Our Environment

Applying earth friendly, sustainable principles to your bathroom décor is simple and affordable. Green bathrooms are more than just a passing fad; they are becoming the standard in most new homes. Most importantly, applying green building principles to bathroom design addresses one of the biggest environmental concerns today; that of water sustainability. Daily house hold water usage by Americans averages 69.3 gallons of water per person per day. By simply switching to low-flow toilets and faucets, this amount can be cut in half.

Here are some additional tips to keep your bathroom in the green:

•Pay close attention to the materials used when selecting counter tops, flooring, and shower enclosures. Instead of vinyl, use linoleum which is derived from wood flour, resins and linseed oil; all of which are renewable and non-toxic.

•Consider using recycled materials. Most metropolitan areas have reclamation centers that are government funded or associated with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.

•Use low flow plumbing. Older toilets use 5 gallons per flush. New low flow models do the same job using only 1.6 gallons.

Applying green principles to your everyday life insures that future generations will have access to the same resources in the future that we take advantage of today.

If you are a frequent traveler, then you have probably noticed that more and more hotels are going "green" and making a point to let their customers know about it. Green hotels are those that promote conservation of water, energy, and solid waste. This requires a firm commitment from owners and managers and includes such steps as placing placards in rooms asking customers to re-use their sheets and towels. This alone can save 5% in water consumption used for laundry.

While preparing for a recent business trip, I was looking for a green Switzerland hotel accommodation and was pleased to see that one of my favorite Swiss hotel chains, Sorellino Hotels, is a member of the Green Hotels Association. It is no surprise that the Swiss would lead the way in conservation and sustainability. The Swiss have always been successful in balancing the needs of the environment with the ongoing human development. An example of this concept in action is the network of hydro electric damns which provide 60% of Switzerland's power.

Before making your next Switzerland hotel reservations check the Green Hotels Association for a current list of all international participants in the program. Every time we support a green hotel or other business, we are one step closer to achieving an environmentally sustainable world economy.

The drought conditions have affected the quality of life for many people. We depend on water for so many things; drinking, washing, cleaning and watering our plants and flowers. Fortunately, we can collect rain water to help our dying plants by setting up rain barrels.

Making a rain barrel and can be costly. However, there less expensive alternatives and you can put your own rain barrel together for about $30. Below are the tools and materials required as well as the instructions to making your very own rain barrel:

Tools List
Drill
6" Hole Saw (a saber saw will also work)
29/32" Drill Bit
3/4" Pipe Tap

Materials List
55-Gallon food grade barrel

Screen
3/4" Brass Faucet
Teflon Tape a.k.a. Plumbers Tape
3/4" Hose Adapter

Instructions

1. With a 6" saw, preferably a hole or a saber saw, cut a round hole on the top of your barrel. This is where the downspout will direct the rain water.
2. Use the 29/32 bit and drill one hole at the top of the barrel and one at the bottom. The bottom hole will be for your gravity fed faucet and the top one is for overflow.
3. Using a 3/4" pipe tap, thread both of the 29/32" holes.
4. If your barrel is used, you will need to clean thoroughly. Since this water will be used for your garden, avoid bleach and instead use something a little greener. Castille soap is great for this since it is made from vegetable oil.
5. Screw the hose adapter into the 3/4" threaded hole that you drilled at the top of the barrel.
6. Using the Plumbers tape, wrap the threaded side of the faucet to insure a leak proof fit.
7. Screw in the threaded end of the faucet into the 3/4" threaded hole at the bottom of the rain barrel.
8. Cover the hole in the top by placing piece of screen onto the barrel. This can be any piece of screen that you may have around. I used an old piece from a screen window.
9. Place a length of hose onto the hose adapter on the top of the barrel. Make sure you direct the flow away from your house.
10.Be sure that the barrel is raised above ground, the higher the better since you will rely on gravity for your water pressure.
11.Cut the downspout approximately 4 inches above the barrel. You will probably want to add an elbow to the downspout at this point.

At this point the barrel is ready for use. You can add the faucet to the bottom and let gravity do its thing, or you may even add a hand pump to the top if additional pressure is required.

The benefits to creating your own water barrel not only include an efficient way to conserve our natural resources but rain water is also great for plants because rain water is free of dissolved minerals. This is what is commonly known as soft water.

By following the instructions above you will be able to maintain your garden by providing water for your plants. We may not be able to control the drought, but a rain barrel is an excellent way to save our gardens.

Water conservation is very important. With the entire globe going green lately, it is very important to know what you can do to help conserve water in your home.

1. The first thing to do is to check your home for any water leaks. Read your water meter and note the results. Then wait two hours, without running any water, and read and note the results again. If the meter does not hold the same numbers, then you have a water leak, and it should be repaired immediately.

2. Do not flush unless you need to. Each time you flush your toilet, you are using five to seven gallons of water. If you are simply putting out cigarettes or throwing facial tissues into the toilet, wait to flush until it’s needed, or better yet, use a wastebasket for these items.

3. Using plastic bottles in your toilet tank can help you to save two to three gallons each flush. Put an inch of sand or small pebbles into two plastic bottles, then fill the bottles with water. Replace the lids and place these bottles in each of your toilet tanks. This helps your toilet to work like a low flush toilet, saving gallons of water each day.

4. You should also consider shortening your shower time. A four minute shower uses more than 20 gallons of water, so if you take a 15 minute shower, then you are wasting hundreds of gallons of water each week. Shorten your shower time to just enough to get the job done.

5. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Letting the water run while you are brushing your teeth is very wasteful. Turn on the water just long enough to wet and rinse your brush, and fill a glass with water for rinsing.

6. Never wash partial loads. When filling up your washing machine, or your dishwasher for that matter, always make sure that you have a full load. Washing a full load saves water over washing several partial loads. If you do not have enough to fill it, then wait until you do.

7. On the other hand, if you wash you dishes by hand, then be sure to keep the water turned off until you need it. Fill an extra sink with water for rinsing, or wash a sink full first, and then spray them off to rinse.

8. Keep drinking water on hand. Letting your faucet run to make water cold to drink is very wasteful. It is a much better practice to keep bottles of water in the refrigerator for drinking purposes.

9. Only water your lawn if it really needs it. Chances are, your lawn does not need watered as much as you think. Only when it does not spring back after being stepped on does it really need watered. Otherwise, wait for rain.

10. Finally, if you wash your car at home, be sure to keep the hose turned off until you need it. While washing, turn off the hose and turn it back of for rinsing.

You will be surprised how much water is saved by following just these few tips every day.

Wal-Mart released its first major sustainability report outlining its world wide efforts of becoming a greener company.

The report, released late November 2007, details dozens of sustainability programs ranging from environmental and economic development to employee health care and a WalMart credit card with a "green" theme. Although a good first step, many agree that more details and effort should be forth coming for the world’s largest retailer.

Environmental defense, who works with large companies including Wal-Mart and helped develop the report, is pleased that the retail giant is taking steps in the right direction but admits that there will need to be more data and context in future reports.

According to the report, Wal-Mart’s emissions of greenhouse gasses rose 8.6 percent in 2006 from the year before. So although WalMart should be congratulated for disclosing their environmental impact and setting an example for other companies to follow, it remains to be seen if they will be successful in reducing their environmental impact in the years to come.