The GREEN CT Realtor

All I Want for Valentine's Day is a Rain Barrel!

2012-02-09T14:34:00.000-05:00

Once again my very GREEN local library is offering a sweet deal on helping us be a little GREENER too! This is part of the 2012 Backyard Composting Campaign by the Northeast Resource Recovery Association. I'm going to share the details with you as I sip this yummy, spicy organic fair trade hot cocoa from Trader Joe's. It's super spicy, just so you know, just the way those crazy Aztecs & Mayans (thanks for making us freak out that the world is ending this year) drank.

I already have (AND LOVE!) the Earth Machine Compost Bin and they're offering it at only $52 ($100 retail value.) Along side that there's the compost turner for $20. I use an old pitch fork for turning my compost and I feel so old-school cool doing it, I have to admit, and it's pretty hard work. (In my head, Martha Stewart uses an old pitch fork too.) This tool, however, may actually work better, and I probably wouldn't have to worry about getting a tetanus booster if I dropped it on my foot or something. Maybe I should try it out sometime...

Here's my composter in my garden (and yes, there is a mailbox in my garden.) It's kind of handy for small garden tools and it's whimsical. Yes, as in full of whimsy (classic line from the Bloggess!) I see the flag is up - maybe we have mail from a garden gnome? That traveling gnome does love to send postcards.

They are also offering the Systern Rain Barrel for $67 ($120 retail value.) Hubby & I both want at least one of these. I imagine it will be perfect for watering the little orchard planned behind the garage... and hey, what's not romantic about being GREEN?

Oh, and I envision my little orchard (it'll only be up to 9 trees max) will one day look like this:

...even though by then my son will probably be closer to 6 ft tall. All the easier for him to pick the apples (& pears & peaches & plums & cherries,) right!

They're taking pre-orders at the East Hampton Public Library until April 2nd, and then the orders will be available at the Dept of Public Works here in town the week of April 16th - just in time for Earth Day!

The details are here. While our local library sells them at a very small profit, that money covers sales tax and the remainder (around $100 each of the past years) is dedicated to purchasing eco-themed books for the library, which is great because I READ THOSE BOOKS! Win-win everybody!

So thanks, East Hampton Public Library, for offering another helpful service to our community! I'm a fan of your blog too, by the way :)

Best of My GREEN Bento Lunches!

2012-02-03T09:10:00.000-05:00

Those of you who've been following along for a while may remember that in honor of Earth Day 2010 and my desire to create waste-free lunches after seeing how much trash was being generated in the school lunch room, that I decided to go Bento for my son's lunches. Actually, it may have been my son's idea come to think of it! I had a great response from readers, other moms, teachers, and even the children in my son's class who referred to me as "the cool lunch mom" and "Mrs. Perfect Lunch-Maker!" I like to think that I'm making healthy, mostly-organic, fun lunches.

My bento boxes of choice were and still are, made by Laptop Lunches. Since purchasing my first set, the 2.0 system, I've purchased a 2nd for my daughter and several extra container sets & water bottles, which all mix & match. I also bought a slew of extra water bottle tops so that I can just change out the tops. (My personal preference - I find that I use more of the lidded containers than the others, so when I buy extras, instead of getting a set, I buy the lidded containers individually.) It's colorful and fun! Everything has held up pretty well too. (I've noticed that the prices have gone up since I first purchased my sets, so here's a money-saving tip: if you follow @LaptopLunches on Twitter, they announce sales & discounts on there from time to time.) If you get free shipping from Amazon.com you might also make out better buying from them, as shipping runs just over $5 from Laptop Lunches.com.

Like it was in the beginning, it still takes me a little longer to make lunches. That's because I'm doing prep work, cutting, running outside to pick fresh stuff right out of the garden when it's in season, and trying to make it creative. I also love to use cookie & sandwich cutters to make shapes with the food and my little ones think it's great.

Without further ado, I present some of my favorite Bento lunches (at least the ones I've remembered to photograph - because I don't actually remember to do that very often. In fact I'm noticing that the lunches with things like thai dumplings and other things I serve with chopsticks are all missing from my photo album - whoops!) For the record, all the flowers I use are edible from my garden, and my kid gets "oohs & ahhs" when he eats them at the lunch table! I still put fresh organic citrus slices in his water bottle fairly often for a little extra zing.

Cucumber, rolled jam sandwich, mango, french crepe cookies

Apple fritter & apple slices, tuna & carrot "sushi", fig newtons, mandarin orange & strawberry

Chicken salad sanwich, cheese & fruit leather butterfly, oatmeal banana muffin, cucumber slices

Jam sandwich, strawberry mountains & mango, oatmeal banana muffin, carrot & cucumbers

Turkey, hummus & cucumber sandwich, blueberry muffin, pretzel rod, blood orange, ginger cats

Kiwi, raisin bagel w/cream cheese, pomegranate seeds, brownie

Carrots w/hummus & dip, crepes w/kisses, raspberries & kiwi, cheddar crackers

Pain au chocolat, jam sandwiches, carrot & cucumber, tortilla chips

Tuna & lettuce sandwich, carrots, blueberry muffin

Raspberries, chicken salad sandwich, carrots, lemon bundt cake

Special cupcake for dessert

Mixed dried berries & power berries, wheat bagel w/nutella, carrots & cucumber slices, cheese

Tuna sandwich, pretzel rods, star-shaped rice krispie treats, cucumber slices, orange slice & raspberries

More tuna, blueberry muffin & pretzel rod, watermelon & raspberries, carrots & cinnamon schoolhouse cookies

Other favorites include things like Greek spanikopita triangles which pack nicely, cold salmon with lemon wedge, goat cheese on baguette, and lately anything chocolate :)

Happy Lunching!

The Return of the Garden in Real Estate

2012-01-27T11:23:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, as I was analyzing & reflecting on my past year's real estate business, I saw a trend I hadn't identified earlier. Perhaps it's been there for some time, or perhaps it's because I've been working with similarly-minded people, but the importance of a garden or the space for a garden was a common theme among my clients.

In our fast-paced (and let's face it, pesticide & gmo-filled) society, the home garden, le potager as the French call it, has been making a strong comeback.

This is a French friend's own potager in the Bretagne region of France. It is so neatly organized I think he would faint at the sight of my overgrown garden! (Yes, those are hot air balloons in the background.)

It doesn't have to be the sprawling gardens of yesteryear, but the desire to grow our own food is strong, and for my clients it appeared to be a definite check in the pros columns when looking at homes.

Cheers to a greener world!

GREEN Deals

2012-01-09T17:13:00.001-05:00

Thanks to having to pay a slew of new real estate fees (education & membership fees) right after the crunch of the holidays, I'm finding myself feeling very thrifty again. (A lot of people don't realize how expensive it is to be in real estate - especially when you're advertising in the New York Times!) I'm also keenly aware of how much it will cost for us to go on vacation this year and with next summer's big trip... well, let's just say I need to keep saving up :) (Oh, and if my financial advisor is reading this, of course I meant to say that I'm going to put extra into my retirement account this year. The first week of real estate for the year was slamming - yay! - and the 2nd week is starting out pretty amazingly as well!)

Thrifty me noticed that there's a nice deal on organic cotton sheets at Target this week!

Thrifty me also took a moment to look up Free Parks Days at US National Parks. They are:

January 14-16
Martin Luther King Jr. weekend

April 21-29
National Park Week

June 9
Get Outdoors Day

September 29
National Public Lands Day

November 10-12
Veterans Day weekend

I've mentioned it before, but my kids loved it when we visited national parks. We even got them the parks passports which they get to stamp at the ranger stations and they go nuts over it. I figure this year we could use a few more stamps in those passports before they outgrow the novelty of it.

I also searched my free museum options through the Bank of America "Museums on Us" program which offers free entry into the listed museums on the first full weekend of each month. How are the museums GREEN, you ask? Well, some of them are museums of natural history or science, anthropology or archaeology. I file learning about nature as GREEN. The kids loved the mineral & geology exhibit, the great mammal hall & the zoological galleries at the Harvard Museum of Natural History last weekend.

On the plus side of all the new fees I'm paying, they relate to new business I've been working on and will be announcing shortly. 2012 is going to be an exciting year!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

The holidays were such a flurry of activity that I feel like my head is still spinning, so Happy New Year a few days late! With the 1st of the year dawning my phone was already ringing with real estate buyers, sellers, and renters. I have no idea where some of them even got my name, but I am happy to jump into 2012 with both feet and very much grateful for such a busy start to the new year!

One of the first things I do at the beginning of every year is take inventory of what business supplies I'll need to stock. While I'll all set with things like 100% recycled printer paper and environmentally-friendly writing supplies, I always seem to need postage this time of year. Good timing too because I hear the price of stamps is increasing again later this month so it's a good idea to stock up on some forever stamps. A quick visit to shopusps.com and I found some forever stamps that are PERFECT for me!

These get my "stamp of approval!"

Eiffel Tower Goes GREEN?

2011-12-15T10:06:00.000-05:00

Someone has a lofty horticultural vision for Paris!

It was announced recently that there are plans to cover the Eiffel Tower in 600,000 plants for 2012. Can you imagine? The $96 million plan is the work of Ginger (an engineering group) Vinci (a construction company) and architect Claude Bucher, who say they have built a prototype several meters high.

The plants would be attached to the tower in bags and would be irrigated by a series of watering tubes. The plan calls to allow the plants to grow until being removed in 2016.

French newspaper Le Figaro is calling the carbon-neutral project the "lungs of Paris." Other newspapers referred to it as the "largest tree."

The City of Paris immediately denied the project will happen. They said they get "crazy" ideas all the time. So we won't see a "living" Eiffel Tower, but it is an interesting idea.

Check out this link to Chemicallygreen.com which shows examples of fantastic "living" walls and buildings. By the way, it's a pretty cool GREEN website definitely worth a look.

If you are planning a visit to Paris, visit the official Eiffel Tower website for hours, buying tickets ahead of time, making dinner reservations, or learning more about Paris' most famous landmark. They also have a section for kids, which for a parent is a great resource.

Here we are at the tower in 2010. The views really are breathtaking.

Clarifying The American Clean Energy and Security Act

2011-12-08T09:45:00.000-05:00

This post is in response to a letter written in my local paper recently, in which the writer wrongly stated that thanks to the passing of H.R. 2454 homeowners would no longer be able to sell their homes without meeting energy & water efficiency standards. The writer must have misunderstood or not read the entire bill, because that's NOT what was approved.

As a Realtor member of the National Association of Realtors, I know that this is not true. It may be true in other countries, as energy audits are common in some European nations, but it is not the case here.

Following is NAR's Myths and Facts about The American Clean Energy and Security Act as found on NAR's website.

NAR Myths and Facts The American Clean Energy and Security Act

National Association of REALTORS® Government Affairs Division 500 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20001

On June 26, the House of Representative approved H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Since then, there have been many reports about the bill and NAR's position that are based on incomplete information. Here are the facts:

Claim: “NAR supports a "Cap and Tax" bill”

Fact: NAR takes a position on legislation, or provisions within legislation, that have a direct affect on real estate. Working with our Congressional allies, NAR stripped the Energy Bill of provisions that would have adversely affected our industry. At the direction of the NAR Board of Directors and Land Use, Property Rights and Environment Committee and the Climate Change Presidential Advisory Group, NAR concentrated on the real estate provisions in the bill. NAR was successful in getting harmful federal energy audit requirements and point-of sale triggers dropped from the bill.

As passed, the bill:

• Does not create a federal energy audit requirement for real property;

• Exempts existing homes and buildings from any federal guidelines for new construction energy labeling.

• Leaves the decision to state government whether to pass a law and label, but specifically prohibits any

labeling during a sales transaction.

• Prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon emissions from residential and

commercial buildings under the Clean Air Act;

• No longer includes provisions to bolster a private right of action under the Clean Air Act that would have

allowed citizens to halt construction over minor risks – whether real or imagined;

• Offers property owners with matching grants and diagnostic tools to make property improvements that

saves energy; and

• Provides green building financial incentives for HUD housing, including a loans, block grants and credit in

underwriting for energy improvements.

Claim: “The bill mandates energy audits and labeling before any home in America is sold.”

Fact: The bill does not create a federal energy audit or labeling requirement. As introduced, the original bill would have required energy audits and labeling at the time of sale. However, Realtors succeeded in making many positive changes before the bill passed. Many published reports are not based on the version of the bill that was considered by the House. As approved, the bill:

• Does not create energy audit requirement for real property at time of sale.

• Exempts existing homes, multifamily and commercial buildings from any federal energy labeling guidelines

such as the existing federal Energy Star label program (section 204(m)), and

• Leaves the decision entirely to state governments whether to pass a law to require labels, but expressly

prohibits labeling during a transaction (Section 204(h)).

Claim: “The bill federalizes building codes.”

Fact: The bill would create a national building code standard that improves upon building energy efficiency. States would be given 1 year to bring their state codes into compliance with the new national standards. If a state fails to do so, the federal government would set and enforce the state’s energy codes.

Throughout the bill’s development, NAR has worked as part of a broad real estate coalition to address concerns with the House bill’s building-code provisions. NAR and the real estate coalition were unable to secure committee passage of amendments to limit these provisions. An amendment to strike the provisions defeated along a party line vote. NAR will redouble its efforts in the Senate where the energy committee has reported bipartisan alternative to the House’s that sets more realistic energy reduction targets while preserving state and local authority. If and when the Senate takes up its bill and it reaches a House-Senate conference to resolve the bill differences, we will undertake the necessary efforts and activities to ensure onerous provisions are not imposed on real estate markets.

Claim: “NAR should have read the bill.”

Fact: NAR reviewed the entire amendment and bill before taking a position. NAR was directly involved in the development of the 308-page amendment. The energy labeling exemption for existing real property was included on page 45. The House bill is available to the public at the Library of Congress’ website: http://thomas.loc.gov/ The real estate provisions are in Title 2 beginning on page 320.

Claim: The bill contains a new federal policy that requires residential and commercial buildings to be retrofitted to federal "green" standards prior to time of sale.

Fact: Section 202 (building retrofit program) does not contain point-of-sale retrofit requirements.

The bill does:

Provide states with the funding for financial incentives to property owners who voluntarily decide to make energy efficiency improvements.

Provide that financial incentives may include grants, loans, loan guarantees, and/or mortgage interest rate buy-downs.

Establish a sliding scale for incentives -- i.e., if a home owner makes improvements that result in a 10% reduction in energy consumption, the owner would be eligible for an award of $1,000; a 20% reduction would be eligible for a $2,000 award, etc. up to a maximum award of 50% of the retrofit cost for each building.

Require state voluntary retrofit incentives programs that use federal funding for incentives to meet federal guidelines for certifying private contractor training, equipment and practices for energy audit/retrofit services eligible for federal funding.

Claim: No Congressional office will deny that there are mandatory point-of-sale retrofit requirements in the bill.

Fact: The real estate provisions in the energy bill represent approximately 50 pages of the 1428-page House bill. While members of Congress have been involved in the full range of policy issues involved in the bill, some staff may not be totally familiar with the details of the real estate related provisions. NAR has focused exclusively on these 50 pages, been involved in their drafting from the beginning, and has successfully advocated for significant improvements to these provisions. There are no federal energy audit or retrofit requirements at point of sale in the bill.

Claim: The GREEN Act provisions of the bill require owners of federally assisted housing to retrofit their building to energy efficient standards.

Fact: The Green Act requires the HUD Secretary to establish incentives for energy efficient programs on HUD- assisted properties. The bill also provides the Secretary discretion to incorporate energy efficient standards into HUD-assisted programs.

Legislative Contacts: Austin Perez, aperez@realtors.org, 202-383-1046 Helen Devlin, hdevelin@realtors.org, 202-383-7559

Regulatory Contact: Russell Riggs, rriggs@realtors.org, 202-383-1259

Little Green Things Adding Up!

2011-12-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

Do you ever wonder if all the little things you're doing to be GREENER add up? I know they do, but recently I've been feeling like I can actually SEE the difference, and it's pretty uplifting!

