This page of my website is all about greater commitment to protecting our environment, decreasing our carbon footprint, using products in our homes that are beneficial and healthful and sustainable.  We can all benefit from what we're each learning about new products and techniques on water consumption, energy efficiency, and floor coverings, just by way of example.  Please let me hear your thoughts and ideas, that I'd like to share with others, by jotting me a note to afrench@fmrealty.com.  Web links to new products and ideas and techniques would be very beneficial to everyone, and I'd like to post same.

The Triangle area abounds with many, many resources to help anyone who's wanting to pursue conservation measures for his home. Let's look at a few:

• NC Greenpower is "an independent, nonprofit organization established to improve North Carolina's environment through voluntary contributions toward renewable energy and mitigation of greenhouse gases."

• NC Greenpower is administered by Advanced Energy.  "Advanced Energy is a North Carolina and national resource that focuses on industrial process technologies, motors and drives testing, and applied building science. Our facility houses state-of-the-art laboratories, where we perform testing and applied research in all three of these evolving disciplines.

     Mission:  Advanced Energy creates economic, environmental and societal benefits through innovative and market-based approaches to energy issues.  For utilities, this means developing programs and services to benefit their customers. For industries, it means testing new equipment, helping develop new products and improving manufacturing processes. For the building industry, we help builders, developers and mechanical contractors improve homes, their industry and commercial buildings. For North Carolina's ratepayers, we offer cleaner energy options and energy savings."

• The National Association of Home Builders pioneered five regional associations to create sister organizations to promote 'green' values, and one of these pioneers was the local association for Durham and Orange and Chatham County. Other associations including Wake have now joined to form Green Home Builders of the Triangle, and this group provides fabulous local information for anyone wanting affiliation with a professional builder.

• The National Association of Home Builders has developed guidelines for building green, and a good place to start looking for this is at their website for this topic.

• Additionally, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) developed the approved ICC-700-2008 National Green Building Standard that defines green building for single and multifamily homes, residential remodeling projects and site development projects while still allowing for the flexibility required for regionally-appropriate best green practices.  A builder, remodeler or developer must incorporate a minimum number of features in the following areas: energy, water, and resource efficiency, lot and site development, indoor environmental quality, and home owner education.  You may have heard about the categories 'green' homes can now earn of bronze, silver, and gold; now we also have the emerald!

• Do you want to know more about how your present home, or a home you're considering buying or building, could be more envirnonmentally friendly and save you money?  You need to have a home health and energy audit!  Justin Rowell at Greenmodeling can help you with energy conservation, water conservation, indoor air quality, as well as organic, non-toxic cleaning and landscaping products.
  
• Want to improve your home's energy efficiency or generate renewable energy with solar panels on your roof? Southern Energy can help. The company has been helping home owners, home builders and businesses save energy and money since 2001. They help builders construct Energy Star and green-certified homes, while also offering solar power design and installation services. For more information about how you can benefit from their services, visit the knowledgeable staff at Southern Energy Management.

• The North Carolina Solar Center is certainly a vast resource for information on building.  You'll find most informative articles about solar and wind energy and building efficient homes using its database.  A click will take you to the part of the site that educates about the NC Healthy Built Program.  Lots of great information!!!

• Building Performance Engineering provides mechanical, plumbing and electrical design services and consults on energy code compliance, green building techniques, ENERGY STAR construction and renewable energy technologies, to name a few!

• Of course, there's Energy Star!  From its main page click on 'Products' for appliances and lighting or heating and cooling, or click on 'Home Improvements' to learn more about energy audits and sealing up a home.  Or find out about 'Buildings and Plants' for primarily commercial interests, and then there's the 'New Homes' click where you can search a list of Energy Star builders in North Carolina.

• Do you have a room that gets too hot from summer sun pouring in, or that's fading drapery and/or upholstery?  Consider filming the needed windows instead of replacing them, and this local company, New Century Window Tinting, offers the brand called LLumar that purports a great warranty.

• This idea of free rain at FreeRain is just super!  While it's not  inexpensive to first set up, it just makes sense to harvest runoff rainwater into a cistern and re-use it afterwards.  And this company is even working on bringing the water - retreated, of course - back to the house for additional recyclable uses.  I should have thought of that!!!

• Recently I met the owners and creators of a truly green-conscious company specializing in "sustainable material for home improvement" and "professional kitchen design" at Common Ground Green Building Center. I was a little skeptical of some of the materials they were touting, mind you!  However, the new bamboos, and sinks fashioned of cement impregnated with crushed glass, and the cabinetry, were both exotic and beautiful.  They're in nearby Durham.

• Do you know your home's carbon footprint?  This is a measure of the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases you generate annually.  You can figure this out, in order to start savings measures.  Click this link to start.