea to make a list of all the things that are critical to do to make sure that your home is safe and sound for the cold winter months.

Maintenance checklist

Use a maintenance checklist to make sure that you do everything that needs to be done. A checklist will help you to figure out what you can do yourself, and what you will need professional help with.

Declutter

This is a good time to declutter. A garage sale is a good way to get rid of any items that you no longer need.

Reuse or recycle

Always try to find ways to reuse or recycle whatever you can. Try to make use of 'junk services' wherever possible.

Day trips are fun

Day trips are a good intermediate at this time of year if you are not quite ready or do not have the time to take a long trip.

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

Grab our FREEBIE - Landscaping for Energy Efficiency!

Stuff for Your Garden

Stuff for Your Outdoors

Landscaping for Beauty, Energy Efficiency, and Comfort

Maintain and Document So You Can Rely on Your Home

Our Garden photos

"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."​

I have seen some crazy things happening lately in the homebuilding industry! There is turmoil with both new and existing homes as a result of shortages and supply-chain disruptions in many different areas.

In this episode, we will look at the problems we are facing and discuss why they are happening. We will break everything down into the three parts of a house: the land, the materials, and the labor. They are all connected, and we are having challenges with all of them.

Welcome to another episode of the Everyday Green Home Podcast! I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I am happy to have my ever-popular co-host, Tony Pratte, joining me face-to-face in the studio today!

Huge impacts

The markets for real estate, new builds, and remodeling of existing homes are connected, and they are all having problems now. The impacts of that are huge. They are affecting building costs, timing, and even how people are moving around.

The rising cost of lumber

Houses are now being sold, sight unseen, to the highest bidder, and new homes are currently averaging between twenty and forty thousand dollars more due to the rising price of lumber.

A challenge

There are not enough people working in the construction and skilled trades. Even finding someone to come in and do a simple home repair has become challenging right now.

Sawmills

Sawmills got shut down during the pandemic. We have fewer sawmills online now than we did ten or twenty years ago because many of them shut down during the great recession and never got going again.

Border and lumber issues

The turnaround time for lumber shipments from Canada is way too long because it has to cross the border and quarantine. The transportation of the materials is also an issue because the transport drivers are having problems with being locked up.

Alternative materials

The producers and salespeople of alternative materials are finally making sure that their voices get heard.

Cabinets

There is a massive issue with kitchen cabinets being unavailable.

Windows and doors

Even windows and doors have become hard to find because factories in which they are made were shut down. Now, they are unable to catch up with the demand.

Appliances

There is a six-month wait for many appliances, even though many warehouses are full of appliances that have already been paid for. The warehouses are full because the pipeline got stuck due to new houses not being completed or reaching a point where the appliances can get delivered.

Copper

Electricians are running out of wire, and the price of raw copper is shooting through the roof! That affects plumbers and electricians and also inadvertently HVAC heating and cooling.

Resin

There is a shortage of the resin that makes the plastic for electric cover-plates, light switches, wall plates for cable or data connections, speakers, ceiling-mounted speaker brackets, and more.

It is all connected

If the openings in the dry walls for the electric wires do not get covered, the house cannot get inspected. Without the inspection, the sale of the house cannot close. That creates even more demand in the already-tight existing home market.

Home inspections

Homebuyers and sellers are now becoming willing to waive their home inspections. If you buy a house without a home inspection, you have no recourse, and you will never know what you are dealing with in terms of termites, water issues, or components that do not work.

Demand is outstretching supply

Currently, the demand for materials is outstretching the supply. That has caused a surge in pricing.

A shortage of land

Many people want to move into single-family homes. That requires land, but there is a shortage close to the cities.

New areas

As a result of more people working more flexibly or working from home, new areas are starting to open up for people to live.

The basics of land

The land to build homes on is finite and scarce. Ten years ago, it took about six months to get through all the permit requirements for developing a new piece of land. Now it takes two to three years, and that leads to increased costs.

Labor

There has been a shortage of labor in the skilled trades and homebuilding industry for many years. Because, as a nation, we were encouraged to aspire to higher education. As a result, we lost almost two generations of tradespeople. Many people do not realize that the trades are higher education.

No debt

With most skilled trades you could make between sixty and a hundred thousand dollars a year, with zero debt.

Women in the construction industry

More and more women have been joining the construction world. We need women to be doing that kind of work, so I am excited to be joining a project in Utah next week, called The House that She Built. It is hosted by women in various trades, to bring awareness to women in the building industry.

Professional Women in Building

My part in the Professional Women in Building organization was to help bring an event, Build My Future, to Oklahoma City in 2019.