Reusable Bags was the trigger. I've been using reusable shopping bags for a long time. I've always liked how CVS Pharmacy rewards me for doing so through the green bag tag program. For $1 I bought a green tag and bring my own shopping bag with me. Each time I remember to have the cashier scan my tag adds up, and for every 4 times they give me back a $1 coupon. I looked down at my receipt the other day to find I'd used my tag something like 44 times this year. That was pretty nice to see that I'd saved that many plastic shopping bags AND that I'd earned $11 back for doing what I would have done anyway. As a side note on the reusable bags, I recently organized my pantry and found I had twice as many bags as I'll ever need. (I have some canvas bags that are 8 years old that are holding up beautifully!) Those extras are being offered at my local senior center or to anyone else who needs them.

Our mostly-empty trash barrel makes me happy as well. Thanks to recycling and composting, we really could use the smaller trash bin and save some more money there. However, we let a single neighbor put her trash in our bin so she doesn't have to pay for trash removal (yes, we live in a town that does not collect our trash) so after she puts her trash in there I'm not sure we could still go with the smaller bin...but still. We've cut way back on filling the larger barrel.

The reusable coffee filter on the Keurig Coffee Maker.

We had one when we first bought it, but it was accidentally tossed out by someone who didn't realize it was the reusable one, and I finally got around to picking up a new one. The new one happens to be easier to use than the first one I had, and getting it on sale it ended up costing the price of a box of k-cups. (If you are buying a reusable filter, be sure to check that it fits your model - this one does not fit all Keurigs.) For that price I've easily gotten my money's worth already, and brewed some yummy seasonal gingerbread coffee :) Less waste makes me smile.

Happy December 1 Everyone! Hope you're all bringing a little more GREEN into your everyday as well as your holidays :)

Day 365 Totals on our Solar Panels

2011-11-07T09:34:00.000-05:00

Here it is - Day 365

How many kWh we generated on 5 November, 2011 by 4pm that day:

How many pounds of carbon dioxide we've saved in 365 days:

Nice.

Happy 1st Anniversary to my Solar Panels!

2011-11-03T14:30:00.000-04:00

In just 2 days we mark the anniversary of turning on the power to the solar panels!

It may be a little premature to announce what the costs were, as well as how many hours we used, etc., and I can't give you a full year's analysis yet, but I can compare recent months to the same months the year before, and talk about how much of a difference I can see in the first 10 months.

January-October of 2010 we used 7,751 kWh.
January-October of 2011 we used 125 kWh. Yes, 125. Since March 2011 we've generated more power than we've used, resulting in 0 usage for every month since then! As I once stated, our utility company, Connecticut Light & Power, charges us
$16/month just to be connected, so that has been our monthly electric bill since March. Of course, we are paying our monthly solar lease payments as well. It will be interesting to be able to compare the winter months as well as the full year.

One of the months, February, is completely off, and I wish I'd looked at that sooner and brought it up with the power company, because the bill claims we used the same amount of electricity as we did the previous year, while the months before and after are shockingly lower. There is something VERY fishy about that! To be honest, I don't think I'm fully understanding our new electric bills - I think a call to my solar installers, Sunlight Solar should be on my "to-do" list!

So it's still a few days off until I can announce our total lbs saved of CO2 - but the 363 day total is:

16,739 lbs (and it's only past lunchtime!)

The number of kWh generated in 363 days so far is:

9,846 kWh

Even on a somewhat cloudy day like today we'll generate over 24 kWh. Pretty nice.

Bottom line though, I think it's going to take us a while to recoup our costs. Realistically, we're not looking at saving money the first year, or maybe even the next (even though my fingers are crossed we will.) What we have done so far this past year is generate loads of clean energy and save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide from the environment. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Do These Jeans Make my Butt Look GREEN?

2011-10-13T11:39:00.001-04:00

Time for a little GREEN recap of happenings of late!

We're back from the DisneyWorld trip to celebrate the little guy's birthday, but I'm still feeling kind of guilty over how much waste there was on the trip. I suppose most of that was beyond our control, and at least we did the following to keep things on the GREEN side:

bought reusable mugs (cutting down the number of cups we would have tossed)
took public transportation (cutting down on emissions)
reused towels & sheets (cutting down on water usage)
ate at as many table service restaurants as we could (cutting down on disposable plates & flatware)
recycled our glassware, plastic bottles & newspapers

There is consolation in knowing that Disney does a lot of work in conservation. (I had to tell myself that as I cringed at throwing away things I normally would have recycled at home, but also kept in mind all the good things I discovered about how GREEN the Disney Company is in a previous post.) On a side note, it was a really lovely visit and I would highly recommend staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge as we did. Seeing the savannah animals outside our balcony every day was really memorable.

Another way we got a little GREENER the past few weeks was that I put some of the college money my daughter won from CHET (CT Higher Education Trust) into the Social Choice Option, which among other things, chooses companies based on environmental practices. While my own investment portfolio includes similar funds (as I once wrote about here) hers did not. Here she is receiving her check at the State Library:

What else is on the GREEN horizon these days? I've been looking into environmentally-friendly local companies and I'll be introducing you to one very soon. Also, we're approaching the 1-year anniversary of my solar panels going live, and I'll be sharing how the first year went in terms of production, costs, etc. Also did some shopping with a friend and picked up a pair of jeans at our local consignment shop. For $8 they're in pretty good shape and super comfy. Paired with my scarf of the week (a whimsical floral piece I picked up in Firenze) it's a seasonally-appropriate GREEN look!

BTW, a quick shout out to my International readers already this month: Korea, Egypt, India, Mexico, France, Norway & Hungary! Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear how you're living the GREEN life too :)

My Blog Turns 3 Today!

2011-09-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

Looking back 3 years ago, I never would have guessed that I would have readers from around the globe, or what an amazing experience this would be. I've connected with other bloggers out there and made friends & connections I never would have otherwise. The other main benefit is that it's been a constant reminder to live GREEN, to keep reading up on related topics, to research and seek out information. I've found really informative websites, all kinds of vendors, and talked to so many people who are GREEN in their own ways and inspire me to keep it up.

Funniest or most unexpected things on the blog? This photo of tennis star Monica Seles helping me promote my real estate listing at Knowles Landing is THE most widely downloaded photo! I get heaps of international visitors looking at it!

Then there was the surprise of the author of a book I discussed on my blog actually visiting my blog and writing to me about it! Thanks, Wendy Brown! I was kind of awed by that.

The other crazy-cool thing was being written about in Photon Magazine! Why this photo of me reading the magazine in bed is still being downloaded around the world is a bit of mystery to me!

So how am I celebrating today? Well, most special occasions (and Tuesdays of course!) call for some bubbly and something that looks very much like chocolate cake in my opinion. I'm still hoping for both (someone message my hubby and let him think it was his idea, ok?!) but I'm also going to plant some bulbs and then tonight dinner at It's Only Natural in Middletown with my afore-mentioned main squeeze. ION was his idea - vegetarian in honor of my blog - très apropos, n'est pas?

What better way to mark the occasion than by planting bulbs for Spring color! One of my absolute favorite places to shop is CT's own White Flower Farm in Litchfield. Have a glance at these beauties.

I adore tulips, especially any multi-colored, double, or parrot varieties. The ones above are divine, aren't they? (The blue flowers in the lower photo are muscari, or grape hyacinths. Love them as well - but they're tiny and it takes a lot of them to make a statement!) The thing to remember with tulips though is that they really only bloom for 1-2 seasons and then nothing except for a few bits of foliage. Despite this, they remain one of my favorites, and every 2 years I plant more. Here is my front walkway 2 Springs ago when I was on a purple kick. What you don't see on the other side of the walkway are the 100 crocus bulbs I planted years ago that continue to be the first signs of Spring in my yard.

While I don't have beds of daffodils on this grand of a scale, I still enjoy the groupings I have spread throughout my own gardens.

By the way, though I'm not doing it today, it's also time to get some garlic to put in the ground for next summer's harvest. I saved some from this year's harvest to replant for next year - now to just get my garden in some type of order so I can find a good spot for it.

This is a good time to plant some cool weather crops that don't need long to mature (like lettuces, radish, greens.) I went the entire summer without buying any produce from the grocery store (with the exception of carrots - I can't seem to grow enough carrots!) and now it's time to frequent the farmer's markets up until they close for the season. I'm telling you I put off the grocery store for as long as I possibly can!

In addition, planting a tree today would be awesome! Making it an annual event to coincide with the blog anniversary - what a cool idea, right? Hmmm....maybe today's the day to plant the first of the fruit trees in the future orchard!

It's a great day. I'm feeling really grateful for the friends, for the comments people leave here and on Facebook, and for the many times that my posts here are shared and circumnavigate the globe. I'd like to thank the talented bloggers who've shared guest posts here: KJ from Let's Go Fly A Kite, Taryn from Mama Gone Green, and Steve from Compostings. KJ's post continues to be THE most searched of all the posts on my blog - do you remember the Earth Day wreath project she made? It was genius.

Where do we go from here? There is so much to do, and after the eye-opening experience of the hurricane/power outage and how dependent our lifestyle is on electricity, I have a much greater appreciaton for the need for alternative energies. Not that I'm going to solve the energy crisis. After all, I'm just a little blog, helping in some small way to make us just a little bit GREENER.

Peace my friends. Thanks for reading every week.

Lessons I Learned from Irene

2011-09-02T18:31:00.001-04:00

We sat in the dark for 5 long days...no running water. We lost all the food in our refrigerator & freezer. Trees and wires down everywhere. No cell service for 24 hrs. Then, as we were going to bed last night, the lights came back on. Cheers erupted throughout my neighborhood. Still no cable, phone or Internet (sorry no photos because I'm writing this on a computer which is not my own) but having running water makes all the difference in the world. It could be so much worse, really. So many of our friends are still without power and no hope of getting it before Tuesday. Also, my thoughts go out to the flood victims in Vermont and other areas.

So I thought I'd take a sec to share what I've learned from this experience.

* Hubby was brilliant when he insisted that we have a propane cooking stove 8 years ago. Brilliant I tell you.
* If you have to fill your tub with water because of the threat of power outage, use duct or electrical tape to cover the drain first. Hubby knew this already, but I know people who didn't and their water slowly leaked down the drain.
* Percolator coffee is excellent. We had 3 ways of making coffee during the outage and it is amazing what coffee does to make you feel like things are ok. In an emergency, go ahead and brew some joe (and bring some to your neighbors.) Somehow it helps to keep things civilized.
* The generosity of friends is humbling. We had friends who got power back days before we did and were offered a place to charge electronics, hot meals, showers, laundry, and ultimately, 2 generators (as we had none.) One neighbor came by to offer her pool water for flushing toilets if we had run out. I can't thank all these people enough. More than once I was moved to tears by these offers.
* 5 days was the limit for me I think. I was sitting in the dark muttering "I'm going to snap" over and over again when the power did come on. (It could have been the lack of running water and the fact that I didn't have dinner though.)
* It's important to check in on people. I know we're all busy trying to get by, but don't forget the seniors or single people who are sitting by themselves in the dark eating crackers. Invite them over, stop by for a chat, bring them a newspaper or magazine for something new to look at.
* Having a battery-operated radio to listen to is the only way to stay connected to the outside world sometimes. Gram happened to have one and she listened to it 12 hours a day for updates and news.
* The old police scanner in the basement was kind of fun to listen to the day of the storm. We knew right away how badly the town had been hit by the extent of the reports of fallen trees and wires all over town, and that we weren't going anywhere.
* I am not at all GREEN in emergency mode. Paper cups, plates & utensils take center stage when I cannot wash dishes because of no running water. I did, however, recycle what I could.
* As my neighbors and co-worker Deb here just reminded me, put out empty containers (like rain barrels) to collect the storm water for use later when flushing toilets, etc.
*   If there is a threat of power outage, stock up on the essentials early on. Water was such a hot commodity in my community that the day before the storm the grocery store was rationing how much you could buy. I was thankful that I bought mine 3 days before the storm hit. What I missed the boat on was D batteries - went to 6 stores and not a one to be found. Luckily we managed to get by with the flashlights we had.
* Baby wipes and antibacterial wipes came in REALLY handy.
* I don't want to criticize, but it feels like my town wasn't really prepared. There was no communication coming from town hall or the town manager. He didn't even show up to the emergency town council meeting. I heard several people complain around town about the lack of leadership and especially communication. We still had newspaper delivery, so why wasn't there information in the paper on where the shelter was, etc.? At the emergency meeting, I will say that I thought the town staff and departments worked together well to give us an update on what they knew.  At Sue Weintraub's direction, they also agreed to have a sign made to be posted outside town hall with info for residents.
*  Fill the gas tanks. My dad always does and he was right on. My town had no gas stations open for several days. It was a ghost town until this morning when power started to come back. By the way, SHAME on the local gas stations for raising the prices of gas when they did reopen. You know what, the gas stations in towns 30 min away who didn't lose power are selling at the same much lower price it was last week.
* Finally, you CAN bake croissants on the grill! I had raw dough that had thawed, threw it on a cookie sheet and about 20 min in a closed grill on a medium temp and we had a really yummy breakfast with that percolator coffee!

So in a way, we were "surviving the apocalypse in the suburbs" (as I had written in a recent post after reading Wendy Brown's book.) It was a short term apocalypse.  Tonight we're harboring a friend of Gram's from the senior housing in town who is still without power. I've been hearing of other good deeds too, like Jane of Fit-Trix Fitness Center here in town, who opened her gym this afternoon and set up an obstacle course for kids to come and play on free of charge, and offered adults coffee and a chance to watch the news and relax. Then there's Paul's and Sandy's who is a collection point for a family in nearby Portland who lost their house (& pets) to a fire started by a candle they had burning during the power outage. Thanks to both of these businesses for being so neighborly and doing what they can.

Hope everyone is safe. If there is something I can do, even if it's sharing a gallon of water or making you coffee & ironing your shirt for work tomorrow...please don't hesitate to ask. We're all in this together right? (Or, perhaps to use one of my favorite LOST quotes, "Live together, die alone.")

Day 5 No Power

2011-09-01T16:24:00.000-04:00

We've been out of power for 5 days now after the hurricane. No running water and limited access to Internet or cell phone signals (a cell tower is down in our area.) I'll put up a proper post when I can get to a computer.

Best to all of you. Hope everyone is safe.

Preparing for a Hurricane (& Stocking the Cocktail Cabinet)

2011-08-25T09:17:00.002-04:00

With all the buzz about Hurricane Irene coming up the coast and SLAMMING us on Sunday, I've decided to get a jump start on preparing for it. The news reports this morning are predicting we could be out of power for days. (Wait...could this be the Apocalypse in the Suburbs I mentioned in a recent post?)

The National Hurricane Center says I should have certain items in my Disaster Supply Kit.

Water - at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days
Food - at least enough for 3 to 7 days— non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices— foods for infants or the elderly— snack foods— non-electric can opener— cooking tools / fuel— paper plates / plastic utensils
Blankets / Pillows, etc.
Clothing - seasonal / rain gear/ sturdy shoes
First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs
Special Items - for babies and the elderly
Toiletries / Hygiene items / Moisture wipes
Flashlight / Batteries
Radio - Battery operated and NOAA weather radio
Telephones - Fully charged cell phone with extra battery and a traditional (not cordless) telephone set
Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards - Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods
Keys
Toys, Books and Games
Important documents - in a waterproof container or watertight resealable plastic bag— insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.
Tools - keep a set with you during the storm
Vehicle fuel tanks filled
Pet care items— proper identification / immunization records / medications— ample supply of food and water— a carrier or cage
— muzzle and leash

I'm making a modified list, including a refresher on how to manually work the oxygen tanks for Gram.

Other modifications/additions

Candles & matches or lanterns.

Cocktails ingredients. I was only mildly kidding when I announced on Facebook that I would wait out the storm in the wine cellar. It's full of cobwebs and scares me. It's also where we hide the girl scout cookies. Oh, see, we ARE prepared to survive in style - we have Samoas!!! Samoas & wine! So there's no need to make a trip to the grocery store or the fruit orchards after all. (Just kidding.)

I am lucky to have 2 pantries in my kitchen- they're both in need of reorganizing. Here's a peek at one of them:

Do you see what's conspicuously missing here besides the pasta & cereals? (They're in the other pantry.) Good chocolate. Tuna fish in olive oil. Juice. Nutella. I have a gallon of water or 2, but I'll pick up another few.

