The GreenRoost Blog

I have to say that today’s Live Expo event in Plano (Dallas area) was impressive in many ways. I had no idea that so many people would show up to learn about green products and services. To see that all these DFW people are interested in making their lifestyles more sustainable was really encouraging! (And it was great to meet the folks from ConcreteLunch.net - for .. lunch (of course! : ) afterwards to discuss all the stuff that we saw!)

I am a chick after all, and one of the first thing that REALLY caught my eye : ) were these absolutely beautiful handbags by Ecoist made from candy wrappers. They are a bit too expensive for my handbag spending habits (around $100), but I am definitely going to find the DIY recipe!

Besides vendors covering just about every aspect (energy, water, air, waste reduction, etc) it was great to talk to quite a few educational booths as well (on how recycling/MRF works, on making your home more energy efficient, etc.) and  especially exhibits by cities within DFW promoting and pushing various green initiatives. It truely felt that green and sustainable is finally expanding from non-profits and eco-minded individual efforts to a common understanding that we need to take it seriously - now!

However, it was disappointing to see a few vendors who got on a “green” bandwagon for - what seemed to me - mainly marketing purposes, whose presence and message at the event were more confusing and misleading than helpful:

• “Green” lawn care services and supplies. C’mon people, we really have to take our vision of sustainability just a bit further and get away from the concept of “eco-friendly green lawn” in TX. With 3/4 of our water use spent on lawn maintenance it really doesn’t make a noticeable difference if your sprinklers have a rain sensor or low precipitation heads - lawn maintenance is a huge waste of our dwindling water resources! Either zero-scape (os is that spelled ”Xeriscape”?) or convert your lawn into a garden, but get away from spending water on maintaining useless grass!

But it was good to see Catch the Rain and The Rain Well promoting water conservation via affordable rain harvesting systems.

• Vendors selling organic cotton products. Seems like the chemical-related issues are easier for us to understand (as we have heard about them in the news, such as Russian ex-KGB agent poisoned from chemical/heavy metal exposure, or even know someone who had health problems related to chemical exposure), and therefore we take “chemicals” to heart a lot more seriously than issues we are not that familiar with (such as starvation and death due to a draught). We are not using DDTs anymore, and while chemical fertilizers we currently use indeed still harm the environment, the replacement of “chemical” with “organic”, when it comes to fertilizers needed to grow cotton, doesn’t address the major issue of current and upcoming water shortages. Organic or not - 700 gallons of water are needed to grow one cotton tshirt! Of course, a vendor selling organic cotton tshirts was trying to convince me that water shortages are not something to worry about.
• Over-use of labels versus facts by some vendors who simply weren’t willing (or knowledgable enough) to disclose what exactly is “green” about their energy-efficient building and remodeling. Sorry, but I wouldn’t call “the homes we build have green materials inside” an adult-worthy explanation.

However, I’d say that the majority of vendors I talked to were quite informative (and informed) on the specific benefits of their products, and the big picture. “Insulate your home and upgrade your appliances first, and then call us about solar panel installations” - great advice from a solar panel vendor.

And of course, the inspiring speach by Ed Begley just reinforced the idea that truly green should be cheap, simple and affordable.

A few memorable products and inspiring ideas:

• Compostable wholesale tableware made from sugarcane by Eco Dallas. Companies (large and small), churches, event organizers, and even food retailers and coffee shops - there is no reason to buy plastic or styrofoam plates, cups and to-go containers that pollute the oceans and contribute to the plastic mess that is killing the environment and entering our food chain, when you can purchase these items made from compostable material (biodegrades within 60 days) at a very reasonable price of about 9 cents each!
• Microfiber cleaning cloths - for cleaning. Apparently microfiber naturally absorbs dust and dirt (need to do some more research on this subject.)
• Dual-flush toilets by Brondell, that use 0.8 gallons to flush the liquid stuff (with toilet paper), and 1.6 gallons to flush the solids. And they do work! $239 is the cost minus the tax credit you get - makes it very affordable, and will help reduce the insane amounts of drinking water we flush down the toilet  (literally!)
• Everyone knows about attic insulation, but what about attic access insulation? Attic doors are a major source of energy loss in many home. DIY on insulating attic access.
• Do an energy audit of your home. Even Ed Begley mentioned that he was quite surprised to see the results of his recent home energy use audit - the home energy use consultant found a few major “holes” (or areas for improvement). Insulate, replace your windows and doors with energy-efficient alternatives, upgrade your appliances, and even consider the way you could use these appliances less. As a simple example - if you currently blow dry your hair for 10 minutes, consider air drying it a bit (while you sip on coffee and get ready for the day) and then using your hair dryer to style your hair - for 5 minutes. Without making any big sacrifices to your morning routine or your looks, the 5 minute reduction in the hair dryer use will save enough energy to light up an apartment for most of the evening!

The point is - solar panels are currently very expensive for most of us to produce enough electricity to support our energy-inefficient homes and livestyles. Reducing our energy waste is way more cost-effective and doable than trying to support that waste by solar panels.

When hiring a home energy consultant - distinguish a true informed and informative expert by the amount of info they are willing to share. Going green should not be a black box secret- we don’t have that much time to risk, and the secrets have to be disclosed. If the home energy optimization guy is not talkative - move on and look for someone more enthusiastic about providing clear advice and education.