Construction sites

Construction sites are fun! There is music going, people making fun of each other, and people working hard as a team. Individuals from the various trades can be found on-site, all with the same end in mind- to produce the home.

What we can do about the labor shortage

We can encourage young people to learn more about opportunities in the trades and hopefully connect more with those coming into the trades- particularly with more women.

Jobs in construction

There are jobs in construction for everybody! So, if you want a job, you will find one there because the unions are actively looking for people.

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

Why Builders Stick with Lumber Despite High Prices, NAHB Now

Steel Prices Have Tripled

Supply Issues Linger from NAHB Now

NAHB Supply Chain Summit

"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 idea of 3-D printing is exploding right now in almost every sector! Today, I am happy to introduce you, the listeners, to my son, Trent Esser. Trent and his friend are starting a 3-D printing company in St Louis, called Printerior. The company is currently in the beta testing phase, and they are getting ready to have their first product launch within the next two to four weeks. Trent is joining me on the show today to talk about his exciting new venture and explain how 3-D printing works.

For this episode, I get the chance to do something cool that I have never done before! I will be working with my son for the very first time!

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I have my dedicated co-host, Tony Pratte, joining me in the studio today. Be sure to stay tuned to hear what 3-D printing is all about and find out how Trent aims to use 3-D printers to solve the world's plastic waste problem.

Production facility

Trent and his team moved into their production facility about a month ago. They are done with the construction phase now and are finally getting everything set up and ready to start production.

About Printerior

Printerior is a sustainable additive manufacturing company.

Their goal

Their goal is to help solve the world's plastic waste problem by using 3-D printers and waste plastic to create sustainable products.

A new way

3-D printing is a new way of manufacturing almost anything and everything. It has taken a while to get started in the US, but Trent and his team are working on accelerating things.

Using already-existing plastic

Trent uses recycled plastic for the feedstock for his 3-D printing, so he is guaranteed to have enough supply for the rest of his life.

100% recycled filament

Right now, they are creating 100% recycled filament for 3-D printers.

What the filament for 3-D printing is

The filament for 3-D printers is a bit like the ink in an ink-jet printer. It allows the printer to build up layers and create a shape. The filament is the actual plastic that makes every print.

Plastic

Almost all plastics are made from petroleum products. We are starting to see more and more plastics made from corn and potato starch, however. In the US, corn starch gets used for making PLA plastic.

Different variations of plastic

3-D printing uses different variations of plastic. These include the traditional PLA bioplastic, made from plant material rather than petroleum, and many other kinds of plastic ranging from ABS to PETG, depending on the specific requirement for each application.

What compostable plastic means

Although compostable plastic was branded as eco-friendly, it is not quite true. Compostable plastic can only be composted in a commercial composting center because it takes a lot of heat and pressure to do it. There are very few commercial composting centers, and most of them will not compost plastic of any kind.

A full recycling service

Printerior creates filament from plastic waste sources and 3D printing waste collected through the Printerior Recycling Program. This 100% recycled-content filament is then used to make new 3D prints, completing the cycle.

Who they work with

Printerior works with universities, school districts, maker spaces, and small-scale businesses that use 3-D printing to manufacture their products.

Incentive

Sometimes, prints fail, and the product does not come out as intended. Printerior incentivizes businesses, schools and consumers by recycling the scrap that they would normally throw away and then giving them a discount on their next order of feedstock filament based on the amount of plastic they recycle.

A tricky process

Although making plastic from recycled plastic sounds easy, once you get down to the finer details, it can be a tricky process. It requires clean feedstock, formed in the right way, that comes out in the right consistency with the correct material quality. The whole process is not cheap, and it takes a lot of effort.

Easy to buy

Trent's product has to be as easy to buy as new plastic to be competitive. Although it took a lot of time and effort to get established, things will soon start going more smoothly for them.

What they make

Apart from making 3-D filament, Printerior also has a print farm. They can make almost any product that is approximately a cubic foot in size.

How 3-D printing can spark entrepreneurship

3-D printing allows many different products to be brought to market faster, without the large cash requirements to cover the molding costs for manufacturing plastic products.

Cost-competitive

So far, 3-D printing has been cost-competitive, up to about fifty to one-hundred-thousand parts. After that, injection molding is more cost-effective because it is faster.

COVID face-shields

The manufacture of COVID face shields took off during the pandemic, and they were in short supply. So, 3-D printer communities from around the country banded together and produced millions of them that went out to hospitals in days rather than months.

The building industry

3-D printers are also making their way into the building industry right now.

How it started

A while back, Trent and his friend, Hayden, now his business partner, got into large-format printing. (That is where their company is heading for the future).