The good news is that I have a gas stove & and outdoor grill, so in the event that we do lose power, we can still cook. If we find ourselves in that scenario, I have nearby family (& friends) who will probably be coming over to eat, and so the cocktails may be important after all! Add pineapple juice, fresh limes, and cranberry juice to the list!

Other Preparations

If, like me, you're on well water, you'll want to fill up your tubs on Sunday for water to flush the toilets. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

Check propane tanks to see if they need to be filled. (This would be super important in cooler weather as we have a propane furnace-rated fireplace that heats our family room. During the last big winter power outage I had to sleep in front of it with 2 babies!)

Seeing as how they're bent on scaring us on the news with the threat of power outages, it may be time to eat some of the frozen things from the freezer. I'm particularly excited about this since my freezer is full of ice cream, croissants, Indian food, and things like peas & waffles. Again, since we'll be able to cook, I can hold off on some of these, but I may be baking the croissants.... and the ice cream....well we'll just address that potential issue today :)

Just had a brilliant idea. Know what would be a perfect way to enjoy finishing off 5 ice cream containers? (I call the chocolate gelato, btw. My friend Victoria can have the soy mocha swirl.) ...eat them while watching the hurricane episode from Dawson's Creek! Ha!

Then back to preparations. It's also time to check on the garden and see if there is anything that can be harvested. You don't want all that good food falling on the ground in your muddy garden come Monday after being whipped around at 80+ mph. My raspberry bushes are just starting to ripen so we'll be picking those again on Sunday too. I'll have tomatoes, beans, squash, cukes, grapes, and other random things to pick from my wild garden.

Take down any bird feeders or bird baths that might be in danger of hitting your house in a high wind, etc.

Pick up any debris or toys in the yard that might fly away. That's on my list for today and we have a ton of toys outside. Flower pots too. They're going into the basement. (Someone's grill cover has been in my backyard since the big storm we had this past winter and we can't figure out who it belongs to!) It's going to rain at some point today too, so better we get started this morning.

Maybe I'll cover some of the firewood for our fire pit - or bring some into the basement in case we decide to have a campfire. I'll ask the hubby if that's necessary. I heard they're predicting a foot of rain here. A foot. My yard may be too wet - and muddy.

If you have a sump pump (we have 2) check to make sure they're plugged in so that while there is power we can deal with the water that may flood into basements.

OK, so the real fear is that this thing will fly up, up & away...

...and land someplace else and squash a bad witch. (FYI - Wicked is playing at the Bushnell in Hartford!)

Hopefully they will do a good job of shoring it up as it doesn't look like we'll race to get a roof on it. I think it's better if the wind just goes right through it, right? I just kind of wish we could cover the entire thing in a giant tarp.

I'm all set for reading materials (I have my next 2 books lined up on my nightstand) and we have a good collection of games to keep the kids busy. Anyone want to stop by for a game of Disney Cranium?

So what other preparations are you planning? What is on your grocery list?

On a serious note, I hope all of my friends from the Caribbean to Florida to the Carolinas and all points north are safe during this storm. I know it can be scary, especially for the little ones - mine keep asking if it will be the same as when we were caught in a tornado. Keep us all informed that you're ok via Facebook, Twitter, or drop a comment here.

Live GREEN CT Festival - Mark Your Calendars!

2011-08-19T10:39:00.000-04:00

CBS Connecticut's Most Valuable Blogger!

2011-08-18T16:09:00.000-04:00

It is such an honor to be named a FINALIST for CBS Connecticut's Most Valuable Blogger Award! Little bit exciting, right? Ah, it's the little things that make me happy, n'est pas?

(Please vote for my blog! A big thanks for doing so!)

Know what else makes me happy these days? My carriage house project is FINALLY starting to take shape! This was the progress as of yesterday (only the 2nd day of framing!)

Today they put down the floor for the 2nd fl. Slowly, slowly the work continues...I can't wait for it to be closer to finished so we can talk about all the ways we're going to try to make it GREEN!

It's been a while since I shared an update on our 40 panel photovoltaic array. The solar panels have been cranking out the electricity all summer! Each month my electric bill has been all of $16 (even with the air conditioning & TV going in our in-law apartment several hours per day!) We've been generating around 35 kWh per day of electricity, and it appears that since November we've generated 7750 kWh and saved over 13,000 lbs of CO2!!! Seriously, how great is that? We're sending a lot of energy back into the grid. Makes me want to go and hug my inverter :)

Heading out now to support my fellow Realtor's Broker's Open House for a property on Lake Pocotopaug - it's no Knowles Landing, but 71 Meek's Point isn't too shabby! They're similarly priced, so if you're in the market in the $1.3M range, I'm happy to show you both of them :)

GREEN Summer Finds :)

2011-08-08T12:46:00.001-04:00

Hi Blog Friends! It's been a while - we've been busy having our "Not Bummer Summer" (thanks Judy Moody for inspiring that!) and taking vacations and such. Thought I'd catch up for a moment and share some of the great GREEN finds I've made in my travels.

Found this great little shop in Ogunquit, Maine last month that does personalizing, where they carried all these funny magnets and this one made me smile :) I also picked one up that says YAY! BEES! for one of my real estate clients (and friends!) Speaking of real estate - man, it's been a hard summer. Contracts that had previously going along swimmingly are drowning left and right over circumstances beyond my control. It's really frustrating. Even more frustrating is how difficult it has become for so many buyers to become homeowners. I've said it before, but really it's creating a large demand for rentals in my market and they're so hard to come by.

On my way home from the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors Strategic Planning meeting I happened to drive by the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Salem, CT. They were unloading a truck and what did they happen to have coming in, but some cute square windows that might take the place of my oval decorative windows for the carriage house we're building. The oval windows are $900 each and we needed 2. The nice man at the ReStore sold me these 4 square windows for $10 each. $10! I took them on the spot. They're not what I had originally planned, but I think we can still add enough character to make it work. Looks like we can get a side door for around $25 too, but the double doors and the rest of the windows (seeing as how I'd like for them to match) will be ordered. On the building front, we're still looking at just a foundation and the floor has been poured. We hope to have framers starting this week, but it's just crickets out there today. Well, crickets and the sound of my bank account being depleted.

We finally made it to the Chester Farmer's Market on Sunday morning. Despite the pouring rain it was a great market, and there were many organic vendors, meat sellers, breads, fish, cheeses, other dairy like yogurts, honey, soaps, fresh flowers, jams, etc. We walked away with the beautiful bouquet of flowers that Scott surprised me with at breakfast (the vendor delivered them right to our table in the Simon Marketplace - it's so darling you should stop there!) plus divine cheese, baguette, & saturn (or donut) peaches from Glastonbury. I didn't realize we could grow those here - I'm going to try to get some going! Added to our fresh veggies from the garden it made for a lovely summer dinner on the terrace.

Here's Scott at the flower vendor, Hay House Farms of Old Saybrook, CT (and that's Julien twirling his Roma umbrella!) They are a CSA and participate in the Chester, Lyme & Old Saybrook Farmer's Markets. (We've talked about getting involved in a CSA, but between some of our friends I feel like we may have enough garden space between us to do our own! We'll have to plan better for next summer.) The farmer/artist has a blog and he said they do a farm stand on Thursdays 3-6pm - looks from the blog that you can visit the farm and check out their great kiwi vines which are producing! Again, I didn't realize you could grow those here....very interesting. There's a photo on his blog of the kiwi growing over the pergola. Apparently they also have a Stupa, which is rare in CT.

On My GREEN Nightstand...Part I

2011-07-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

Recently I've been reading 2 GREEN-themed books. The first was a cookbook which I mentioned in a previous post, In the Green Kitchen by Alice Waters, which was really just about standard technique in th kitchen. Other than a brief introduction where the word organic was used, I don't see much in the book which really lives up to the title. I mean, sure, cooking with fresh & organic food is GREEN, but I think it was a little misleading and I didn't get much out of it. In all fairness to the author, I already have most of those basic skills down like a kitchen ninja. (Just for fun, try cooking one night like you're a ninja, with lots of cool moves & swinging your knives around like swords...oh and sound effects - though ninjas are silent - it's really hilarious.  Just be careful if you own really large knives like I do! Be especially careful if you also like to drink wine while you're cooking!)

2nd GREEN book I'm reading feeds nicely into my paranoia that we should always be prepared for the worst! It's called Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs, by Wendy Brown. Great title, right? (There's a subtitle that reads, "The Thrivalist's Guide to Life Without Oil.") Totally caught my eye. The basic premise is this: untimely disasters happen that change what we call 'life as we know it' (think of the recent natural disasters, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis that have interrupted life for so many people leaving them without electricity, water, communication, transportation, food & basic needs.) The author, like the Boy Scouts, says that we should be prepared. She's former military, and structured the book into a matter of days. What if we knew we had only 21 days to prepare for "the end of the world as we know it?" She goes day by day in order of priorities to help people survive not only the possibility of natural disasters but of a loss of petroleum-based products/oil, food shortages & power outages. (BTW, the author had also written a blog on the subject, but it only had a few posts and ended abruptly when the book was published.)

While I won't detail the entire book to you, I'd like to share some of the ideas I found interesting, including some of the things I'm SO going to do...because, hey, does it hurt to be prepared? (There are several sections I'm skipping though.)

1. Your first priority isn't food, it's shelter, so take good care of your home. As a Realtor, I went "ding, ding, ding!" when I read this. A lot of people think it's about food, but according to Wendy Brown, they're wrong because humans can go 3 weeks without food, but less than say 6 hrs in the worst weather conditions without proper shelter. She goes on to tell you that you need to make your home energy-efficient, make sure your roof is in shape, etc.

2. Water. If you rely on public water and suddenly there is none, you may need to dig your own well, build a rain barrel or cistern, boil/treat nearby freshwater or distill & desalinate salt water. For once I am happy that I live in a pretty rural area where I have 2 wells on my land. While right now we rely on a submersible pump for water from the deep well, we have a shallow hand dug well that we could access if needed. I'm thinking we could pick up an old manual pump somewhere just in case, or drop a bucket in the bottom if needed. Also the rain barrel is on my wish list :)

3. Day 3 of the 21 is devoted to creating fire for heating your shelter and/or cooking. The author lives in Maine and heats her home with a woodstove, the thought of which has become rather appealing as the price of oil has climbed higher and higher. She's all set.  She discusses other ways you can bring fire inside, and how to build fires and cook on them. I have a lovely propane fireplace, but were the propane to run out we'd be left in the cold. Hmmmm....

Days 4-6 are about cooking, food, & food storage. She discusses an outdoor kitchen, camp stoves, using a solar oven, cooking over a sterno can or candle, and building a methane digester. On food she discusses stocking up, but also in her opinion the importance of only eating from your local food shed, so that in the event we no longer have access to things like sugar or coffee or chocolate (because there are no trucks delivering them to our local stores anymore) that we don't miss them. I don't think I could do that, as much as I love to and try to eat locally, I'm not going to give up chocolate because one day there might not be any.  That's a horrible deprivation! I say better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all!

What I did like in the food section is the part about canning and preserving, something my families have always done and I feel is disappearing with my generation. Maybe it's time to get over that fear and start boiling those Mason jars just like my mom...because the truth is her strawberry jam will bring a smile to my face any day...even if it is the apocalypse! The other thing I got out of it is that I need to reorganize my pantry. Actually, I liked most of the food section. Don't skip that part.

Day 7 is devoted to growing food. Yes - the organic gardener in me loves this part! She stresses the importance of being efficient )& getting the highest return on investment) in your gardening space (which she has to be - she has a quarter of an acre lot which also holds a chicken coop, rabbit hutch, outdoor kitchen, etc.) I'm planning a small orchard behind our new carriage house, probably just north of the small greenhouse, and while I was all about planting a variety of peaches, apples, & maybe pears, I hadn't even though of a nut tree. Hello, protein! Now to find a variety that would do well in my growing zone. I'm hoping that ends up being something like hazelnut or almond, though it's almost certainly walnut. That's ok, those are good too.

Livestock & Laundry are the topics of Days 8-9, neither of which I have great interest in pursuing, though the goat sounds adorable...I'm afraid it would eat my entire yard. Here's hoping that in the event of disaster, at least one of my 2 neighboring properties with chickens would share a few eggs with my kids. After all, I get to wake up to roosters (& a noisy donkey) every morning! BTW, I get the whole idea that laundry is important and often overlooked. You know how much better you feel when you're wearing clean clothes after say, traveling for 27 hours or so, right? She shares her recipe for making laundry soap.  I just added her ingredients to my grocery list.

Days 9 & 10 are really good! Light & Electricity, respectively. Stock up on candles or make your own, as Wendy Brown does with the remnants of other candles, or use an oil lamp. Kerosene can be dangerous and eventually hard to get, but olive oil burns cleanly (won't pollute the air in your home) and isn't as likely to start a fire. Didn't know that. Also don't have kerosene in my house, but I do have flashlights, several oil lamps and gallons of olive oil :) I'm good for light!

The part about not having electricity that scares me, other than no water because my main house is hooked up to a submersible pump, is no computer for communication. What if our cell phones go dead? Ugh, I hate not knowing what's going on. Enter the solar powered cell phone charger! Mind you, it's not going to charge your phone 100% as quickly as your regular charger does, but in a pinch, it'll get you some extra time, and you can keep charging it. I'm SO getting one - or likely 2 - so that I can give one to my parents so that if there's no electricity we can both charge our phones and talk! Time to do a little research on those :)

This post is getting long, so I'll share the highlights of the other 11 days in my next post...Apocalypse Part II!

This Week at The GREEN CT Realtor...

2011-06-30T11:16:00.000-04:00

It's been a fabulous week at my house with my first EVER taste of having both children out of the house all day! It's even worth the craziness that comes with getting them out of the house at the same time with their swimsuits, beach towels, bento boxes, water bottles, change of clothes, getting them fed, teeth brushed, sunscreened up, and dressed. Having them both at camp has meant I've been able to spend a lot more time at the office, and seeing how this is my incredibly busy time of year...it certainly works out well for us!

When I've been home it's been about the huge construction project going on here. Perhaps it only feels huge because it's going so slowly? Last month we tore down the old garage and are in the process of building something along the lines of this carriage house:

I think it's much prettier than the main house, which means we'll need to give this place a facelift at some point too :) I've been shopping for oval windows, garage doors & corbels. It's going to be an expensive summer. I think I may need to sell a few extra houses this year. Anyone looking? Call me!

Also going on chez nous is lots of organic gardening! Yesterday I began my garlic harvest and my first lavender harvest of the season. I'm finding it takes a lot of scrubbing (not washing!) of the garlic to get all that dirt off. Hubby harvested the rhubarb and called a friend in France to get her recipe for rhubarb compote that is just divine. He made it this morning and it's sitting in a large mason jar already!

Both the garlic and the lavender smell absolutely wonderful to me. The 40 heads of garlic (so far) I'm cleaning, braiding & letting hang to dry for a few weeks. I'll also save several heads to use to start new garlic in the Fall. The lavender I dry and remove the flowers to make sachets that this harvest will be used to scent the little one's dresser drawers. We bought the dresser used from a friend who was moving out of state a few years ago so it needs that sweet smell that reminds me so much of Provence. (Harvesting lavender is pretty labor intensive work...but if you don't have your own plants and you'd like to pick some yourself, come on down to my neighborhood where my neighbor has a lavender farm and you can sit in the field on a little stool, wearing your sunhat, and pick from her fields.)

Speaking of Provence, it was a year ago yesterday that we landed in France with the kids. Sigh....

(Paris avec les enfants next to the Pompidou.)

On a happy note though, we just learned that friends from the Bretagne area will be visiting us in CT in 2 weeks and we're looking forward to hosting them. I'm going to have to go into overdrive on my garden though because this man's garden was the MOST well-tended I've ever witnessed. Here's a photo I took in his garden last summer.

You can't actually tell from this photo, but weeds dare not grow there. I've just psyched myself out over this and need to get myself to the farmer's market on Saturday morning to pretty up my yard. My garden especially.

