Toilet Flow: Water Conservation Tip

How to Save Water at Home

Gov. Sonny Purdue has requested that everybody reduce their water use by 10% over last year. Will this be enough of a conservation effort to make a difference now? Only time will tell but it is good that we are talking about and taking actions to conserve one of North Georgia's most precious resources. What are some practical steps we can all take to conserve water? Here are a few of my favorites:

*Don't wash the car. This has to be my all time favorite. But even I have a hard time with a dirty car after a couple of weeks. Here is a tip to help between washes. First thing in the morning if you park outside, when the dew is still on the cars, take an old towel and wipe down the top, hood, trunk and doors. hang the towel out to dry . Use it two or three times before washing it. If you park inside, a duster could also help.

*No outdoor watering. I still have a empty flowerbed that we decided not to plant the new flowers in right now. I know this has hurt the nursery business but I promise to make it up by buying more drought resitant plants. I also try to use more hardscaping in my yard.

*Not turning on the faucet all the way when rinsing dishes. This took some getting use to but I think we can turn the corner on this. We are also keeping the stopper in the sink so water collects and we can rinse the dishes off while reusing it for other dishes. I never really though of how much water was going down the drain by rinsing dishes with the faucet on high and the sink stopper open.

*Use your bath towel several of times. Hopefully you did a good job in the shower and your towel can be hung to dry and reused. Less loads of laundry is definitely a good way to save water, electricity, and time as well.

These are just a few ways we can all help use water more efficiently. I would like to hear from you about ways you are conserving water (showering with a friend aside:). For the most creative and effective suggestion I get, you will receive a $20 gift certificate to Lowe's or The Home Depot and also your idea posted here. Please e-mail your ideas to me at: michaelbradford@comcast.net. The decision of the judges (me, my wife, my 16 year old son and my almost 14 year old daughter) is final and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 31 . Thank you for taking the time to participate.

Michael Bradford
770-862-8002

"Green" Houses: Keeping the Environment in Mind

I sometimes get questions about houses and the way they relate to being environmentally "friendly". Nothing hit this home to me more than THIS ARTICLE that I read on the cover of the AJC yesterday.

What factors are involved in making a house environmentally friendly? And what things can a homeowner do to help reduce energy and water consumption? These are some things to think about and some goals to work towards. Not only will these ideas save money, energy and water, but they will also be SELLING POINTS when you need to sell your house:

• Go solar. The sun is free and if you can use solar panels to capture it's energy, you can use it to run or suppliment the energy that you use in your house. Solar technology is better and the materials are cheaper than they were just a few years ago. To learn more about solar energy, you can visit THIS SITE.
  
• WATER. USE IT WISELY is an excellent resource for learning about reducing our consumption. It has 100+ ways to reduce, a family water audit to help you see where you may be consuming too much water, and ideas for saving water outdoors.
• Landscaping is an important "green" factor in a house. Can you grow your own food? Organic gardening is an excellent way to suppliment your diet and a fun hobby as well. Planting fruit trees, vines and other food-bearing plants will add value and beauty to your home. To learn more, visit the Organic Landscape Alliance.
• Add a composter to reduce the amount of waste that you add to your landfills. Your plants and trees will thank you for the nutrients you will be providing them with, as well. To learn more about composting, CLICK HERE.
• If you are building a new home or rennovating your old one, put some thought into using either recycled materials, sustainable wood floors (bamboo instead of oak, for example) and natural products (wool carpet instead of synthetic). VISIT THIS SITE and you will see things that you have never heard or thought of.
• Water filtration. Using good filters is important for your health and the value of your home. A whole-house water filter that will begin filtering your water as it enters your house will be a big feature. No chlorine, harsh chemicals or impuritites will get into your bath, drinking or laundry water. These filtration systems can be a huge selling point as well as help keep you and your family healthy. CLICK HERE to go to a buying guide.
• Air filtration is a huge factor for your health as well as your energy bills. Using a good filtration system can keep you from visiting the doctors during allergy seasons, it will keep you from having to clean/dust as often, it will keep your AC unit from having to work so hard to keep your house cool and it will be a HUGE factor in the sale of your house. People love high quality filtration systems and you should keep this in mind when deciding on which one to purchase. At the minimum, you should have a very good air filter in your AC system that you change or clean often. To learn more about air filters, CLICK HERE.
• Lighting is huge when it comes to energy consumption. If your house has not been designed with natural lighting in mind, it is imperative that you add energy-efficient lightbulbs. Not only will this reduce your monthly power bill, but you will replace them less often, your house will be cooler in the summer months, you will be reducing air and water pollution and your lighting will be better. Visit THIS SITE for more information.
• Recycle. Making it easy to recycle is an important factor in whether that plastic bottle goes to the landfill or gets reused. Move your recycling containers to a place where they are as easy to get to as your garbage can. If you keep them out of sight, they will be out of mind. Many stores such as Lowe's or Home Depot sell organizing bins to aid you in your efforts to store/organize recycle materials. Installing these will not only encourage you to recycle, it will also be an attractive feature to many potential buyers. To see the variety of options, CLICK HERE.

If you are interested in buying a "green" house or knowing how to make your house more environmentally friendly, please call me today at 770.862.8002 and we'll get started right away!

Michael Bradford

Southern Prime Realty