University of Missouri EQ Accelerator

They participated in the University of Missouri EQ Accelerator (Entrepreneurship Alliance), from which they received some seed funding.

Europe

After that, Trent went to Europe to learn about large-format 3-D printers. He loved what he learned there and came back full of enthusiasm for his new project.

The pandemic

Unfortunately, he arrived back home one week before everything shut down due to the pandemic.

Pivoting

When things started settling down again, they reached out to their partners, who told them that it would take more than a year to get things going. So Trent and his partner decided to pivot into making filament for the consumer market.

Easily recyclable and sustainable

They want everything they manufacture to be easily recyclable and sustainably sourced.

3-D printing has taken off

3-D printing has taken off and become cost-effective. The cost of good-quality 3-D printers has dropped drastically.

Schools

Some school districts even have entire curricula based around 3-D printing and additive manufacturing.

A great team

Trent and his business partner, Hayden, are both very artistic and creative. Trent has an entrepreneurial spirit, and Hayden is an engineer and designer. They have also brought a third co-founder, Jordan, on board. Jordan is an expert in computer science and electrical engineering.

Making a dent in the climate crisis

Manufacturing has a huge footprint. By using 3-D printers and recycled material for manufacturing, and recycling plastic, Trent and his team are doing their best to put a dent in the climate crisis.

Referral Links:

Printerior - recycled 3D printer filament, print farm, and large format printing

SHOP Recycled 3D Printer Filament - 15% discount on your first order with coupon code GREENHOMECOACH

See designs on Printerior's Instagram @printerior

Printerior on Facebook

3D Printing in the St. Louis area? Learn how to join Printerior's Recycling Program

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

"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."

Is your home a part of the solution to what is going on with climate change? Or is it a part of the problem? Did you know that every choice you make for how you live in your home and everything you bring into your home impacts your health and the planet as a whole?

The climate crisis has shown us that building a life for ourselves and creating modern conveniences have made a big footprint on the earth and our fellow human beings. So, a while back, my co-host and I started a series on climate change as an opportunity for us to discuss what climate change means. We wanted to create a space to talk in-depth about the climate crisis and let people know why we care.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte from the Soundroom, is joining me in the studio for a face-to-face conversation about how to make your home a part of the solution to the problem of climate change.

Buildings

Buildings, including commercial properties and our homes, are about forty percent of the current load.

The impact of the building process

There is a lot to deal with when it comes to the climate crisis, and most people do not understand the full impact of the building process. People tend to think only about what goes into the building of a structure without thinking of where the materials come from or how to maintain and power it once the structure is complete.

Energy conservation

Many of us have been focused for years on our energy and water use, conservation, and efficiency, without ever knowing how much our homes contribute to the problem of climate change.

A green or sustainable certification

When looking at homes from a green or sustainable certification perspective, we essentially build, remodel, renovate, or reconstruct a structure to become healthier and more comfortable. We also do it to make the use of water and energy more controllable.

Six categories

We look at six different categories when it comes to the green or sustainable certification of a structure or home:

1. The land that it sits on.
2. How well it uses resources.
3. How well it uses energy.
4. How well it uses water.
5. Its indoor air and indoor environmental quality.
6. How it gets operated and maintained.

Each of the above categories offers us an area of improvement for how we live in our homes, how our homes perform, and the size of the load. Any step, even baby steps, will start to turn the tide.

One of the greenest things that you can do

Caring about how a home gets operated and maintained is one of the greenest things that you can do that sustains the home or structure into the future and ensures that things do not need to be replaced as soon.

Knowing how to operate your home is vital

You need to know how to operate your home. If not, you will never reap all the benefits. If you know how to operate your house as it was built, designed, and engineered, you will reap the benefits for the rest of your life.

The load

Our homes are there to make us comfortable and protect us from the elements. Yet, they are also part of the load that we place on the world, on our communities, and on each other.

A choice

We need to choose whether we want to be part of the problem or part of the solution. So, we need to educate ourselves and shift our perspectives to look at what we can do, rather than looking at the things that we are not doing.

Saving energy

We need to accept that even if we cannot do the big things, we can still do small things in our homes to conserve energy. We can get rid of energy waste, replace old appliances with more energy-efficient ones, replace the light bulbs with LEDs, and be more mindful about the amount of energy we use. It also helps to ensure that the heating and cooling system was properly designed, the house is air-tight for the winter, and the windows are shaded in the summer.

Free resources

There are many free resources available on the internet to help us understand more about green homes and make better choices. One of my favorite new resources is Home Performance Counts, put out as a joint project between the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Home Builders.