Along the lines of gardening, I've just picked up a book called "In the Green Kitchen" by Alice Waters. I'm just starting it...it seems to be a lot about technique (which makes the byline so appropriate - Techniques to Learn by Heart) and features many chefs. Just looking at it is making me hungry. Must be time for a nibble then back to the grind at the office!

Be well. Be GREEN :)

Mickey is GREEN!

2011-06-24T12:34:00.001-04:00

I've been asking myself how to make our upcoming Fall trip to Walt Disney World (why does it make me feel old that I use the full name and not just Disney like everyone else seems to?) a little bit GREEN. As it turns out, the Walt Disney Company is already quite the shade of GREEN! Kudos to Disney!

Following is the (long) excerpt from Disneydestinationstradenews.com describing their environmental overview. (I'm allowed to copy & paste this along as I give credit where credit is due, right?)

The Walt Disney Company channels its commitment to conservation into an attitude known as Environmentality, which is a responsibility to do what is right for the environment and right for business. Each of Walt Disney World Resort’s nearly 62,000 Cast Members are encouraged to practice Environmentality everyday.

Walt Disney World Resort focuses on effectively managing resource use through energy conservation and waste minimization, while also focusing on conserving the natural environment through science, education and leadership efforts.

Sustainable and Responsible Development

Of the more than 40 square miles at Walt Disney World Resort, nearly one-third of the property has been set aside as a dedicated wildlife conservation area.
The Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve is a lasting testament to the company’s commitment to develop responsibly. Disney purchased 8,500 acres in Osceola County to allow for build-out of the resort and created a model partnership between government, non-profit and business. Working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida water management districts and groups like Audubon of Florida and the Nature Conservancy, the $45 million investment is a living laboratory for land restoration. The Preserve has now grown to 12,000 acres as other companies have followed the model to expand the original tract. A "green" welcome center is a centerpiece and is open to the public.

Growing Green

At Walt Disney World Resort, conservation and environmental sustainability are not only part of a long-term commitment to responsible stewardship, but also are key business components evident in day-to-day operations.

To become an EPA "Energy Star Partner," Disney has implemented energy-saving fixtures and other changes throughout the property. The original implementation of the program saved enough energy to power Disney’s Animal Kingdom in its first year of operation.
Beginning in 2005, Walt Disney World Resort implemented a "Strive for Five" program, resulting in nearly five percent in energy savings and conservation across the resort. Through ongoing energy audits and the EPA’s Green Lights program Disney strives to use the most energy-efficient fixtures possible.
Walt Disney World Resort is switching to more efficient and environmentally friendly lighting across property.

In Resort guest rooms, Cast Members are in the process of replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps that use roughly one-quarter of the energy. When complete, 176,325 light bulbs will have been changed out.
LED (light emitting diode) lights are far more efficient than neon lights and are used in many signs, decorations and holiday trees at Walt Disney World Resort.
Even Cinderella’s Castle glows "green" during the holidays with more than 170,000 LED white lights to glisten the Castle, using the equivalent energy of only 12 microwave ovens.
In 2008, Disney completed the state’s Green Lodging designation for all 23 resort hotels – representing the largest number of Green Lodging -certified hotels in the state. Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Resort was the first resort in Florida to receive the designation when the program launched in 2004. To achieve this special designation, resorts must focus on five categories: water conservation, education and awareness, waste reduction, energy conservation and indoor air quality.

Mindful Waste Management

Recycling is a big part of waste management at Walt Disney World Resort. In 2007, Walt Disney World Resort recycled more than 39,000 tons of materials including:

1,048 tons of scrap metal;
1,255,090 pounds (628 tons)of cooking grease; and
14 million pounds of cardboard

Walt Disney World Resort’s approach to water conservation begins with using less water where possible, and maximizing use of reclaimed water. Approximately 30 percent of the resort’s overall needs and 80 percent of its irrigation needs are met with reclaimed water.
Disney Harvest reduced food waste by gathering excess prepared food from Walt Disney World Resort kitchens and distributing it through the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. More than 1,000 local children are fed weekly through this program. In 2007, Disney Harvest gave more than 625,000 pounds of food to the hungry in Orange, Osceola, Lake and Seminole counties.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom provides some unique forms of "waste." In 2007, over 3,520 tons of manure was sent to the compost facility from Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Tri-Circle D Ranch. This produced about 542,000 pounds of compost daily.

Caring for Wildlife and Animals

In addition to ensuring wildlife habitat remains, the company is committed to animals in Florida and around the world.

The Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund, supports scientific research and habitat protection through annual awards for the study and protection of the world’s wildlife and ecosystems.
In 2007, DWCF awarded more than $1.5 million to nonprofit environmental groups and universities. The funds went toward 104 programs in 42 countries that focus on saving animals and habitats. Among the projects receiving support:

Purchasing 4,000 acres of land in Guatemala to create a community-managed buffer zone and establish a wildlife reserve for research, ecotourism and organic farming. (ARCAS)
Studying the serious problems that discarded fishing gear poses to bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay to help save the dolphins from fatal entanglement. (Mote Marine Laboratory)
Studying the interaction between elephants and bees in Kenya and whether bees can be used as an effective elephant deterrent for crops and trees. (Save the Elephants)

Florida-based projects have received more than $2.9 million in DWCF grants, including grants of more than $600,000 to University of Florida and $92,000 to University of Central Florida.
Since 1995, the DWCF has supported 650 projects in 110 countries totaling $11 million.
The Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund and The Walt Disney Company have contributed more than $800,000 to rhino protection and research projects in partnership with nonprofit organizations working in Asia and Africa (the only places they are found).
Disney’s Animal Programs professionals worked closely with the University of Central Florida to establish a Ph.D. program in Conservation Biology, approved in spring 2004 by the Board of Regents. Many Disney’s Animal Programs Cast Members serve as adjunct professors at UCF.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot participates with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other zoological facilities and conservation groups in the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership. The Seas is a designated rehabilitation site for rescued manatees and sea turtles until they are well enough to be returned to their habitats.
Disney’s Animal Programs teams at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot’s The Seas with Nemo and Friends are devoted to the care of more than 1,500 mammals, birds and reptiles, and over 5,000 fish, including a number of endangered and threatened species. Both facilities are accredited under the auspices of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is involved in many AZA "Species Survival Plans" – cooperative breeding and management groups for critical species – and has successfully reproduced many endangered animals, including African elephants, black rhinos, okapi, gorillas, and many rare birds. In fact, Disney sent three bongo antelope born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Kenya in a unique effort to re-establish the population there. In 2006, Disney sent two white rhinos born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Uganda for reintroduction.

Connecting With Our Community

Support for environmental projects and animal-related organizations are also a part of Walt Disney World Resort’s efforts – as members of the community and as volunteer citizens.

Walt Disney World Cast Members worked more than a year to provide a unique template for a computerized energy report card to Orange County Public Schools, which is expected to save the school system millions of dollars. In March 2004, it was endorsed and heralded by then U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham as a national model, which is being shared with schools across the country.
Disney’s Environmentality Challenge encourages Florida students to think about and take action on helping the environment. Since it began 10 years ago, more than 120,000 fifth-grade students across Florida have participated.
For many years, Walt Disney World Resort has helped support the SPCA of Central Florida. Disney VoluntEARS have participated in an annual walk around Lake Eola that collects more than $50,000 each year in pledges. Walt Disney World Resort also sponsors educational programs that SPCA shares with schools across the area.
Disney has a strong relationship with The Central Florida Zoo. As an active board member, Disney has assisted with funding for improved animal habitats and the capital improvement campaign. The zoo’s famous hippo, Geraldine, came to live at Disney’s Animal Kingdom when her habitat was moved to make way for new improvements there.
The Florida Audubon Society and its Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland is another partner. Walt Disney World Resort funded a flight cage at the center used to rehabilitate eagles and other raptors before release. Disney Cast Members also helped refurbish the center, and a Disney leader sits on the board of Audubon of Florida.
Disney Cast Members volunteer their efforts for beach cleanups, wetland re-plantings and removing invasive exotic plants from critical habitats. The Walt Disney World Resort lends its support to the Florida Coastal Cleanup (Ocean Conservancy), Oakland Nature Preserve and the Nature Conservancy.
Education presenters and small animals from Disney’s Animal Programs also travel to Arnold Palmer Hospital and Florida Children’s Hospital to bring the wonder of wildlife and a welcome distraction to young patients.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Yeah, they totally had me at 542,000 lbs of compost per day. Oh, and the reclaimed water part. I just got a whole lot happier about spending a vacation in the US. (I don't mean to offend anyone with that last part - I'm just the kind of girl who really likes to travel to places that happen to be on another continent, especially where we get to communicate in other languages. Staying in the US is generally a bummer for me. In fact, I hope to one day be known as something along the lines of "The GREEN CT Realtor Who Lives in France & Italy and Spends a Little Time in East Hampton and Got Really Skinny BTW" HA!)

We'll be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which I'm really excited about, and this will be my first trip back to the Magic Kingdom since something like 1978 when my dad was rocking the big sideburns and I wore my knee socks with pride.

I took a sec to do some online shopping for eco-friendly Disney merchandise and found they have quite the selection of organic clothing (I found 111 different shirts!), bamboo-made products, some reusable tote bags and reusable aluminum water bottles like these Earth Day ones (above on sale for $5.99!) So keeping all of this in mind, I can relax, have fun, and feel GREEN all over :) See you on the public transportation my friends!

Roundup in the News Again...

2011-06-24T11:46:00.000-04:00

If you haven't seen this in today's news....here's the story from the Huffington Post. It was all over my Twitter feed this morning. Again I'm reminded why I buy organic and why I grow my own whenever I can.

Roundup: Birth Defects Caused By World's Top-Selling Weedkiller, Scientists Say

CT Farmer's Markets Opening!

2011-06-16T09:34:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year! My garden is starting to get it's groove on, but so are the wonderful farmer's markets around Connecticut!

While many of the markets don't get going until July, there are several that are open TODAY around the state. CToutandabout.com has a list of events including farmer's markets for today right here.

For a list of all the certified farmer's markets in CT and their opening dates, click here. That's not to say that there aren't other markets that pop up, such as the one in my town, so watch your local papers for news on those.

I've written about my love for farmer's markets before, and my local favorite so far remains the Friday afternoon & Saturday morning farmer's market at Ashlawn Farm in Lyme. So many farmers in one place, right on a scenic farm which also roasts it's own coffee...can't think of a better way to end my Friday. For those of you who don't live as close as I do, why not make a day of it and hit the beach or stroll along the shoreline? Oh, and don't forget to grab a cup of their coffee. (You'll thank me later!)

I am happy to support local farmers and feed my family very fresh, mostly organic, food. Now, off to raid my garden for strawberries & lettuces to share with friends!

Whole Foods Parking Lot

2011-06-15T09:48:00.000-04:00

Too funny not to share. It's right up my alley!

What About That Cork?

2011-06-02T10:26:00.000-04:00

Yes, the GREEN CT Realtor was MIA....but it was more SIB (sick in bed - blech!) than anything else. 5 weeks of being sick with a virus and pneumonia as the grand finale really kicked my green booty. Add to that the reactions I had to the antibiotics followed by the reactions I had to the meds to take care of the reactions and I was a sorry lot.

Before I got sick I was getting ready to write about recycling and uses for cork. It seemed as though the universe had been sending me messages about cork. Um-hum...it's a strange message, but when the universe speaks...well...the GREEN CT Realtor listens. (Looking back now, it just might have been the fever talking.)

It just so happens that we drink a lot of wine, so as it would be we tend to amass quantities of corks. For many years we labeled & saved them because I'd seen this gorgeous board made of arranged corks and the DIYer in me wanted to replicate it. Needless to say, babies came along and my arts & crafts aspirations were cast aside...which leaves me with a whole lot of cork :)

What were those messages from the universe, you ask? 3 signs:

The bowl soliciting used corks at the checkout and the amazing display windows at Anthropologie (my favorite store!) They didn't look exactly like this, but Anthropologie, in celebration of Earth Day, put up window displays in 153 of their stores with the help of the Cork Forest Conservation Alliance.

Another was a gorgeous custom work of art in the form of a sunflower crafted from used corks by the very talented Stefanie Marco of KiNDSPiN Design in West Hartford, CT.

Photo Credit: Stefanie Marco KiNDSPin Design

It reminds me of sunny days in Tuscany and that makes me nostalgic (and maybe a little weepy and achy to go back.) I'll bet it's even more amazing in person. By the way, I saw the photo of the new owners holding their piece and it's HUGE! Stefanie says you can send her your collection of corks and she'll make a custom piece for you too! You can check out photos of Stefanie's other works of art on her Facebook album, through the link above, or in person at Celebrate West Hartford the weekend of June 11th-12th. If you've never been, it's a great festival with really talented artisans, a carnival, live bands, food booths from all the fantastic West Hartford restaurants. We never miss it!

The last sign was through Whole Foods where I had seen or read that you can drop off your used corks to be recycled through CorkReHarvest. How many times had I walked by that and not seen it? I wanted to find out more so I looked it up when I got home.

I don't want to repeat everything that CorkReHarvest.org does, so here's the link to the Whole Foods blog post that explains why they're involved. If you're interested in the details, it's worth a click to check it out.

As a general rule, I don't like throwing anything in the trash if I know it can go somewhere else other than a landfill. I hadn't thought that much about cork before, so thanks, universe, for pointing that out to me!

We Need Your Votes

2011-04-20T12:31:00.000-04:00

My Dear Greenies,

The GREEN CT REALTOR is looking for your help! I've entered my family into a travel contest and we need people to vote for our entry once a day through April 26th. It's super fast & easy - takes 2 clicks.

Here's the link to vote for us:

http://readergetawaygiveaway.com/?id=948

Please feel free to share, tweet, post, etc.....we are extremely grateful for all of your help!!!

Socially Responsible Investing

2011-04-07T17:54:00.000-04:00

Some days I feel as though perhaps I've gone GREEN in every way I can think of, and just looking for more ways to be GREEN proves to be exhausting.

Enter my financial advisor. My financial advisor? YES... he's wonderful and came out to meet me for (locally roasted) coffee (which we drank in real mugs) at my local artsy coffee shop, where he proceeded to introduce to me the idea of socially responsible investing. If you're more financially savvy than I am, you've probably heard of it. It's not a new concept. The simple tenet of it is that you invest in companies who employ environmentally-friendly & ethical practices, and are socially-conscious (which can have a lot of meanings of course.) What impressed me is that my advisor took the time to look into something he knew would be up my alley, and that he knows his clients that well. Even my husband was suitably impressed (and said maybe he should meet with him to review his retirement accounts!)

So, along with my current holdings, we've added a socially responsible portfolio, which my advisor feels will do well AND holds true to my values. Cheers & many thanks to my financial guru for helping me find another way to make my life a deeper shade of GREEN! (BTW, if you're in CT... I'm happy to share him with you...just leave a comment or message/email me and I'll send along his contact info!)

Alicia Silverstone Wants Me to Go Vegan!

2011-03-28T12:40:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty sure she wants you to go vegan too! Last weekend I picked up her New York Times Bestselling book, the kind diet - A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet. I don't usually pick up books with the word "diet" in the title - not that I don't need to diet - I just don't read those books. It was the "Saving the Planet" part that caught my eye.

Well, I have to say I do like her book. Not that I'm ever going to give up cheese though. EVER. Never ever. Not in a million years. Not this French girl :) So I guess I'll never go vegan...however, reading the book has helped me recommit to reducing my meat consumption, which, according to Alicia Silverstone, will help save the planet! (By the way, watching the film Food Inc., twice, had the same effect on me. I cut back on meat, but what meat I do buy is organic. If you haven't seen this documentary - you should! It's pretty eye-opening.)

Silverstone's book has a heavy chapter on why meat is nasty for you, and how commercial farming of meat is really bad news for the environment. The short version of it:

- All those cows are contributing to global warming & climate change because they emit so much methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas. Apparently those cows are emitting a WHOLE LOT of it.

- The meat industry is creating too much um, excrement, fertilizer, and sludge and that waste is creating water pollution.

