Sustainability
Sustainable Home Checklist: Simple Green. Easy & Economical
- Timers for irrigation and outdoor light systems
- Rain barrel or water cistern to capture water
- Organic fertilizers
- Composting
- Mulch or wood chips
- Use of native plants/ Elimination of invasive
- Group plants by water needs
- Deep rooted plants (they take less water overall)
- Reduction of grass size
- Pest resistant plants
- Natural animal repellant plants
- Trees for wind blocking (to prevent soil/mulch erosion) and shade to naturally cool your home.
- Set mower to 3 inches to allow for pollination
- Use low VOC paint for less toxic air
- Recycle old materials, or even old furniture by giving it a facelift or donating instead of tossing.
- Use HEPA air filters
- Replace all main lights with LED
- Use solar or LED for all garden and cafe lighting
- Install dimmers on lights
- Utilize motion sensors
- Power Strips to prevent a phantom load
- Clean refrigerator coils
- Weather strip doors
- Caulk window trim
- Repair window glazing
- Putty around window panels
- Remove shrubs at foundation (anything too close to the house can go into the foundation with its root system)
- Aerators on faucets
- Wrap hot water heater, pipes
- Dual flush toilet controls
- Fix leaks
- Low-flow shower head
- Programmable thermostat (smart thermostat)
- Thermal drapes (blackout curtains, or UV filtering)
- Clean air filters often
- Seal ducts
My top eco friendly materials
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CORKList Item 1
Cork is popular for its natural anti microbial properties, water resistance and sound dampening. Use it for flooring applications, or CorkDotz now makes cork penny tile out of recycled wine corks that makes it perfect for a kitchen backsplash!
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BAMBOOList Item 2
Known for its sustainable nature (Bamboo is very quick growing and self sustainable), high durability, and its warm wood-like features makes it very popular. Like Cork, there are several companies on the market making anything from flooring, to soffits. Check out Moso Bamboo X-Treme for a one stop shop of all things bamboo.
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SEAGRASSList Item 3
Popular in both wall coverings and carpeting it is bio degradable, and moth and mite resistant.
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SISALList Item 4
Comes from plants like agave or pineapple. Very durable, straight fibers make it a breeze to clean and a great carpeting type option.
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RECYCLED PAPER
Recycled paper is being re-used in big ways and is appearing as backsplash, wall paper and countertops. Just be careful, some of them can lack durability and water resistance. I like utilizing it for countertops, where I know it will be strengthened and durable. Check out Paperstone Recyled Paper and Resin where they guarantee a lifetime of stain resistance while using 100% post consumer regaled paper in combination with a petroleum free resin creating a non-porous surface. Another great one is Richlite Composite surface. Made from stacking sheets of 100% post consumer recycled paper stacked on top of each other, saturating with phenolic resin and applying heat and pressure, this product is so strong the military uses it for planes. Even better? Its dark colors won’t show white scratches over time.
List of Services
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TENCEL FIBERList Item 1
Derived from wood pulp, great flooring option that can get wet like carpet. Soft on the feet, and it can be professionally steam cleaned.
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WOOLList Item 2
Great insulator, but even better flooring. 100% natural wool has fibers that are strong enough to hold up to anything, but it does stain easier, so beware if you have kids and dogs.
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RECYCLED GLASSList Item 3
Recycled glass is showing up everywhere. With plenty of colors, durability, no shrinking or swelling, and a hint of shimmer you can now get it for tiles and countertops. My favorite companies: Ocean Mosaics (tile), Vetrazzo (counters, 85% of final product is recycled), Icestone (100% recycled glass, Portland cement and non toxic pigments).
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COCONUT SHELLSList Item 4
Coconut shells started gaining traction years ago, which means it has improved immensely, and can be cut in several different styles, and various color ways. This super durable, microbial, and fully biodegradable tiles can be used for backsplash, wall covering, cladding, and in lieu of wooden paneling.
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RECYCLED MIXED MATERIALS
Eco chic has come a long way, and many companies are mixing materials to come up with gorgeous, strong, green products. Silestone has created Sunlit Days a collection that is a hybrid formula of perineum minerals, recycled quartz and glass. This collection reduces between 50%-90% of crystalline silica depending on the colors (all of which are inspired by the mediterranean). The other mixed material counter company that sticks out is Grenite Recycled Glass countertops utilize a mix of recycled quartz, glass and/or acrylic to create their stunning pieces. Last but not least, if you are in the market for a composite deck, try some samples from Cali Composite Decking. They utilize 60% reclaimed wood fiber and 40% recycled plastics and have an array of colors. The best part? They have a 25 year residential warranty.