Water

We should never waste any water because water is our scarcest resource. Worldwide, a billion people per day do not have access to clean water. Yet water is vital for manufacturing things and recycling. It also takes water to make electricity.

Buying choices

We need to educate ourselves to make the best choices for buying products that have been made from the most sustainable resources. It is always best to choose the items that have the lowest impact. Remember that you cannot be perfect, so give yourself grace and do the best you can.

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

"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."

Have you ever wondered how to go about finding a home that has everything you value? It is vital to have a home that supports your lifestyle, and finding the right one can be pretty hard. Now, more than ever, after spending a year indoors, we have learned to value having a comfortable home with all the features we need.

My husband and I wanted an energy-efficient home, and we wanted it to have a back porch for us to sit on. We also wanted a home that would help us support the family health issues we were dealing with at the time. Even though I am in the industry, I had no clue how to find that home.

I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and in today's podcast, I will introduce you to my friend, Kari Klaus, who is doing some great work in the area of green real estate. Listen in to learn more about how to find a home that has everything you want, and need.

Real estate is fluctuating

The real estate market is hot for sellers right now because there are still some very interesting potential fluctuations coming out of the pandemic with people working from home.

Change-agents

There is a huge opportunity right now for those in real estate to be change agents.

Any home can become a greener home

Any home, even an older one, can become a greener home by up-leveling the lighting, systems, and appliances.

RealtySage

Many years ago, Kari bought a home in Arlington, Virginia. It was old and quaint but super outdated and energy inefficient. Although she renovated and updated all the appliances and electrics, she knew she would have problems marketing the property on some major sites because they do not emphasize or educate buyers about the green features of the home, like solar. That means that sellers may not get their return on investment if the buyers do not understand what is in it. People need to see the houses on the internet to know what they look like and understand how much was invested in making them comfortable and energy-efficient.

That is what they do at RealtySage.

RealtySage Pro

People also need experts who can help explain everything. That is where the second part, RealtySage Pro, comes in. RealtySage Pro connects buyers and sellers to experience a knowledgeable real estate agent who understands all the features and systems of the home.

The value in green homes

There is value in green homes that often gets overlooked.

A big investment

A home is one of the most important and expensive things in which we invest. Buying a house sight unseen can be a problem for people when they do not have all the information upfront.

Trends

California has mandated zero energy-performance homes and solar. That trend will continue until it becomes the norm.

A learning curve

Consumers need to know where their houses land on the green and smart technology scale. They also need to learn about the different codes and certifications, what they stand for, and what they mean.

Solar

Consumers can potentially save hundreds of dollars in energy costs from having solar on their properties.

Millennials

Millennials are making an impact on our society right now. They are currently the largest group of home buyers. Millennials love automated homes with smart technology, and they also love living close to where they work.

The big unknown

The post-pandemic remote work situation is the big unknown that could transform real estate significantly.

An exciting time

It is an interesting and exciting time right now with lots of potential opportunities. With so many people working from home, many commercial office buildings could convert in the future to become apartments and condos.

Have a home that supports you

Think about what is important to you. Think about having a home that supports your comfort, health, and well-being. Then, take action to make that happen.

RealtySage Pro has a massive database

RealtySage Pro has a database of almost 150,000 real estate agents across the country to help match sellers with the right buyers. Their agents understand the value of off-grid properties and help sellers to market that.

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

Intelligent Real Estate Search with RealtySage

Get matched with a RealtySage PRO

Sage Score

Work with Marla to prep for buying or selling a home

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency®

Home Performance Counts

"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."

Climate change is becoming part of many everyday conversations and many of our children may have questions – spoken or unspoken – about climate change and how it may impact them. How do you talk with them about climate change?

Both my kids are grown and work in an industry that focuses on sustainability, so we have some pretty interesting conversations. Tony does not have any kids, so the conversations he has are geared more towards an adult point of view and tend to be more on the academic side. Even though Tony and I live in very different worlds and do not always see eye to eye, we feel our different outlooks bring a balanced perspective to our conversations.

Today, we will be talking about our kids collectively as a society.

Not an easy decision

Many people are having a tough time deciding whether or not it is a good idea to start a family today, with all the political strife, the climate crisis, and everything else that is going on in the world. Yet, many generations of people have most likely been having the same conversation over the ages. Because as Tony points out, society and civilization were always built on strife.

A rough year

The past year has been rough for the kids. Tony feels bad for them because they have lost out on so much in the classroom, on the sports ground, and especially in their social development. He feels that losing their connections can end up slowing their development.

Screen time

Pre-COVID, our kids, as a society, spent a lot of time in front of screens. Right now, with online learning, kids are getting even more screen time. That makes one wonder what the effects some of the things they are getting exposed to will have on their physical health, mental health, and social development.