- It takes much, much more water to produce meat products than plant-based food. One statistic in the book says it takes somewhere between 441 gallons to 2500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef, while 1 pound of carrots takes only 33 gallons. It also takes more fossil fuels than say, growing grains. OK, that seems plausible. Cows & pigs & chickens also eat a lot of food and much of the food that could be used to feed people is used for livestock. I remember this from somewhere else too - on how much money the meat & corn industries get from the government. That's a whole other post!

- Grazing cattle are destroying the soil of places like the American west. Well, personally, if I am going to eat meat, I kind of want it to be grazing vs. locked up in a dirty barn or something. What I don't want, is to be responsible for the destruction of the rain forest, which is what is happening in South America. As more and more land is cleared for the raising of cattle, we're losing precious rain forest, which produces oxygen and is an important source of biodiversity, medicines, etc.

- The issue of messing with the ocean was brought up too - only I didn't really get that part. Other than the part where she says the oceans are being over-fished.

I also like the part of the book where she lists what she calls "kind" foods. I'll consider them substitutes for the things I'd like to limit. While some are fairly simple to find, the lists of Japanese ingredients was daunting to me. However, walking into Whole Foods I found a section with many of the very new to me items like sea vegetables. Hmmmm....now to get the courage to try them!

Some of the vegan recipes look really good too. Especially the ones in the dessert sections :)

Earth Hour - Coming To You Soon!

2011-03-17T13:57:00.001-04:00

As recently as 2 years ago, I was completely in the dark when it came to Earth Hour. (You like that, completely in the dark? You'll get the joke a little later if you don't already know about Earth Hour!)

It was my Canadian friends who clued me in to the concept of turning off the lights, turning off the TV, turning off everything for an hour as part of a global campaign on climate change. Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007 and by 2010 there were 128 countries participating! I believe it has evolved to be about more than climate change and has grown to encompass a GREEN/sustainability movement. Even if it's just for an hour - it's a pretty powerful thing.

Here's the official video for Earth Hour 2011 if you haven't seen it yet. I liked the one they did last year a lot too - but I thought perhaps 2 videos was a bit much!

The website, which is really quite cool, has added a platform for people to pledge what they plan to do beyond that hour (they're referring to it as 60+, or "Beyond the Hour.") I couldn't really get that part of the website to work well for me - I'm sure they mean well though :) It's about what actions people will apply to be GREENER. They have a nice link in my sidebar if you hadn't noticed!

So, guess who will be sitting in the dark (or maybe if it's nice outside sitting on the terrace watching stars) on Saturday March 26th from 8:30-9:30pm? Maybe I'll host a little neighborhood soirée with organic wine & candles! Hope you'll be enjoying the darkness too! Happy St. Paddy's Day my GREEN friends!!

Let's REALLY GREEN our Beer for St. Paddy's Day!

2011-03-10T11:09:00.001-05:00

For several years now my family has hosted a French Exchange teacher during the month of March (with the exception of this year, as a Russian Exchange teacher needed a home.) Every year the exchange teachers are ridiculously fascinated with the practice of drinking GREEN-tinted beer on St. Patrick's Day. It strikes me as hilarious seeing as how when we visit them in France we drink champagne or really exquisite wines produced by one of their family's own vineyards, but when they visit they want to have a GREEN beer? Anyone else see the humor in this?

It got me thinking about which brewers really are making GREENER beers through environmentally-friendly practices, use of organic ingredients, anaerobic digesters, or GREEN facilities. Turns out there are MANY brewers out there that I can cheer for from my wine cellar (while I enjoy a good pint here and there, I'm more of a vino girl - blame the combination of my extreme Frenchiness & studying abroad perhaps!) There was even an article in Photon Magazine (yes, dear Photon Magazine that same one who featured my blog!) about US beer makers using photovoltaic energy.

In the interest of moving along so we can actually get to the business of drinking those GREEN beers, I'll keep it short & simple, and share the skinny on HOW the beer business is going (or has gone) GREEN and examples of WHO is doing the right thing - so that we can of course, support them!

Turns out there are several ways that brewers have implemented being environmentally-friendly, and those practices vary across the globe. While I don't drink Anheuser-Busch products, owned by a Belgium-based company, they have been practicing GREEN business for a very long time - at least 25 years - longer if you read their website! They have massive, sophisticated solar arrays and their "Bio-Energy Recovery System" is reported to generate 16-18% of the company's energy at about a dozen of their US breweries. My understanding of that is that they use micro-organisms that convert/digest waste effluent into biogas which is used to run boilers, which offsets fuel costs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Awesome, right?

On the East Coast we have Brooklyn Brewery who uses 100% sustainable wind power and makes use of their organic waste for farming. It hadn't occurred to me that organic waste can be sold to farmers for cattle feed, which is a practice also shared by Coors Brewing Company, who also converts waste beer into alcohol automotive fuel and claims to have been on the GREEN scene close to 50 years thanks to their use of recyclable aluminum cans. They're also responsible for recycling their own wastewater and that of the entire city of Golden, CO. OK, that's pretty cool.

I had never heard of Colorado-based New Belgium beer until my friend in Fort Collins, CO posted pics of her hubby (aren't they a gorgeous couple? They're probably the coolest people you'll ever meet too!) wearing their apparel a while back (turns out I am the last to know about this GREEN company, and the more I know the more I like them! When ever I asked someone about eco-friendly beers, New Belgium was the first name to pop up!) I did know, however, that Colorado is pretty advanced in the GREEN-brewing scene as well as in living GREEN as a general mantra. New Belgium is known as the 1st US brewery to use wind-power, reuses the methane produced in the water-treatment process to generate electricity & heat, turns waste into cattle feed and does crazy awesome things like ask people to give up their cars for a year in exchange for a cool bicycle.

Other Colorado GREENIES include Odell Brewing Co., who draws from the grid during times to avoid peak energy demand. They have developed a system that tells them when there is too high demand for electricity and their computers shut down certain features in the brewery in response to that.

Some brewers are using various fuel cell technologies, such as Sierra Nevada & Fosters (yay, those sometimes find themselves in my fridge!) Others like Japanese Sapporo are using biomass fuels. In Germany, a company called Felsenbrau Thalmannsfeld is producing a beer (Solarbier) with 100% renewable energy!

I see how this post is getting to be a bit on the long side, so in the interest of brevity, here is a starter list of other brewers giving the industry a GREEN reputation:

Kona Brewing Company
Blind Bat Brewery
Laurelwood Public House & Brewery
Real Ale Brewing Co.
Elliott Bay Brewing Co.
Eel River Brewing Co.
Peak Organic
Bison Brewing
Pinkus Organic
Deschutes Brewery
Fish Tale Organic Ales
Butte Creek Organic Brewing Co.
Lakefront Brewing
Lammsbraeu
Magic Hat
Fort George Brewery & Public House
Wolaver's
Salt Lake Brewing Company
Hopworks Urban Brewery
Anderson Valley Brewing Co.
Stone Brewing Co.

Of course there are many, many more, and I will be seeking them out for sure! I'm also open to recommendations (hint, hint!)

Cheers, Everyone!

Whole Foods has Local Foods!

2011-03-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

It's no secret...I've previously declared my undying love for Trader Joe's. I drive 30 minutes each way to shop there (but I do combine trips and go every 10 days or so when I have other business in the area.) I love just about everything about them. There is only one area (OK, maybe 2 if you count the amazing cheese counter) in which I wish they were more like Whole Foods. That is that Whole Foods carries local products. I'm talking Connecticut & New England cheeses, meats, produce, seafood, etc.

The first time I noticed local products there was when I spied the fantastic Ashlawn Farms coffee from Lyme, CT. The yelp you might have heard in the coffee aisle - that was me! I had only ever had their coffee straight from the farm where they roast their own beans which I've enjoyed on every trip to the gorgeous farmer's market they host on weekends in season. (I've been known to go back for a 2nd cup of coffee - it's that good!) The 2nd time was when I found the Re-Snack It reusable snack bags for my little one. Those too are from a Connecticut company.

It turns out that Whole Foods has something they've dubbed the "Foraging Program" where they have "foragers" in their New England stores who seek out local products to carry. They even put out a newsletter to tell buyers what local products they're featuring or have recently added. The latest issue had CT-made Carol Monnerat Artisan Truffles on the cover....mmmm....and inside was black currant juice from Preston, CT and pesto from Bear Pond Pestos of Glastonbury!

Other Connecticut producers they're carrying (according to the website):
Aleia's Gluten Free Bakery (Old Saybrook)
Griffin Farmstead (East Granby)
Ironwood Farms (Canton)
Liuzzi Cheeses (North Haven)
Old Maid's Farm (South Glastonbury)
Rose's Berry Farm (South Glastonbury)
Sheldon Farm (Eastford)
The Farmer's Cow (Lebanon)
Thomas Hooker Brewery (Bloomfield)
Tokeneke Fine Foods (Black Rock)
Wave Hill Breads (Wilton)

I have a feeling there are more to be found in-store, and they have a long list of New England products that we can feel good about buying. So as happy as I am that I can get a good French cheese, I'm just as thrilled that I can buy The Farmer's Cow Lemonade (you HAVE to try it this summer!) there as well.

As much as I am feeling the love for Whole Foods right now, I can't afford to buy all of my groceries there. The prices are just too high, but if I shop the values (and there are plenty to be found) make my $ go further by buying the most necessary organics and maybe even use their coupons, I can happily support a company who supports local farmers. That's GREEN!

A GREENER 2011

2011-02-22T14:00:00.000-05:00

Even though it's almost the end of February, I find I'm still planning my year...still setting goals and directions for 2011...very much like the way I'm making Spring marketing plans for my real estate listings. With most of the year laid out before me I find myself wondering not only how I can make my life GREENER but also what will the GREEN trends be this year? Seems like there is plenty of momentum and interest, but where is that going to lead?

I took a look at an article on www.proudgreenhome.com about top trends for GREEN building in 2011 hoping for some ideas & inspirations. By the way, I think it's a pretty interesting website and worth a look if you have time. A few things stood out to me as I read the article and one of those was that the "GREENING" of existing buildings is a growing trend. THAT is something I can really get behind. I love it. Also that GREEN LEED certified schools accounted for 40% of LEED projects in the US in 2010 is pretty exciting. I'm not surprised to read that solar power will continue to grow....as I'm writing this more chunks of the sheet of snow on my solar panels are slipping off in the warm sunlight! (Yay! Nice change from yesterday when we were generating a measly 0.16 kW with all that cloud cover.) I believe my town council is discussing tonight a matter of a solar farm in town. I think our towns need to move toward solar power as a way to cut costs just as we have here at home. Think of how much we could save if our schools alone had solar energy. Another one of my favorite trends was "Blue will become the New Green" which goes into water conservation. This one hits home every year when our neighbor's well runs dry. What will we do if we run out of water? Are we going to run out of water? Will there be a global water crisis like they say? Ack, the things that keep me up at night!

In looking at 2011, I hope that clean energy grants will continue to be available to people like us, that tax credits for GREEN improvements will continue (have you made your GREEN tax deductions yet?) and that GREEN building materials will be affordable.

As far as my own GREEN plans, we're hoping to build a new garage this summer...replacing the 100 year old one that is falling down and infested with all kinds of wildlife. Of course we'll consider what GREEN or sustainable building materials we can use, and do our best to plan it to be as efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible. Obviously we have a lot of research to do. I'd also like to finally put in a rain barrel for watering the flowers and my garden. It's not a hard thing to do and it sounds like a good project for Spring. I also dream of upping our self-sustainability quotient. Then again, who doesn't? :)

2011-02-03T20:52:00.000-05:00

Hello February!

This is the view into my garden as of this morning...buried somewhere under those 3+ feet of snow...trees covered in a beautiful icy glaze. It's lovely and cold, but it makes me want to get started on my garden planning!

I've been gardening this plot since 1999 and over the years I've tried so many experiments with plants that I should be the star of "Gardeners Gone Wild" if there were such a show. This year I'm looking at my garden plans with the question, "What were the top favorites from past gardens?" It's more of a sensible-what-will-my-children-enjoy-the-most approach. That and 3 of my favorites: shallots & garlic & arugula. With that in mind we're looking at:

2 varieties of peas, carrots, French haricots-verts and purple beans, cukes, grape tomatoes, blue & red potatoes, zucchini, spinach, and various herbs and possibly pumpkins for later. Last year I had radish & turnip share a row, which was fine. I do love a good turnip! Last year's top producer was my everbearing strawberry patch - we've never had so many beautiful berries and I must have dug up and given away over a dozen plants! Also in my perennial section of the garden are my blueberry bushes and my asparagus - I hope the asparagus makes it through the winter despite my not completely filling in the gully.

Despite the fact that it is still much to early to begin any seeds, I will do so this weekend anyway, as an activity with the munchkins. I let them choose a variety of flower seeds to start every February. Nasturtiums are a favorite because we'll have blooms in about 2 weeks, but they try all kinds of seeds and see what comes up. Last year's zinnias survived long enough to be transplanted into the garden and were still blooming for us at the end of the season when we returned from Europe! Our seed starting supplies consist of empty yogurt cups and such, clear ones are our favorites so the kids can watch the roots grow. It's not fancy but it is fun!

It's also time to place my catalog orders! Last year Pinetree Garden Seeds from Maine served me well with shallots & onion sets and my first asparagus roots. (1lb of shallots runs $6.) Steve, the like-minded gardener who writes Compostings had recommended them. This year he suggested I try The Maine Potato Lady for my organic onions, shallots and potatoes. Thanks for the advice, Steve!

Yesterday I happened to receive via priority mail, the most beautiful greenhouse catalog ever created. Think New York Botanical Gardens or the Glasgow Botanic Gardens style greenhouses. These are 'victorian conservatory-I'd-like-to-hide-out-in-here-all-day' greenhouses by Hartley Greenhouses - the 'finest greenhouses money can buy.' I have visions of growing fig & lemon trees, starting my tomatoes and lettuces and just about everything else in one of these....

Aren't they divine? Hubby said I could add a greenhouse behind the new garage when it goes up, just next to where I want to put in the small orchard! I don't think he had seen the price sheet, but I appreciate that he's willing to consider it, and I love that he ordered the catalog for me!

Our schools have just announced they will be closed tomorrow to assess the roofs due to the excessive amounts of snow on them...looks like we'll be starting our seeds earlier than I expected!

Photovoltaic Avalanche!

2011-01-27T17:11:00.000-05:00

For my local readers, you know exactly how much snow we've been getting this month - record breaking historic snowfalls in fact! For my long-distance readers, we've had snowfalls leaving us with 29 inches of snow, 18 inches of snow, and lots of smaller amounts sprinkled in. It's one of those winters we'll always remember as the one where we had snowstorms every week, and where the kids only had a few full days of school the entire month. My composter is buried somewhere under all that white stuff. There's no where left to put the snow, the piles are so high. While I know it is difficult for most of us, and lots of people are grumpy over this, I'm smiling a little inside for all the folks in the snow removal business. I hope they make piles of money, and I hope one of them will use that money to buy Knowles Landing! (hint hint) See, I'm such an optimist :)

With a new solar array on our roof, we were a little nervous riding out that first big storm which dumped almost 2 1/2 feet of snow on our solar panels. I had visions of the southern roof collapsing on my children's bedrooms. It felt like a long night. Neighbors even asked how our roof was holding up which only made me more nervous. No worries though...once the clouds broke and the sun came out, the snow over the biggest portion of the array slid right off the roof and we were producing solar energy again. Yes!

Apparently we weren't the only ones worried, because Sunlight Solar sent out a special winter edition newsletter discussing this exact topic! They eased our concerns by reminding us that our array was designed specifically for our roof using their calculations based on our rafter and roof span measurements and potential additional weight of snow. Concern #2 was about whether or not we're producing energy with the snow covering. Their reassurance is that with net metering, which we do, we're looking at the overall energy produced annually, and with the days already getting longer, we shouldn't worry about a few days of snow cover. They also don't recommend trying to remove the snow manually, as any damage to the photovoltaic panels will void the warranty. Plus it could be dangerous. Several feet of snow falling at you rather quickly and all.

