10 Free Tips for Facebook Friends
1. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are an entire class
of carbon-based chemicals that give off vapors at normal
room temperatures. Thousands of products emit VOCs,
including paints, lacquers, paint strippers, adhesives,
sealants, carpets, carpet backing, cleaning supplies and
pesticides.
How to Avoid VOCs
- Use low emitting materials when undertaking
renovations in the home to reduce exposure to Volatile
Organic Compounds.
- When purchasing paint strongly consider buying no
VOC or low VOC paints. These are premium paints so
they don’t use any extra coats and the cost is
comparable to their toxic paint counterparts.
2. The federal government recommends that you meaasure
the level of radon in your home. Inexpensive devices for
measuring radon levels are available, and are especially
important in areas of the country with high levels of natural
radon (We here in TX are less suseptible than northern and
central states but it’s still better to be safe than sorry).
If high levels are detected, professionals can vent the
radon out through the roof.
Email Harmony@dallasgreenworks.com for a radon
detector suggestion!
3. We all know by now to recycle but what does recycling
really save? Now you’ll know:
One ton of recycled paper saves:
 4,100 KwH of electricity over paper produced from
trees.
 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space and 360 gallons of
water.
 2 barrels of oil and 7 trees.
 6 tons of carbon dioxide.
Have you ever wondered if you can recycle a beer bottle
even if a lime wedge is stuck in the bottom?
Or what about those last little bits of peanut butter in the
jar?
-The answer to both is Yes: Put the items in with your
regular recycling and the recycling plant should be
able to remove most contaminants.
- Paper recycling, however, is a more delicate process
(which is why pizza boxes are a no-no).
- In general, the cleaner your recyclables are, the less
energy it will take to process them.
So please continue to do your part, if you don’t know
where to recycle check out www.earth911.com for
locations near you.
4. According to EPA, food waste is the #1 least recycled
material. (Some people might asssume that food will
quickly and easily degrade in a landfill, but that simply
doesn’t happen when food is covered with a mountain of
other trash).
-Food and paper are the two largest components in
landfills, accounting for nearly 50% of all municipal
solid waste.
-There is more food and paper in landfills than
diapers, styrofoam, and tires- all combined.
In-Sink Garbage Disposals? Compost When Possible.
Ever wonder whether you should install or continue
using an in-sink garbage disposer for food waste? Is it
better to send food waste to the landfill or local water
sewage treatment system?
Pros for In-Sink Garbage Disposals
*Reduces diesel-powered trucking of food waste to
landfills
*Reduces waste hauling cost
*Offers an alternative when composting is not
practical
Cons for In-Sink Garbage Disposals
*Increases pipe clogging with grease-heavy food items
*Increases cost to screen solid materials at the waste
water treatment plant
*Increases energy and chemicals required for waste
water treatment
*Increases energy use to convey more water through
pipes
5. Switch out your incandescent bulbs with Compact
Flourescent bulbs (CFL’s). Here’s why:
*CFL’s consume less power
* Lower demand for power
* Less coals is burned (which releases mercury into
the atmosphere through the smoke stacks)
*Less greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere
But here’s the real tip, All CFL’s are NOT made equal.
The main difference between our bulbs and discount stores’
such as Target or Wal-Mart is Quality.
 Our bulbs have the fastest warm up time possible
 Never Flicker
 Last as long as we claim
 And our premium bulbs have the lowest amount of
mercury used in any CFL.
This quality difference is in the electronic ballast or the
“engine” of the bulb if you will. To get the best results
out of your CFL’s you must buy a top tier bulb.
6. Here’s another bulb tip very few people know.
Lumens mean more light, not Watts! Let me explain.
Lumens represents the amount of light emitted by a
light source, such as a light bulb. When purchasing
light bulbs, don’t assume that more watts means more
light. More lumens means more light. So how does
this affect you? Well if you know the lumen
comparison, you can by less wattage for the same
light, thus reducing your utility bill yet again.
Here’s an example:
A 60 watt incandescent = 890 lumens
A 15 watt CFL
= 900 lumens
This is a huge deal when it comes to light bulb knowledge
for future purchases so don’t hesitate to ask the store
attendant if the packaging doesn’t detail it or write me. 
7. Let’s start with a little fact: If every American home used
one box a year of eco-friendly powdered detergent instead
of the petroleum based kind we would save 270,000 barrels
of oil and 90,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
Every American does laundry, so let’s ‘green it’!
1. Use a biodegradable ‘green’ laundry detergent. The
label should say “free and clear”, made with without
DEA’s, dyes, perfumes, or phoshates.
2. Set washers on cold water settings.
3. Turn your hot water heater down from 140 degrees
to 120 degrees.
4. If you use bleach, use a non-chlorine bleach, it uses
oxygen to whiten clothes.
8. Indoor Daylighting Fixtures
* From inside the house, a light tube looks like a
domed fixture, but it brings in bright, natural light
from outdoors during the daytime, and uses no
electricity.
* They are less than 16 inches in diameter and can be
installed without making any structural modifications,
as often required when larger skylights are installed.
* Although they can cost $200.00-$500.00 to install, they
are cheaper and easier than skylights, and contribute less to
winter heat loss and summer heat gain.
Tubular Day Lighting is an excellent addition to any
home or office as well.
-Tubular lights decrease the need for electric lights
during the day.
-Solar tubes conduct daylight into rooms without the
heat gain or loss associated with skylights. These
“round skylights” are mounted on the roof and are
connected to the living space with large reflective
tubes.
-Tubular lights extend through the ceiling even when
there’s 6ft or more of attic seperating the roof from the
ceiling.
9. Plastics
Here’s a rule of thumb and some of the most valuable
plastic knowledge available today.
1. Stay away from PVC when you see 3
When you see this emblem on a bottle…DON’T BUY IT!!
2. Say no to plastic bottled drinks. BPA- ‘the plastic
poison’.
3. PVC can’t be recycled, it releases poisonous
chemicals, it’s toxic from start to finish, the poisonous
chemicals it releases is linked to cancer and birth
defects. An example is the shower curtain smell when
it’s new. That’s PVC.
Have concerns about plastic bottles? You should!
Bisphenol A: The chemical used to make polycarbonate
bottles can be found in the linings of most tin cans.
- Retailers across the country are pulling products off
the shelves: plastic baby bottles have all but
disappeared. In the USA, the National Toxicology
Program has released a study suggesting that BPA
may be linked to health problems including breast
cancer and early puberty.
- So the Best thing to do is just avoid BPA and PVC.
10. Barbecues and Grills
- Gas, Propane, and Electic Grills while not perfect,
burn cleaner and more efficiently than charcoal or
wood.
- Traditional charcoal bricks soaked in petroleumbased lighter fluid are not a good choice for a home
looking to reduce exposure to toxins.
- Charcoal or wood- buring barbeques emit tiny
particles of soot that pollute the air and can impair
your health.