Humans are impacting the world

I found the topic of climate change interesting during the pandemic lockdown because, in many parts of the world, the natural environment cleared up very quickly. That was, in many cases, an indication that humans are impacting the world in which we live. So, I hope we can figure out how to do this and learn to live in symbiosis with the natural world a little better.

Emissions

We drive many more miles today than we did in the 1980s. Yet, we have fewer emissions today because technology has improved. Even though we are unlikely to stop emissions entirely, there are things that we can do to lessen the impact.

Internal combustion engines

Many manufacturers have pledged that after a certain date, they will no longer manufacture internal combustion engines.

Electric vehicles

If we are going to be driving many more electric vehicles in the future, we need to figure out how to fill the need for electricity without creating any unintended negative consequences.

Break the silence

We need to lose the fear of upsetting the conversation, break the silence, and start talking about the things that impact climate change. That goes for adults as well as kids.

Talking to young adults and kids

When having a conversation with younger adults or children, focus on maintaining a positive attitude about everything. Be transparent with them. Give them all the facts and present issues as challenges rather than problems. Teach them to give each other grace. Help them face their fears, give hope, and show them how to take action when necessary.

Mindset

We have to get out of a problem-based mindset and start teaching kids more of a solution-based mindset.

Outdoors

Get the kids to spend time outside on sunny days to connect with nature and become familiar with the bright and cheerful outdoor environment.

Positive experiences

Watch your language, and give children as many positive messages and experiences as possible. The more positive experiences they have, the more equipped they are to handle any doom and gloom situations.

Take a hike

Encourage your kids to go hiking with you. You can encourage them to pick up trash along the way. Cleaning up the environment will teach them how to take action while also giving them a positive experience.

The health of the planet

Teach your kids that their health is tied to the health of the planet. Teach them not to waste, and let them know that recycling is vital. Explain to them that what we do in our homes affects not only them but the whole world, too.

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 private Facebook group Love Your Everyday Green Home

Kid's Bamboo Telescope for exploring outside

How to Talk with Kids about the Climate Crisis - Shelton Group

How to talk honestly to kids about climate change — and still give them hope

How To Talk To Kids About Climate Change - NPR

Project Learning Tree Activities for Families

"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."

Taking the time to do regular home maintenance adds up to a greener lifestyle. By doing a little more research every time you need to replace, repair, redecorate, remodel, or renovate, you can make a difference. All of that is a part of maintenance, which is super important around our homes. Maintaining your home is one of the greenest things that you can do. Maintenance preserves the life of things, so the more routine maintenance you do around the home, the longer things will last. And the longer things last, the fewer things end up in the trash or the recycling bin.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today, I would like to talk to you about spring maintenance.

My friend, Tina Gleisner, from Home Tips for Women, is my maintenance go-to. She collaborated with me on the chapter about maintenance in my book, Living Green Effortlessly- Simple Choices for a Better Home. For today, I pulled an episode out of the archives where Tina and I talk about spring maintenance.

Tina knows how to rock out maintenance with her three-tiered approach, so be sure to listen in today and get ready for some super home maintenance!

Enjoy the episode!

The most important point

The most important point to remember about taking care of your home is that you are the chief home organizer. That means that you do not have to do everything yourself. Your number one priority is to see that all the important things get done.

Critical jobs

Some critical jobs need to get done in a home that we do not have the tools or the experience to do. So we should not even attempt to do these things.

Spring maintenance

The focus of this podcast is on spring maintenance because spring is a great time to do several things outside of your home. Many of those things will require the assistance of an expert.

Organizing your checklist

It is always best to start by inspecting things around your home. Then, make a list of all the things that need to be maintained or repaired.

Planning

Planning what you intend to do and who you will hire to help you can minimize the costs of your ongoing home maintenance and repairs in the long run.

Checking the roof

If you are uncomfortable on a ladder or if there is a chance that you could fall, do not go up onto the roof yourself. To check your roof, stand back and take some photos of it with your phone. Then, go to your computer and blow the pics up to see all the details. You can save them so that you can use them again the next year to see if anything on the roof has changed.

New roofs

If you do some spot-checking every year, for the first ten years, without actually going up there, that will be sufficient for most new roofs. If you live on the coast or in an area with harsh weather all the time, your roof will not last as long as it would in an inland area with mild weather.

National Women In Roofing

An organization called National Women In Roofing will help you better understand all the different classes of roof shingles, explain what your roofing insurance will and will not cover, and answer any questions that you might have.

Hidden damage

If you need a new roof, it is never a good idea to put a second layer of roofing shingles on top of what you already have because there may be hidden damage to the plywood underneath the shingles.