After last night's huge storm our roof was covered in snow. Out came the sun though, and around 10am, with a sound like a distant rumble of thunder, a HUGE avalanche of snow fell from my roof, going right past the window where I was sitting at the computer. Startled, I yelped and heard my little one screaming with delight at the "waterfall of snow" she was witnessing from the window below me! Sunlight Solar had explained that once a section of the array is uncovered, it doesn't take long for the rest to come off. This is my roof around lunchtime today!

So, a new note to add to the "advice for people considering photovoltaics" is to remember that when all that snow falls off, whatever lies below WILL be buried and possibly broken (my poor scotch pine shrub broke into pieces after the 1st snowfall's avalanche.) I would also remind the kids not to walk within a 6 ft radius of the edge of the foundation for fear of any snow falling on them.

The sun is setting for the day, but rest assured that even with only half of my roof uncovered we were still producing at 7.41kW the other day :)

52% Growth Rate in Environment-Related Careers

2011-01-19T13:07:00.000-05:00

While out for some family fun the other day, hubby & I struck up a conversation about vacation week camps for the kids. It seems obvious that we'd send the children to French camp (like we did with Julien when he was 5) or fencing camp (on the short list for this summer) but we love the idea of science-themed camps as well. Apparently there are other science choices these days besides space camp (which I'm pretty sure we can't afford) or robotics. Hubby said he thinks GREEN jobs are the "wave of the future" - that sounds so dated! It got me thinking though.

This article I found on toyotagreen.com was pretty interesting. It's called Green My Major and lists the "hottest environmentally-friendly majors" as:

Bioethics
Entrepreneurship
Environmental Design/Architecture
Eco-Fashion Design
Green Food Science
Horticulture
Marine Biology
Urban Planning

Those all sound pretty interesting, don't you think?

The statistic that jumped out at me immediately was one produced by USA Today and cited in the article - environmental-related careers will grow at a rate of 52% between the years of 2000-2016. To meet this demand, American colleges & universities have created 100 or so new environment-related majors, minors & concentrations. The average growth rate in other fields was 14%. Hmmm....while my little ones won't be in the adult work force by 2016...this still seems significant. As both of my kids have announced they'd like to be scientists (although from time to time they stray to police detectives, spies, plumbers, and a cocktail waitress) considering environmental, energy-related or GREEN work should not be overlooked.

(My little scientists enjoying the DaVinci exhibit in Rome this past summer.)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

Ahhh.....Holiday Hiatus Over! As much as I love the holidays, I have to admit it's kind of nice to get back to a regular routine. Not that this week has been anything close to normal yet - beginning of the year in real estate (and probably with many of your jobs) is super busy. Add to that the amazing little rental listing I put on the market that has my phone and email going crazy with renters, and it's been non-stop. Seriously, I had 15 calls the first 2 days, and I've had a steady stream of them since. I think we need more quality rentals in my area! Somebody jump on that, ok? I've got a list of renters all looking if anyone is thinking of putting a rental on the market! Or if you're thinking of buying an investment property to rent out...call me and we'll get cracking!

Did anyone else in town catch that we're getting a furniture consignment shop in the village center? That's very GREEN! I love it! I don't know who is opening it, but I wish them the best, and I promise to come in and browse and will very likely bring in some items to consign. You already know that I'm a fan of repurposing furniture as opposed to destroying it. (I'm always in awe of my friends who show me a gorgeous piece of furniture they picked up for $15 and refinished or fixed up with new paint & upholstery!) By the way, although I've yet to make the trip to Cromwell to visit the new Habitat for Humanity ReStore, I hear from a friend who volunteers there that the store is hopping! I'm so happy to hear that. They may still be looking for volunteers to help in the store, so feel free to contact them if you're looking for local volunteer opportunities. Here are some photos from their website for new arrivals - looks like a nice selection!

Has anyone else been down to Stamford's United House Wrecking? I can't begin to tell you how wonderful this place is - you have to go for yourselves! Just browse the fireplace mantels and tell me which one would look best in my family room...

I recently visited the furniture consignment store in West Hartford (near Main St. Pizza and that excellent Indian restaurant.) In my humble opinion, it was overpriced but they did have some whimsical pieces that made me smile. I'm a fan of stores like that, and I miss the wonderful antiques stores we used to have here in the village center. It was just a year ago that I wrote about supporting local businesses, using the 3/50 Project. I like the Small Business Saturday idea too. I appreciate the local movement and I support my local businesses as much as I can. I hope you can too :)

Have a Happy & GREEN New Year!

30 Days of Solar Energy

2010-12-09T10:51:00.001-05:00

We celebrated our 1st 30 Days of Solar Energy this week! So, you ask, how did the 1st month go?

We had our CT Clean Energy Fund inspection (after all, if they are providing grant monies, the job has to be done to their satisfaction) which went well. A few nit-picky things (sorry, but needing stickers? I'm sure it's important, but the poor electrician from Sunlight Solar had to go up on my roof this morning with temps in the teens!) which were corrected very quickly.

Here's the inspector checking out the roof. Anyone else tired of seeing pictures of my roof yet?

We were pretty excited to learn that in 30 days (MANY of them cloudy - but hey, that's November for you) we had generated over 600 kWh. We also surpassed the 1000 mark for pounds of CO2 saved! I've been using the Mohlers in West Hartford as my benchmark, and I think we'll surpass their 12,000 lbs saved in a year. We might also have better orientation and sun exposure than they do.

The CT Solar Lease program required us to do a quarterly meter reading for December. While we have a modem-type device attached to the system that will update automatically to a website we can check, I'm not sure our own website was fully up and running so we did the reading and submittal the old-fashioned way.

What did our electric bill look like? It looked really low! $44 vs. the $167 for the same month last year, and we cut our grid use by 75%. (Not bad for a 5 BR household with an in-law apartment with lots of lights & the TV going a good part of the day.) Honestly though, I kind of expected we'd have NO bill. I suppose that was silly though, because we need lights at night, when we're not generating solar energy, and we don't store the energy - it goes out to the street if we're not using it. I was also in the habit of running the dishwasher at night after dinner when we went to bed, and running the dryer at night (because it's easier to fold clothes without 2 kids jumping on the clothes pile I'm trying to fold.) Hubby pointed out that I need to change my energy-usage habits and do those things during the daytime when we're generating. That's grossly obvious but I hadn't thought of it yet. Yesterday I even cooked dinner during the daytime (a roast in the crockpot.)

I think we're generating a lot more energy than we're using too. The day the CCEF inspector was here, he said we had generated 421 kWh and sold back 301 of them to CL&P. I can't wait to see the credits add up.

Isn't this a riot? My neighbor who has to look at my solar array from his yard dubbed it "The Minnick-Hendrix Roof Guitar!" Very clever, Fielding, very clever!

In other news, we're trying to get involved with a new energy-reduction pilot program but we've been having trouble connecting with the local contact. I'm not even sure what it's all about, but if GREEN guru Andy Bauer is involved, it must be good!

MAMA GONE GREEN is my Guest!

2010-12-02T12:14:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy to share a guest post/quick tip with you today from one of my favorite daily reads, MamaGoneGreen. Special thanks to Taryn! Please stop by her blog - I know you'll enjoy reading her as much as I do :)

Quick Tips: Handwashing

Tis the season for germ spreading and hand washing, right? Here are a couple of quick tips from Mindy Pennybackers Do One Green Thing that will help you make some more informed choices when choosing what to wash your hands with.

When possible, avoid regular handwashing with antibacterial soaps containing triclosan because this chemical spreads antibiotic-resistant bacteria (which means that when we actually ARE sick and really do need those antibiotics, they may no longer work!). Also, washing with antibiotic soap is no more effective than soap and water at killing germs anyways, so it is really unnecessary. Lastly, the production of triclosan (to put in the soap) releases dioxins into the environment, which can cause cancer. Yuck.

One last quick tip: when choosing between bar and liquid soap, choose the bar version. Bar soap has less ingredients AND less packaging than liquid soap, making it better for the environment, and probably better for your health as well.

Wash well!

My GREEN Ireland

2010-11-18T16:42:00.000-05:00

Guess who went to Dublin for a long weekend? Oui, c'est moi! (We're just crazy like that!) As usual, I tried to be a GREEN traveler & observer along the way :)

The first GREEN aspect of the trip was that all 6 of us squeezed into one car, luggage and all, to carpool to the airport. We nicknamed it the GREEN MACHINE.

There were some pretty cool and different (for me) environmentally-friendly things in Dublin that caught my eye. Like these cool solar compactor trash cans. This one sits outside the entrance to the Book of Kells Exhibit at Trinity College.

Another day while walking near the campus we came upon this display in a window which we all thought was fabulous.

It's a flower grenade! Ha ha! It was part of this really cool cafe/shop/science exhibit which was closed while we were walking by and unfortunately we didn't manage to make it back for the time when it would be open.

We also saw lots of opportunities to buy and eat locally grown vegetables and meats, even stumbling upon a local outdoor market that spread out over 3 streets with 3 different themes: local handcrafts, local foods (including locally made baked goods, cheeses, meats) and locally grown produce. We tried some of the local goodies and 2 friends picked up some knit goods.

The best part of our trip though was the day we spent in the country, which is just as GREEN as you would imagine, even in November.

ReStore Comes to Middlesex!

2010-11-11T12:11:00.000-05:00

I really wanted to smush two topics into one short post today: GREEN beers and the ReStore...it's just that they're both timely and so very important (that's me being cheeky.)

Alas, I recognized that GREEN beer deserves it's very own post, and next week is just as timely as today would be. I'll tell you why next week in a special post :) Exciting things happening around here! (Well, exciting for me.)

Have you heard of Habitat for Humanity ReStores? We're getting one in Cromwell - to be opening soon, as in this month. You can donate materials from your building/remodeling projects...for instance a friend is remodeling a perfectly good bathroom just because she doesn't love the color...she could donate her cabinets or fixtures. How it works is you call or send an email to jdoyle@habitatmiddlesex.org or call 860.343.9179 and they set a date to pick up your items if they can use them. Those items are sold in the store, and reused (very GREEN!) and proceeds are used to build more affordable homes in Middlesex County! For more information, go to http://www.habitatmiddlesex.org. I've always wanted to visit those stores and I'm excited that we'll have one nearby.

What would a post be without a quick update on my solar life? The same day I posted last week, CL&P showed up with the new meter, installed it in a flash, then the activation order came in a few hours later. We fired up the system to great fanfare (and someone celebrated with a vodka tonic) and it has been live for almost a week now.

In only 52 hrs of the system running (it turns off at night so not to draw electricity it needs to run) we have generated 117 kWh (kilowatt hours) and have saved 198 lbs of CO2. With the sun we have today I expect we'll hit the 200 lbs mark by lunchtime! Not surprisingly, hubby and I can both be found running to the scary basement to read the inverter & meter at least once a day! I just ran outside to look at the new two-way meter and I see that we're currently sending solar energy out to the street! How cool is that? Wondering how long until that novelty wears off :)

While I Wait for the GREEN Light...

2010-11-05T13:16:00.000-04:00

Waiting for the GREEN light...could that have 3 meanings? The first might be waiting for the go-ahead to power up the solar electric system from my local utility company (CL&P) once they've installed their new electric meter outside my house. The 2nd would be the actual GREEN light on the inverter that indicates we're generating power. The 3rd is a little more obscure, kind of like waiting for the light to dawn on me, only in the environmental sense? My GREEN awakening? Yeah, I guess that's already happened.

Our solar installation was finished on Monday, with a final walkthrough and all. On Monday, which was bright & sunny, we were generating close to 8.2kw during the test reading! (BTW, I've said it before and I'll say it again - the entire crew over at Sunlight Solar, especially Kevin & Will who spent a good part of 2 weeks here, have been very professional and excellent to work with on this project. I would recommend them without hesitation.) Below is the finished project. It is a little broken up on the west of the roof (there are at least 2 vents in the way) but that leaves enough room to add on that solar thermal system later :)

Tuesday morning was the inspection with the town and electrician from Sunlight Solar, Paul, who also installed a line into our router box for the Locus box. The Locus box will read how much power we produce and transmit it to a website that both we and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund will monitor. The inverter itself has a digital display that will read how many lbs of CO2 we've saved and how much energy we're producing, etc. You just know I'm going to be sitting down there staring at it the first week to see where the numbers go! (Kind of like how we watched our first load of laundry in the new front-loader 10 years ago!) The new meter in the basement will show a continuous run of how much energy we've generated. Speaking with the town inspector, he told me that over the summer he'd seen 6-8 solar applications here in town. I'm going to have to drive around and check on those! I was on Sunlight Solar's website reading how these clients in West Hartford just celebrated their 1 year solar-versary and put up a sign in their front yard announcing they've saved 12,000 lbs of CO2!

Now we wait for CL&P. We were told it may take up to 2 weeks to go live. In the meantime, I've been reading my Photon Magazine! I also borrowed The Lazy Environmentalist from the library, but Photon Magazine turns out to be better reading.

Solar Project Moves Along...

2010-10-28T14:01:00.000-04:00

Day 6 is pretty exciting chez nous!!! We have Kevin and Will, plus 2 other great guys from Sunlight Solar here and the panels are going up. Today they expect to put up 28 of the 40 panels we'll have.

While they unloaded the panels from the trucks they told me that Evergreen Solar, the manufacturer of the panels we're using, is a company out of Massachusetts and their panels are U.S. Made. Also, they told me, the company has a low carbon footprint.

Here's the label of one of the first panels they unloaded.

The guys from Sunlight Solar have been very professional, respectful, and lovely to work with. This morning they played classical music while prepping the panels as Charlotte had a picnic on the grass observing them. They got the first 6 panels up before breaking for lunch!

The rainy weather slowed things down a bit, but it's coming along. This is the view from my fabulous neighbor's yard. You can see the panels won't cover the entire roof - we have enough room to add panels later for solar thermal! (Woo!)

I would have waited until later in the day to share photos of how it will look in a few hours, but I'm heading to the hospital to spend time with my dad this afternoon. Hoping he's getting strong enough for surgery soon. Please send good thoughts our way.

O Canada I'm With You on This One

2010-10-21T14:32:00.002-04:00

Cheers go out to the Canadian Government for making it the first country to officially declare BPA (bisephenol-A) toxic to human health and the environment. I've been on a mission to limit my family's exposure to it since I first learned of the possible dangers (specifically the disruption to endocrine system, diabetes, heightened risk of breast & prostate cancer, heart disease & reproduction abnormalities) of BPA. That meant getting rid of the many sippy cups we had, a few baby bottles, and reusable containers that might not be BPA-free. Now if I have to buy something made of plastic, I look for the BPA-free label or go with glass or stainless steel. (When we ditched the sippy cups for Sigg bottles, my kids never missed them!)

(This is my arsenal of BPA-free stuff, minus the rest of the Laptop Lunches bento box and water bottles which the little guy has with him at school right now! Cute stuff, right? Besides the Siggs, we have Resnackit, Lunchskins, and Laptop Lunches.)

Another source of BPA is in food packaging. Not only are some infant formulas in containers lined with BPA-containing materials, but everyday food that might be in your pantry has it as well. ConsumerReports.org has a short video and names some of the offenders they tested (Campbells, Libby's, Hormel, etc... pretty common pantry items like soups, juices, veggies.) Even some of the organic canned goods they tested came up positive for BPA. This presents another good case for eating fresh, don't you think? At the very least it means even more research before heading to the grocery store.

In other updates....

Look who is up on my roof!

Sunlight Solar arrived on Tuesday morning and Kevin & Will have been hard at work. Day 1 they spent working in my basement installing the meter, the inverter, and working in the electrical box. Kevin said he was glad to see there was extra room in there for them. Good to know. They also praised my electrician (my very own electrician-brother Steve!) for doing such a neat job with our electrical. Thank you Steve for being very professional even when wiring for your sister!

(That's Will, the Kurt Cobain-esque gentleman working on our inverter!)

Day 2 they moved on to the roof because the October weather is cooperating and they've been installing what look like cleats which will hold the rails where the panels will sit. We have a VERY steep roof, so I'm thankful they brought along harnesses.

