Kermit the Frog once said: “It’s not easy Being Green”, but I’ve found it’s getting easier all the time. It’s now just a question of how you choose to make green work for you. And in our great Sarasota lifestyle ways to be green abound, whether your choice is to eat as a “localvore”, or, as my children and I enjoy doing: cycle to school.
While Green philosophy is highly interpretative, at root it’s simply asking us to be more conscious about our choices which affect the planet. The great thing about “modern” Green is there are some mind-blowing and exciting ways to be eco-conscious, now, in your Sarasota property.
Exciting Innovations to “Green” your Sarasota Home
This year I had my green eyes opened when I attended the International Builders Show. I was thrilled to see so many innovations and ideas in action. Some of the green products I found most invigorating included:
• Home Windmill
Not your ancestors’ 18th century windmill, but a rooftop wind turbine — which generates electricity with winds of only 0.5mph — created by Honeywell, one of America’s top 10 most inventive companies.
I was amazed for $6000 this sleek turbine could be powering part of my home with so little breeze. It automatically switches between the electric grid and the turbine’s generated power. Check out www.windestimator.com to see if there is enough wind in your neighborhood.
• LED Lighting
In the green world LED lights are all the rage for being energy efficient, but what does that mean for lighting up the house? First, there are some big numbers: consumers and businesses will spend about $4billion in 2011 on light bulbs, and then another $40bn on electricity for lighting.
The buzz around LED lighting is it uses up to 80% less electricity than old-fashioned light bulbs, and may last 12-25 times longer — which is good for the landfill — and it’s also made from potentially less-toxic products.
My research says lighting is 10-30% of the average electric bill – so using LED lights could reduce costs from $120-$360 a year, as well as reducing waste.
• Electric Car Charging Station for your Home.
At the show the ground-breaking Nissan Leaf was featured. When you open the “gas cap/fuel door” on electric cars instead of hole there is a fancy electrical outlet.
And I was particularly impressed by the charging station created for it by Leviton. It controls and monitors the flow of electricity to your Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) — which needs to be charged each night — they even have a video on how you can install the charging station on your own.
Bottom Line: Green is Good Business Sense
As jaw-dropping as these innovations are the bottom line is, as always, in the pocketbook.
A recent McKinsey & Company report documented returns from energy efficiency and conservation measures, showing global growth in electricity demand could be halved over the next 25 years if energy efficiency measures are adopted.
Rather than focusing on increasing capacity via Nuclear Power or Coal Burning, the landscape will be cleaner as there are less inputs and outputs as energy is conserved. It makes good financial sense for huge, long-term tenants, such as the State of Florida which owns or leases about fifty million square feet of buildings.
Conservation is still the best way to save money and the environment, as the people placing these amazing products at our fingertips most certainly know. How much you choose to be a green leader of the pack is up to you.