A tip for recycling old roof shingles

Many communities have a Roof to Roads program where they recycle asphalt shingles to use for building roads. So, if you are removing an old roof, look into recycling the old shingles.

Protecting the wood and checking for wood-rot

If you can catch a problem early, it could save you a lot of money and effort in the future. So check the wood around your windows and doors, and any decking or other wooden trim around the house, for signs of wood rot that might be starting. If you find anything, it can quite easily be sanded and painted to protect the wood and prevent any deterioration.

The two biggest problem areas

The two biggest problem areas for wood-rot are the window-sills if the water does not roll off them fast enough, and the vertical piece of wood directly under the exterior doors. The longer the problem remains, the more the repair is likely to cost.

Wood rot

Tina has an article on her website that goes into the different levels and costs of wood-rot on window frames. She also has a series on her website about all the areas of wood rot in a home.

Roof flashing

The flashing on the roof usually gets made of thin material, like galvanized steel. It is there to direct water away from the critical roof areas.

Spring home-maintenance

Doing outside home maintenance in the springtime is vital because you will start spending a lot more time outside at that time of the year.

Two main things need to get done in the springtime.

1. Find and deal with any damage that may have occurred during the winter.
2. Look out for the safety of your family while they are spending time outside. That includes checking the walkways, decks, hand-rails, and outside lighting.

Tina's spring check-list

Tina has a checklist available on her website to give you many different ways to look for potential problems in your home.

Some things to look out for:

1. Concrete is porous, and it sucks water up, so keep a lookout for any rising damp.
2. Push gently on the wood around your doors and windows with your fingers to check for sponginess. That would indicate that there is some wood-rot going on there. If you find any wood-rot, you will need to do something about it quickly.
3. Check to see if the weather-stripping around your windows and doors requires replacing.
4. Check if any of the screens for your windows or doors are torn and need to get replaced.
5. Check your garden hoses and check that the irrigation system is working well.
6. Ensure that your air condition system is working well and that your fans turn in the right direction.

Remember that a clean home is easier to maintain. It helps everything to work more efficiently and last longer.

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

Curated collection for you

Spring Home Maintenance Checklist

Home Tips for Women (PDF Download)

Better Hose Bibs - Use This to Replace Outdoor Hose Bibs

"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."

Climate change is a big topic! We hear a lot about it lately in the news, in newspapers, and in people's conversations. Climate change is something that we all need to talk about, and many questions are surrounding it.

People often get lectured about the things they are doing wrong in the world today. So, we would like to use this series to open people up to the idea of having conversations so that we can all work together to find solutions.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach, and my favorite co-host, Tony Pratte, is joining me today for another episode in our series on climate change.

In this episode, we talk about human-made climate change. We will talk specifically about the choices that we can make, as humans, to fight the whole people-driven part of climate change.

Tony and I want to help you, the listeners, climb into the details of climate change. We want to encourage you to think about things differently, and we would like to help you dive deeper into the issues that matter and consider a perspective that you might not have thought of before.

Everything has become politicized

There has been a lot of discourse and disagreement around climate change, and like everything else, the topic of climate change has become politicized.

Grace

I come from two things - people and grace. I come from caring about everyone, including the people I know and those I don't. In the past, people have forgiven me for the wrong things I believed in or what I did wrong. That helped me to understand how important it is to give grace to everyone else.

Talking about things

Tony and I have honest conversations. Although we often disagree about things, we always agree to talk about them. You have to be able to discuss every issue from both sides because that is the only way you will ever find the truth.

600,000,000 Years of Climate Change

Climate change is a fact. It is real. Some things have been going on for 600,000,000 years that cause the heating and cooling of the earth naturally. Tony has a chart that he stares at every time we talk about climate change. The name of the chart is 600,000,000 Years of Climate Change.

Climate change impacts our lives

Climate change impacts every area of our lives. That includes our food, livelihood, social injustice, the buildings we live and work in, and our transportation. It all matters! Yet, we have run amuck! We have made decisions that are not in our best interests in the long term because there are many unintended consequences to those decisions.

There is a winner and a loser

When someone is doing what they can to maximize their quality of life, there is always a negative externality that is causing someone else to have less.

Everything is balanced

If you look at the physical rules of our universe, everything is balanced. That could be happening with human-induced climate change.

Human impacts on the environment

A National Geographic article highlights that humans impact the physical in many ways. Those include overpopulation, pollution, and deforestation. Those kinds of changes have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water.

Air quality

The air quality improved in many urban centers across the planet during the pandemic.

The quality of our lives

We need to consider what we are willing to accept for the quality of our lives.