Today looks like they're doing some work in the attic running conduit, and are putting up the disconnect outside as required by the power company. They were planning on being back on the roof if the weather held - but the rain came early. By this time next week I should be posting pics of the finished system! I have a ton of questions for them, but with all this real estate work staring at me on my desk, I don't have the time to bother them. I'll bet they're grateful for that! I will get more info from them before the week is done though :)

By the way, we've had an interesting (in the annoying sense) issue with our tax assessment changing because of the solar panels. Our tax assessor said she would tax us the cost of a new furnace, but our solar company told us they shouldn't up our taxes, and that they hadn't done so to the other applicants, so hubby went to talk to the assessor. Thanks to the state/federal incentive program the assessment cannot go up, so we won't have to pay extra taxes. Keep that in mind if you're going through the process as we are and don't let the tax assessor tell you otherwise!

The GREEN CT Realtor in Photon Magazine

2010-10-14T23:05:00.000-04:00

When a package arrived at my office on Friday from the Netherlands, I just assumed that one of my readers had sent me a magazine that I would enjoy. (I'm always amazed at how many different places I have readers following from - it's very humbling to see that in just a few days I might have visitors from China, Moscow, Singapore, Berlin, Canada, Australia, Norway, London, etc.)

It wasn't until later that evening when my husband was reading it that we figured it out...Photon Magazine wrote about my blog! I've been featured on other websites (NE Conserves) and blogs before, but this was my first time in print media as The GREEN CT Realtor. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about it.

I'm also excited about the magazine, which is published in San Francisco. I'm looking forward to sitting down with a glass of one of my organic wines (yes, I'm still trying a new organic wine each week!) and reading it cover to cover. I'll let you know what I think!

So what do you think of the blog tweaking? I've been changing some of the page elements to mix things up a bit.

In real estate news, I have a handful of great properties on the market! It's been a while since I shared what I've been working on, so here goes. I've already told you about Knowles Landing on the Connecticut River in Middle Haddam, which is such an inspiring & peaceful place. (Check out the view from across the great lawn to the riverfront dock & seating area.) The 2nd video shoot we did came out much better than the first - I'm looking forward to sharing that with everyone.

I also have a sweet fixer-upper of a cottage on Lake Pocotopaug here in town as well. 4 bedrooms and a great view onto the lake right on the sidewalked portion of the lake - it's a great location!

There's also an approved 9.82 acre building lot on Pine St. in Columbia which is level & private and just perfect for building that environmentally-friendly house I've been talking about...

I just put a gorgeous 1875 10 room home on the market in Middletown. It has a brand new kitchen, so many possibilities with so many rooms, and a 2nd kitchen upstairs. It's on a half-acre lot and is a really sweet place with a side porch AND a garage.

Today I put an old favorite of mine on the market, 108 Main St. here in East Hampton. I just love antique homes, and this one is great because it has the open floor plan that modern families are looking for plus it has character and is located in the village center. Bonus that it has a 3 yr old roof and 5 heat zones and 2 driveways!

Also had a 3-family investment property on Lyons St. in New Britain (What's that? You lived on Lyons St. at one point? You won't believe the number of people I've met who HAVE lived there! Nice little neighborhood.) It sold SO quickly and is scheduled to close on Monday. Great tenants - it was fun getting to know them while were were showing the house this August.

If you want anymore information on these listings or feel like browsing others, please visit my website. So (here's the real estate plug I never actually use despite this dynamite platform,) if you know anyone who might be looking to buy or sell real estate, I'd be happy to help. I'm not just saying this - it really is a good time to buy. If you've been following along for a while you probably have a good feel for the type of person I am, so please feel free to send your friends my way. Gosh, that's pretty awkward. I do all of my business by referral at this point (Happy 10th Anniversary to my real estate career!) so thank you to everyone for their business and for referring me to your friends and family. (Even to Jane who sent me that weird guy last week - I think I found him the perfect house!)

Your New Green Blog Friend

2010-10-07T10:55:00.000-04:00

Confession time. Between taking care of sick kids for the past WEEK, trying to work full-time hours from home due to a very busy real estate schedule, collecting signatures for a town political coup, keeping my commitment to trying new organic wines (someone has to do it!) and patiently waiting on my solar panels, I've also found time to blogstalk a new favorite GREEN blog! (That sounds like a pretty exciting week though, doesn't it? Plus tomorrow I have the new video shoot - yes, shoot #2 - for my listing at Knowles Landing! There exists the remote possibility that a celebrity guest might be there - yes, my 2nd celebrity associated with this listing and I'm SO excited about it!)

Let me introduce Mama Gone Green, who might just be my West Coast GREEN counterpart/BFF/soulmate. OK, that might be going overboard, but we have a lot in common as far as our choices in living an environmentally-friendly life and parenting. She's an environmental studies instructor at a community college in Portland, Oregon and a mom. Hats off to anyone who can find the time to blog daily. Hers is filled with wonderful stories, recipes, helpful information, and ideas. I found inspiration there. I've also found inspiration in Nester's 31 Days series I've been following. She's writing the 31 days to a less messy nest.

Mama Gone Green has agreed to possibly doing a guest post for us one day! I'm thinking next month when I'm in Ireland might be the perfect time for you to meet her. Then again, why wait until November...I think you should click on over to her page and enjoy her blog right now!

(If you're wondering what happened to my solar install on Monday, hubby asked them to delay a week while he finished the prep work. With the help of my brother the attic is ready, then some work in the basement and we're good to go for this coming Monday!)

Solar Panels on Monday

2010-09-30T13:32:00.000-04:00

Just as my beautiful sunflowers were beginning to fade...
I opened the email that the solar installation begins Monday morning! The project we began back in January is finally coming to fruition and I'm SO excited. It's a good thing the support beams for the attic were delivered yesterday.

This is the delivery from our local lumber yard. (Funny story about the lumber yard - their phone number is written on the outside of our house - we're talking eye-level as you walk up to the front door. We think hubby's grandfather wrote it there 267-2565 and it won't come off. It's been there for at least 15 years already! Because of that, we decided not erase the smiley face Julien drew below it a few years ago when he entered his Picasso phase.) Seeing as how we now have only the weekend before work starts, I can see hubby will be spending the weekend in the attic sistering up those beams for added support.

By the way, local friends, did you notice that our local library had solar panels installed recently? I'll have to ask how that's working out for them!

Has anyone else seen the ads for the new eco-friendly Nissan Leaf? Not a hybrid, but fully electric Interesting. Scott's plan is to drive the Corolla until it's no longer possible, then switch to a Prius. For that we'll surely go see my friend Alex at Hoffman Toyota! I suppose we'll have to consider other options as well, and this Nissan means we may have to go for a test drive. Chevrolet also has an option called the Volt, but I can't say I've ever been a fan of Chevy. I'll definitely be doing some research on all of these before we decide, and knowing Corollas, we have a while to figure that out!

Just read a GREEN blog today I'd never seen before. It's Australian, so don't be confused when today's article is about spring urban gardening - that whole other side of the equator thing and all. The blog is ecoMILF (Mother Into Fair Living) and I enjoyed it. (That's her banner above.) She was featured on Best Green Blogs and has some really nice articles, vegetarian recipes, and projects. I think we'd have fun sharing a cup of tea and some of that fair trade chocolate she's talking about!

GREEN Events...Coming Up!

2010-09-23T11:15:00.000-04:00

Hola Greenie Friends! Happy 1st day of Autumn!

Anyone else get the invite to "Out of this World 2010 the green gala" at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford? The details: Saturday, Oct. 16th from 7-11pm ages 21 and over. It's an eco-chic evening with food, celebrating the mission of the science center and the first CT gala powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, plus THE GREENIES, awards for various Green fashion statements. Love it. There are also various auctions for some very chic prizes like trips - you know how I love to travel! Sounds like fun, eh? Tickets are $150 pp. Click here for more info.

Another eco-event coming up even sooner is the National Solar Tour. In Connecticut, the event is Saturday Oct. 2nd from 10-4. This is the open house of homes running on solar power - there are 21 sites throughout the state open that day with representatives or site owners there to discuss the types of installations, systems, and technologies used. It's a free event! Here are some of my favorites:

This is the net zero energy home in Killingworth, part of the tour. I think I'll have to make a trek out there! The tour is the same day Scott will be putting up the sister joists to support our roof for the upcoming installation of our solar panels...I wonder if I can tear him away to visit a few homes?

Another house on the tour - this one in New Hartford, where I was last weekend.

For the full list of tour sites, visit the Connecticut Solar Tour '10 page. There is also a link on that page for National Solar Tour of the Northeastern United States.

I found out about the solar energy tour from Sunlight Solar Energy's Fall Newsletter. It's a great source of information, and there's even a trivia contest that I may spend some time trying to figure out - the prize is a $150 gift card to Patagonia. As I posted on Facebook earlier this week, it's where I learned that the CT Solar Lease Program has just announced that it has funds left for 100 more leases. So if you didn't get your application in back in February, here's your chance! There is also information there about rebate programs for solar thermal (aka ST) and photovoltaic (aka PV) projects. Um hum...we're learning the lingo folks!

Hope you have time to get out and enjoy this gorgeous first day of Autumn! We're taking a walk later and heading to the park, but first I have to go dump this bowl of kitchen scraps and coffee grounds in my composter!

Modular & Pre-Fab Housing has a GREEN Lining

2010-09-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

The truth is that I'm conflicted when it comes to new construction. When it comes down to selling existing homes vs. new, I've always picked existing because it's been the GREENER choice. If we have plenty of housing inventory, then why muck up more of the ridgeline overlooking the lake (just an example from my town) with clearcutting for mcmansions, which not many can afford in this economy? Why ruin the view for the rest of the community? At the same time, I firmly believe people have a right to do what they'd like on their own property, as long as it doesn't conflict with local planning & building codes. I don't deny anyone that right. I've handled this personal dilemma with choosing not to sell subdivisions or seeking out new construction business. Plenty of other realtors are out there who would be thrilled for the business.

In my local real estate market, there isn't very much modular or pre-fab construction. I've heard people say that "old yankees prefer stick-built!" Early in my career I met a few builders who were doing it, but there weren't many takers. I read online from the National Association of Home Builders that only 2-3% of homes built today are modular. They say modular building has come so far in the past 30 years or so, and the options these days, are simply fantastic. Especially when you factor in how GREEN you can go with this!

The basics of what makes modular construction environmentally-friendly include: these are usually smaller in size, very little construction waste (which is usually recycled) tight seals and good insulation, use of eco-friendly materials, and a higher quality of construction (I'm not sure how to validate that last point - it's a claim I keep seeing, so please don't hold me to it.) In this or any type of construction, I think it's also about the choices you make in the finishes and those that will affect air quality (choosing materials with no/low VOCs or formaldehyde, recycled or repurposed materials) heating & cooling systems (energy-efficient, solar, passive heating,) space planning, and even things such as land planning and orientation. (My dad taught me young about the importance of orientation. We used to go for walks every evening after dinner and he'd talk about the houses in the neighborhood. When your dad's a carpenter from a big family of carpenters and contractors, this is what you learn!)

Recently I saw the Country Living Home Green Home pictured above and it stopped me in my tracks. This doesn't look like so many of the modular ranches or colonials I've seen, but more like those sweet HGTV GREEN houses. It's the Hudson model, based on a cottage design: small , full of character and a very nice shade of GREEN :) It's done by New World Home, a company creating sustainable housing with historically inspired designs. Their webpage has a great quote, " We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children." - Ancient Native American Proverb. With such a strong statement/philosophy, it's no surprise the homes built by this company have all achieved the LEED for Homes Platinum certification - wow! I am all about their darling dutch colonial too, called the Dickinson, after Emily Dickinson, which for some reason I can't seem to copy a link for you to see! (Sorry, some days Blogger works better than others!) Visit the New World Homes webpage where you can see this one plus all of the other beautiful homes as well.

Looking at modular construction brought me to another website for a company that makes pre-fab outbuildings like sheds, gazebos, cabanas, etc. I found Summerwood Products and their great array of buildings and plans. Their Melbourne garden shed is fantastic and my favorite home studio building is the larger sized Sonoma! Not that I need either...but if you happen to buy/build one let me know! It's nice that you can buy these pre-assembled or pre-cut and build them yourself - less waste when it's done at the factory.

2 other pieces of information to share with you today! Have you heard of or read Jetsongreen.com? It's a blog a million times more advanced than mine written by a team of very hip people. It even lists GREEN jobs available!

From the Yale Daily News, which I just started reading since I may be advertising in it shortly: Yale dining plans now include a reusable stainless steel mug for all participants in an effort to be more sustainable and use less paper cups. The dining halls now charge $0.25 for each paper cup, so bring in your mugs. Love the logo on the mug: Yale Where Blue is Green. Reported today, just a few days after the distribution of the mugs, students have complained that the mugs are not spill-proof and are poorly made - whoops!

Solar Panel Update!

2010-09-09T17:12:00.000-04:00

Since this is not an organic wine blog, I'll be brief about the wine I tried last week. I like some whites, but I have to say I REALLY enjoyed the Bonterra Viognier. So far that's 2 out of 3 bottles I'd buy again!
I haven't mentioned our solar panel project in a while, so here's the update. We've been approved and our install date is in October! Seems like it kept getting pushed farther and farther out, but there it is. Scott has some support work to do on the older part of the roof so it will withstand the weight. Since he'll be doing work in the attic we've decided to purge the attic (yet again) and host a tag sale which, when combined with the contents of the garage (we'll be tearing it down next Spring to make way for one which will be less critter-infested and might actually fit our cars,) and the goodies in the basement, should be quite the interesting assortment.

Connecticut Light & Power, our electric company has already sent us the emails regarding whether or not we'll require a separate transformer, etc. I just can't wait to start generating!

My 4 year old just asked, "What have we done that's environmentally-friendly this week?" Let's see: walk to school, ride bikes to school, carpool, compost, recycle, eat all organic veggies, harvested fruit at a local orchard, Mommy drank organic wine, plus the ususal stuff - overall a pretty GREEN week.

I'd write more but I'm knee-deep in real estate negotiations, planning to put 4 more houses on the market by the end of the month, and preparing for 6 appointments tomorrow.

Keep it GREEN my friends!

Biodynamic Wines? Yes, Please!

2010-09-02T16:04:00.000-04:00

My introduction to organic wines continues! Last week I drank a Sterling Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was fruity as promised, but a little less full-bodied than I prefer. It grew on me after a few sips, and I think it grew on hubby as well, because I think he finished the bottle on me!

The De Martino Cab - wow. The label was right on with the full-bodied and long lasting finish. Yum. I'll be drinking more of that.

I thought this would be the week to try out my first biodynamic wine (at least that I'm aware of - it's entirely possible I've had some from French friends who drink organic.) Turns out it's kind of hard to find in my little town. Maybe it's because I didn't find the word "biodynamic" on any of the labels. I suppose I need to go into the store armed with the names of the labels I'm looking to try.

What does biodynamic wine mean, anyway? My understanding is that it is wine produced on a vineyard/farm where not only are the grapes grown organically sans pesticides or harsh chemicals, but using a holistic approach to the vineyard as a living system. Vine growers might plant other crops around or near the vines, use farm animals, compost, pay attention to maintaining the soil, and bring a general sense of balance that comes from growing & farming a traditional, natural way. OK, I'm in. Now to get my hands on a bottle...

Two bottles of Bonterra Vineyards organic wines did make it home with me for the next 2 tastings: a 2007 Viognier & a 2009 Riesling. Once in a while I give a Riesling a try, and with the heat we've had lately, it just seemed appropriate. Bonterra Vineyards also has a biodynamic label - The McNab, which is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah & Merlot. They even have a Facebook page.

I'll be on the hunt for another biodynamic wine from Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma. Quivira Wine supposedly makes excellent sauvignon blanc (yay!) zinfandel & rosé. I'm also planning to try something from Grgich Hills, who earns an extra GREENIE point (you know, like a brownie point?) for running on solar energy! I'm loving their website.

