Green CHIC

(Image Courtesy of designsprout.com)

I currently work at a GREEN medical center. At a recent meeting I was astounded to hear the details that went into making this 520,000 SQUARE FOOT building ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. For example, even during the construction phase of the building the equipment was only allowed to use certain types of fuel and idle for a short period of time when not in use. I thought it was really COOL that they managed to harness the excess heat given off by the medical equipment to heat all of the water in the building. The site of the hospital was specifically chosen for an area that would destroy as little wildlife as possible, but for each of the 40 trees that had to be cut down to build the medical center a new tree was planted.

I began to think, if a 520,000 sq ft medical center of a major health care organization can under such a HUGE task, shouldn't I be doing something???

My cousin recommended the book "Green Chic, Saving the EARTH in style" by Christie Matheson and I LOVE IT! Instead of asking you to tear down your house and build a house out of recycled paper and solar panels (exaggeration) she asks you to make REALISTIC changes. These small and feasible changes can have a DRAMATIC effect. The book is very witty and well written with a CHIC flare.

I encourage you to read for yourself Christie Matheson's Green Chic.

Because this is such a HOT issue, I am going to bring you some of my favorite ideas from "Green Chic" over the next few weeks, and CHALLENGE you to incorporate them into your CHIC LIFESTYLE.

(Image courtesy of thedailygreen.com)

CHALLENGE #1:

Next time your light bulbs burn out switch to COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS. These energy saving bulbs use two-thirds less electricity than a standard bulb. I was surprise to read that standard incandescent bulbs waist 90% of the energy that goes into them as heat and only 10% actually goes to generating light- RIDICULOUS!

Crazy fact:

If every house in the U.S. switched just one bulb in their house to a CFL and ran it for 4 hrs a day the U.S. would save enough energy to LIGHT 2.5 MILLION HOMES FOR A YEAR and have the equivalent effect on harmful gas emissions as taking 800,000 CARS OFF THE ROAD. Wow! Just by changing a bulb?

CFL bulbs used to be hard to find and only come in an ugly coil variety, but now they are easy to come by at stores such as Home Depot and look like regular bulbs.

Before you run out and buy these energy saving bulbs it’s important to know that they are NOT equivalent to standard bulbs in wattage. So if you don’t want to end up with a NEON living room check out these recommendations:

Bathroom: (Where you typically want the brightest light for doing make-up, etc…)

23 Watts and 3000 Kelvin CFL bulb

Kitchen: (Bright enough that you can maneuver sharp knives, but not so bright that there’s a glare)

19 Watts and 2700 Kelvin CFL bulb

Living Room: (A little dimmer, as we tend to have the T.V. as another source of light)

13 Watts and 2700 Kelvin CFL bulb

Bedroom: (Dim to your personal preference as this is the room where we are winding up in the morning and winding down at night)

11-13 Watts and 1500-2700 Kelvin CFL bulb

It’s important to know that CFL bulbs ARE NOT compatible with light switches that have a DIMMER.

Although CFL bulbs are slightly more expensive than standard bulbs they last TEN TIMES LONGER and save you $30 IN ELECTRIC COSTS over their lifetime (typically 5 years).