Social cost

There is often a social cost to the recycling of things, which is not accounted for.

A growing movement

There's a growing movement to buy products from companies that support your values and do things that are in line with you or better. More and more companies are telling us about what they are doing to be accountable for their actions.

A better quality of life

Some people are willing to spend a little more to buy what they need for a better quality of life that has less impact on the environment.

An impact

Almost every activity we engage in to improve our quality of life has an impact that can be negative on our or someone else's quality of life.

Plastic water bottles are made from oil

Not many people know that plastic water bottles are made from oil.

Understanding the processes

We need to learn and get to understand the processes of how things are made and done. It is difficult and takes work, but we need to do it.

Things you can do

• Don't get overwhelmed.
• Understand what products are made from what.
• Recycle.
• Use your common sense.
• Avoid single-use plastics.
• Research the companies you want to support.
• Encourage companies that are not doing things right to do things better.

Create change

Your voice is worth using. Use it. Say something to create change. Or you can vote with your pocketbook by not buying something.

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 FB Group!

Products made from petroleum

Climate explained: how much of climate change is natural? How much is man-made?

Global Warming Overview (requires an email address to read)

Teaching Essential Principle Six Human activities are impacting the climate system

"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."

Here, in the United States, we use more toilet paper per capita than in any other country on the face of the earth. Although things are different in other parts of the world, in our society, we view toilet paper as a necessity because that is how we were trained in our culture, in our economy, and in our lives. Toilet paper was the first thing everyone stocked up on at the start of the pandemic. It is something that we know we need to use, but we think we have no replacement for it.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, Tony Pratte, my occasional co-host, joins me on the show once again for another conversation in our series about climate change.

Today, Tony and I are talking toilet paper! In this episode, we explain what goes into the toilet paper that we are literally flushing down the toilet. We also discuss what you can use as alternatives and why that matters.

Looking at our country as a whole

When we look at our country as a whole, we are the most prosperous country with the largest economy. Yet, we are very wasteful.

Use this, not that

I got a flyer from my local natural grocery store explaining what we should and should not use. They list many different items, from laundry detergent, to grocery bags to weed killer, and they even list toothbrushes.

Alternatives to single-use products

There are many alternatives for us to use rather than single-use products, where we tend to be the most wasteful. Most of us do not think of toilet paper in that category, however.

Flushing forests

We are literally flushing forests down the toilet so that we can use something a little softer to wipe ourselves.

Recycled materials

I have used recycled toilet paper for several years now because I feel that any time I can use a recycled material rather than virgin material, it is a good thing. It takes far less energy, water, and chemicals to make something from a recycled product, and you are also expanding the life of that product.

Wood pulp

All paper gets made from wood pulp. Different kinds of wood pulp get used in making the various types of paper.

Wood mills

Wood mills have tons of scrap lying all over. One would assume that those scrap bits of wood get used for making paper, but that is not what happens.

Making toilet paper

Toilet paper is not only made from leftover bits and pieces of wood, but shockingly, 44% of the wood pulp used to make toilet paper comes from clear-cut native virgin-growth forests.

Planting trees

Although many of those involved with forestry claim to plant a tree every time they cut one down, it will take many years for those trees to reach their full forest height. Those trees often get planted within a monoculture instead of in a diverse setting with active microbiomes like a forest. Everything in nature works in systems, including forests. So, when forests get ripped out for our convenience, there is a long-term pay-off.

Using recycled paper for toilet paper

Many of the resources used to make paper could get offset by using recycled paper to make toilet paper.

FSC certified forests

Forests that are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified have been deemed to be sustainable and sustainably managed.

Toilet paper made from virgin wood

Paper made from virgin wood has longer fibers which give it a lot more life. Every time paper or wood gets recycled, the fibers become shorter. So it makes a lot of sense to use recycled paper to make toilet paper because it will get flushed down the toilet.

Sewage plants

Often, sewage plants make fertilizer from the sludge.

Bamboo

Paper made from bamboo feels more like paper made from wood with longer fibers. So toilet paper made from bamboo will feel more comfortable to use. You need to know that the bamboo was responsibly sourced, however.

Consumers

As consumers, we tend to have a lot more power than we comprehend. We can use that power to vote with our pocketbooks and choose the products that we use with care.

Learning about alternatives

Learn more and talk to people about what you have learned. We can all help each other by sharing what we have learned about alternative ways to do things.

Overall impact

We need to understand that with every change of materials, there is an overall impact that we need to factor in.

An ecosystem

The whole globe is a massive system made up of smaller ecosystems. When one of them gets knocked out of balance, the system looks to correct and find balance. But that takes time.

Tearing down forests

Forests are massive carbon dioxide storage facilities and they play a huge role in balancing the climate of the natural world. All of that gets negatively affected when we tear the forests down. The habitats of many species of animals, birds, and insects get destroyed. Some indigenous people depend on forests for their livelihood.

The natural world supports us

The natural world matters. Your health, and that of your family and friends, is highly dependent on the health of the planet. So, we need to remember that the earth supports us and take care of it.

You can make a start, one roll of toilet paper at a time!

Referral Links:

My website Green Home Coach

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home

Book - Toilet Paper on page 72

The Issue with Tissue

Toilet Paper on my shop

I'm giving Who Gives a Crap bamboo TP a go. Want to try it, too?

Toilet Paper Debate video

Report Exposes How Sustainable 26 Major Toilet Paper Brands Are — Check Out the Winners and the Losers

"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 climate is changing. Yet, the term "global warming" often gets misunderstood. It all seems to be happening much more visibly and much more intensely lately, which indicates that something is actually going on.

In today's episode, Tony and I discuss how to speak to others about controversial subjects, why we need to see the bigger picture, and we also talk about the importance of coexisting in the best way possible in this beautiful world of ours.

I'm Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am back today with another conversation in our series on climate change. Tony Pratte, my sometimes guest, sometimes co-host, is joining me on the show today.

In the last podcast that Tony and I did together, we started a conversation about the emotions that arise in people when climate change, or what I more accurately refer to as "the climate crisis", comes up.

Ground rules

In our last conversation, Tony and I set the ground rules for how we, as human beings, can talk about the issue of the current climate crisis. We spoke about how we can still manage to have that conversation even if we do not see eye to eye. We discussed compassion, grace, trust, and transparency, all of which are qualities that most of us would like to have in our lives anyway because they will serve us well in any situation.

The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule for having any controversial conversation is to treat people the same way you would want to get treated.

Honoring yourself

Many of us tend to think we need to be altruistic and always take care of everybody else. Honoring yourself and your health, wellness, and wellbeing is also very important, so remember yourself, too, when having those conversations.

Challenges

We have some big challenges right now in our society. Many of us do not feel that we can change things, even though some know that is not the truth.

The big picture

Everything we do and all of our decisions ultimately ties to the big picture and little steps can lead to big changes. So, we need to know what to do and to whom we need to listen.

Communication channels

The vast number of communication channels that we have today, with all their different points of view, make it hard for us to know who to listen to and what to believe.

New possibilities

Many people fail to question things. There is a tiny group of people, however, who are willing to take action and challenge the currently accepted narratives. They are willing to be the bridge-builders to open up new possibilities and share new information.

Things are changing

We are currently seeing impacts that we have never seen before in our lifetime. The climate is changing rapidly and many people desperately need food, medicine, and employment. We need to find a way to supply all of those things without disrupting our precious planet.

The way we are living

The way we live is impacting the earth faster than it can react positively for us.

What will happen to us?

The pandemic has shown us that the earth will be able to correct itself and keep on going. So, the question is, what will happen to us?

Time

Our concept of time is not the same as how time relates to the earth. The earth works in cycles that can last for millions of years. We, as humans, tend to relate to time in terms of the length of our lifetime, so we do not know what the earth can handle.

What we know

We know that a different lifestyle exists relating to three billion people living on the planet versus ten billion people. We need to start thinking about how our lifestyle is impacting the earth.

A new way to live

We need to find other ways for so many of us to live on the planet and maintain a similar lifestyle without harming anyone else or the environment.

Solar panels

Ten square miles of solar panels in the New Mexico desert could power the entire USA commercially. There are some trade-offs to that, however, in terms of resources, so we need to find a way to balance things out.

A goal

We need to look at everyone on the planet as stakeholders and find a way to put our problem in front of us rather than putting it between us. To help improve things for as many people as possible without taking anything away from others, we need to develop accountability and take responsibility.

Tony's goal

Tony's goal is to have today's conversation influence someone else.

And for that person to have a similar conversation with their friends. And then for those friends to have the same kind of conversation with some other people. And so on.

If that happens, we may eventually be able to see some positive changes. Also, a conversion from a problem mindset to a solution mindset.

Coexisting

In many ways, the climate crisis reflects many of the things going on in the world today. There are things that we need to figure out to coexist in the best way possible in this beautiful world of ours.

Referral Links:

My website Green Home Coach

Book: Living Green Effortlessly

Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home

@greenhomecoach on Instagram and Facebook

Global Weirding with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe on YouTube

Matt Ridley's "A Lukewarmer's Ten Tests" (PDF Download)

"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."