Good news for my local friends - John, my favorite package store owner from Center Package, is acquiring another local store, Wine.com, which focuses mainly on wines and high end beers. I asked him if he'd stock my favorite Peach Lambic and he said he'd get some on order! Next I'll ask about bringing in some more choices for organic & biodynamic wines :)

My Viognier is chilling in the fridge for later! I'll see if my favorite organic-minded neighbor would like to sample it with me :) I picked up a fabulous little book called green chic SAVING THE EARTH in style by Christie Matheson. She begins it with a quote from Saint-Exupery's Little Prince, "It's a question of discipline, " the little prince told me later on. "When you're finished washing and dressing each morning, you must tend your planet." Cheers to that!

Back in the US with Organic Wine on my Mind

2010-08-26T16:04:00.000-04:00

Let me begin with a thanks to all my readers, coworkers, friends & family for helping us get through a very difficult and scary medical ordeal with my dad. This week I'm finally back to work, and thrilled to be here. I'm sorry to announce my new iMac isn't here as the hard drive is somehow toasted and it is being repaired at the Apple Store.

I'm a bit of a planner. That's an understatement. I'm a huge planner and it only got worse when I had kids. It applies to most areas of my life. While I wish I were more of a neat freak, I'm more of a planner and goal-setter. It is what it is. So I'm looking at my upcoming Fall quarter, and while I have work goals, family goals, travel plans (hello, we're going to Ireland!) I also have GREEN goals. (Does anyone else make quarterly GREEN goals?)

Somewhere on the Internet I caught a line that struck a chord. It said something like, if you're eating organic, why aren't you drinking organic wines too? I've thought about organic wines, and I've tried a few, but I've never really focused on them. That's about to change.

I'm trying a new organic wine per week, which means it shouldn't take me long to get through the organic wine rack at my favorite Package Store! (Looks like I may be branching out - I'm open to suggestions as to where you like to buy your wine!) To start things out with a bang I'm trying two bottles - call it a wine tasting! After all, I do love a wine tasting. Tonight's bottles include a Californian Sterling Vineyards Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. The label says it holds flavors of juicy blackberry, currant and plum, with hints of espresso and toffee. It sounds fabulous, right?

The second bottle is a De Martino Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 from Maipo Valley, Chile. I was VERY interested to read that De Martino is one of the few carbon neutral wineries in the world. I also read that Wine Advocate had rated it an 88, but I don't necessarily agree with the numbers others give to wine.

Both bottles contain sulfites. I would have preferred no sulfites for my first bottles in this introduction, but that's ok. Both are made with organic grapes, and grapes are pretty high up there on the pesticide list, so at least I'm getting GREENER that way. By the way, the 2 bottles together ran me $35.

Next post I'll put up some pics and a quick note on biodynamic wines. I can't even pretend to know anything about that yet. Call me a girl interested in expanding my horizons (as well as my garden!)

2010-08-12T20:58:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,

My apologies but there is no post today due to a family medical emergency. Best wishes to all of you, and I will post again once we have gotten through this.

The Green CT Realtor

My GREEN Experience in Europe

2010-08-05T14:58:00.000-04:00

The jet lag has worn off, and the Japanese house guests left this morning, so what else is there to do (don't mention the laundry or lack of food in the house) but put up a new blog post? (I suppose it's time to stop crying about the lack of good baguette or St. Julien cheese, and don't even get me started on the coffee or I'll break down for sure.)

Do you remember when I went on and on about how much GREENER things are in Europe? (I mean in the ECO way.) Well I certainly kept my eye out for those kinds of things as we traveled for the month of July across France and Italy (Belgium was such a short stay but I do have a note about that too) and I was surprised at my findings.

I went in expecting everything to be super GREEN. I wasn't disappointed when we arrived in France and were greeted both there and in Belgium by GIANT, futuristic-alien-like looking wind turbines. France has the 3rd largest European resource of wind power after Germany and the UK. (*Stat and photo courtesy of wikipedia.) Excellent. In Belgium I discovered that when I made a purchase in Bruges, I was asked (in Flemish) if I would like a bag with it. No idea what she said so a head nod, smile, and a bag plus my receipt. The little plastic bag cost me $0.05. I noticed in France that EVERYONE had their own bags, especially going to market. Nice. I'm wishing I'd bought some of their very cool bags to bring home (the fancy ones they sell in the gift shops but also the straw bags they use for going to the market.) Now Scott knows what to bring home for me (filled with Balisto bars of course!) next Spring!

The friends we stayed with in Bretagne, St. Lunaire specifically, had a very GREEN feature in their home, which was a very expensive high efficiency air-source heat pump. I don't know that this is a product we would choose where I live, but in a moderate climate this is a very eco-friendly choice. You can find more information on them on the U.S. Dept of Energy Website. This website, BTW, is fantastic. Seriously, you should check it out. Tons of good information.

What I didn't see a whole lot of in France was recycling. We visited some parks in certain towns where there were beer bottles and other bottles (both glass and plastic) all over the ground, spilling from garbage cans, you name it. I'm thinking they don't have the 5 cent refunds and what a difference it would make if they did. Not only good for recycling's sake, but for the beauty of the towns & cities. It sure made me appreciate it. I also gained a new appreciation for our home recycling set up. Having a dedicated pull-open drawer the same as we do for trash in our kitchen really makes it just so easy. Pat on the back for thinking of this the 10 or so years ago when we planned our kitchen.

In the Provence area we found it interesting that lawns were forbidden in an effort to conserve water. Plants growing were drought-tolerant. A local friend pointed out that behind some of the high walls and privacy fences neighbors were hiding little lush green lawns that would surely get them into trouble were they discovered by authorities. Such rebels!

Italy, dear, dear, Italy, was like taking a step back in time. Our beautiful villa didn't have TV or Internet. We couldn't find WiFi anywhere (unlike in France where everyone has it because it's so cheap.) Being forced to disconnect was actually a good thing for most of us. Apparently the "old English lady" as the caretaker referred to her, didn't think those things belonged here, in a place of relaxation. (The "old English lady" was married to an ambassador - pretty cool, right? I see why this was their quiet getaway place.) In the places we visited, no one carried their own grocery bags. It was plastic, plastic, plastic. We did finally figure out that there is recycling available, it just took us a long time to figure that out. No one gets their coffee to go, so there are no mountains of paper cups to be disposed. What I still love about Italy is the excellent public transportation (a group of 9 of us or so upon exiting gave a standing ovation to one particularly excellent female bus driver who drove us through the busy streets of Rome without even once fearing for our lives!) and the feeling that Italians just use less energy than we do. They are natural conservers of energy. It's the lifestyle and I'll say it again - I love it. They shut everything down during peak heat hours (and oddly a few of the grocery stores we tried to frequent would close on random days like Wednesday afternoons?) take a rest, then go full speed again at a reasonable hour when temps have cooled. In Rome, our friend Monica pointed out a restaurant she knew I'd love, which featured only local foods cultivated at 0 kilometers. Well, not exactly 0 kilometers, but you get their drift. It was about the direct line from farm or vine to the table.

(skinny French friends)

I am happy to report also, that despite a month of eating 4 course meals twice a day, complete with wines and cheeses, and the mandatory gelato or 2 per day in Italy, that I gained all of half a pound. Astonished is the better word. Sure, we did a lot of walking, but we also did a lot of metro or bus riding in the cities. Perhaps it was the ridiculously difficult pushing of the cheap travel baby stroller over cobblestone streets that helped? Or carrying that same stroller up and down every staircase in Paris? How do our European friends all stay so slim with such a rich lifestyle? Is it the fact that they're eating fresh, for the most part totally unprocessed foods? They drink liters upon liters of water (usually sparkling) and eat small portions compared to what we are served here. A new Italian friend, Fabrizio, explained that for him, the portions are the big deal. He says that when he comes to the States he always gains weight because of the enormous portions and his unwillingness to leave the food on the plate. He explained that the "doggie bag" is an American phenomenon and it's not really done in Italy. I was also surprised to hear him say that he loves American food and has learned to cook it!

One other way I see Europeans as GREEN is with the use of bicycles as a method of transport. In many places in France we saw kiosks where you could rent a bike for free for the 1st 30 min., then pay a minimal charge for additional use. Return them to any kiosk when you're done. There are also electric assist bikes, which hubby is crazy about. Especially in Bruges, so many locals rode their bikes to work, and had child seats on the front of the handlebars then big saddle bags on the back. I had the silly idea it would be fun to rent one of the family electric assist bikes to explore the Villa Borghese (Rome's version of Central Park) and didn't have the foresight to see that Scott would drive like a madman speed demon throughout the park and I'd be screaming my head off but giggling at the same time. (The kids LOVED going that fast and screaming their heads off too! It might have been their favorite part of the trip.)

The last big difference I'll note is on the cars and use of gas/diesel. Sure, gas is expensive, but the cars all seem to get much better mileage. The cars on the road in Italy & France are for the most part, cars you've never seen in the States. With the exception of Smart Cars, Ford and Toyota (although totally different models than the ones here) you'll see Renaults, Citroens, Peugeots, Opels, Fiats, and a bunch of others. For the most part, they are tiny. We drove a fantastic version of a mini van, very much like my Mazda 5, called the Renault Scenic, diesel engine. Incredibly smart car that we'd buy in a heartbeat if it were legal and available here. What a difference it was driving from the south of France, near Nice and Cannes, into Italy, where Italian drivers drove like it was a race and they were frantic to win. Gone were the nice, courteous French drivers and the electronic speeding cameras that kept everyone in check. I was relieved to see Scott didn't go into Mario Andretti mode himself.

Our European adventure with the kids was all that I expected it to be and more. We are so blessed to have so many European friends who are all so generous and welcoming to us. Thanks to our gracious hosts we were able to give the kids a more authentic experience. Of course we did the very touristy things like the Eiffel Tower & the Louvre, Uffizi, Basilica of the Holy Blood, Colosseum, Pompeii, and other sites not to be missed, but it was also the days on the beach, visiting little villages, going out for evening walks, the markets, dinners with friends, etc., that made it such a rich experience. We also made an effort to be GREEN in our travels and to minimize our "footprint" as well we could (the kids bathed only when necessary - pools count as baths anyway, brought our Sigg bottles along, public transport as often as possible, very little laundry, etc.) Amazing trip - can't wait to do it again!

*Important Disclaimer* This post is based on my own personal experience traveling in Europe with my family in the month of July, 2010. What I observed may or may not be exactly the case.

Monica Seles & Knowles Landing!

2010-06-24T11:13:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the absence! It's crunch time chez nous, and with a BIG LISTING comes a BIG WORKLOAD - especially when you're getting ready to go on vacation! Preparing for and working on these 2 wonderful things in my life has left little time for blogging, or gardening, or cooking, or cleaning :)

What exactly have I been doing? Falling in love - and not just with the Portuguese soccer team - with a dreamy property on the CT River that we call Knowles Landing (....sigh.)

http://www.knowleslanding.com/

Some of you may know how much I love historic homes. This one is historic with a twist - it has many of the features & characteristics I love in an antique home, but it has been renovated with modern conveniences. I'm fine with that - I'm not a purist. Just take one look at those gables, the upper deck and sunroom, the gorgeous wrap around porch...it's enough to make a girl swoon. Then turn around and check out the view...

It's pretty spectacular, isn't it?

This is where I'll be working this afternoon and again tomorrow when I'll be hosting the grandest Broker's Open House of my 10 years in real estate! Guests will be greeted on the porch with a signature micro-cocktail we call "The Knowles" (thanks Carl for the name!) and will tour the 1886 Queen Ann Victorian. These are 2 of my favorite spots in the house (it's hard to choose only 2) but these are both fabulous.

The Sunroom off of the 2nd Floor Sitting Room - what an inspiring view!

This is the 3rd Floor Master Suite, a quiet spot occupying the entire 3rd floor with a HUGE Master Bath, loads of closet space, views of the Connecticut River, and a private deck overlooking the water.

Tearing ourselves away from the main house, we'll walk (or ride the golf cart) to the Guest House/Studio which is a converted 3 story barn with 3 decks...

That charming gazebo is original! There are two fantastically old maples from where I'm standing here - they're just beautiful and gnarled.

After the studio we head back to the wrap around porch for some light seafood fare including sushi and saunter down past the Har-Tru tennis court to the river front lawn for a wine tasting (we're featuring an Argentinian label tomorrow) and desserts & coffee. Agents are reminded to bring along their business cards to enter a drawing for their favorite of the wines sampled and the grand prize: 2 tickets to the US OPEN Tennis Championships!!! Awesome, right? Do you know what else is awesome?

Why yes, that is MONICA SELES, world famous tennis champion, posing with our very own Knowles Landing!!! Since Knowles Landing has such a beautiful water front tennis court, we thought we'd market to the tennis crowd in NYC. Did I mention I've been insanely busy the past 2 weeks? This is part of the reason why :) By the way, if Monica Seles wants to come try out the tennis court, the offer is out there! Call me, Monica :)

I couldn't be doing all of this without my very gifted (and fun) partner on this real estate project, Carl Guild. Don't let the fact that he drives around with his face on his car fool you - this guy's the real deal. I'm thinking this picture of him would make a really cutting edge business card. Very terminator-esque, no? Want to meet him? Come on down to the Broker's Open tomorrow!

Now how is it that we got this far without mentioning the 40' deep water dock with expansion rights? This property has 350 ft of waterfront on the Connecticut River in Middle Haddam. I was out there one night at 10 pm (again, I've been working some crazy hours!) and it was so peaceful and quiet. I just wanted to sit and enjoy...

In just a few days we have an ad coming out in Connecticut Magazine, then in less than 2 weeks we're appearing as sponsors at the International Tennis Hall of Fame Campbell's Tennis Championship with an ad in their program and a sign at the Members Tent. Such an exciting project to work on, and we're having a blast creating the buzz. This is what I've been busy doing, and to borrow an old expression from Martha Stewart, "it's a good thing!"

http://www.knowleslanding.com/

The Jewel of the Connecticut River

Pick Up A Green Read!

2010-06-11T16:01:00.000-04:00

Have you SEEN how many GREEN books are out there these days? A quick search on Amazon.com came up with 1,480 and that was just from searching "green living."

I love books. Addicted to them is probably what you'd say if you saw the collections of children's books in our house. Our weekly trip to the library always leaves me bringing home GREEN books on top of my usual travel, garden, cooking or art selections. I can't say I have time to read every page - I've become more of a skimmer (apparently this has transferred over to some of my email reading practices as I realized today - apologies to the Fine Homes Director at Prudential CT Realty I've been working with on my new listing!)

(Whoops - how did Retiring Abroad get in there? :) )

So which books would I recommend for you to flip through as you're grilling up those veggies on the grill? (Because I imagine that we all grill in flip-flops, with a book in one hand and a glass of vino in the other?)

This week I'm reading GREEN $ENSE FOR THE HOME - Rating the Real Payoff from 50 GREEN HOME PROJECTS by Eric Corey Freed & Kevin Daum. It's so new at my library I was the first one to borrow it! First of all, it's divided into 3 sections: 16 green home projects you can do today, 21 green projects you can do tomorrow, and 13 home projects you can do when building new. I like this book already! It has a ton of information, and lots of resources. I especially like the rating system they use for each project, telling you the overall rating in dollar signs, level of difficulty, energy savings, global warming reducing, resource conservation, water saving, and health improving. It makes it really easy to flip through and find the projects with the highest overall dollar sign ratings and the lower degrees of difficulty! It also has helpful "Do the Math" sidebars - I love it when someone else does the math for me :)

I also read The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time by Elizabeth Rogers, although I didn't get as excited about it because it didn't bring me much new information.

Other books I did find entertaining: Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life by Ed Begley (I wrote about him before - I think we'd be pals!) Gorgeously Green 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life by Sophie Uliano, and her accompanying book Gorgeously Green Diet How to Live Lean & Green. I liked her style of writing and her sense of humor, which is sometimes missing when it comes to this topic!

Love the organic & green cookbooks out there. One of my faves is the Big Green Cookbook: Hundreds of Planet-Pleasing Recipes and Tips for a Luscious, Low-Carbon Lifestyle by Jackie Newgent. This is where I found the amazing French Kissed Watercress Salad Recipe. Did I mention it's amazing? It's so good I'll post about it soon!

At the top of my TO READ list is Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home & Planet -- One Room at a Time by Beth Greer. A book about reducing toxins & possibly harmful chemicals in your home, the place that is supposed to be your safe haven, well, that's my kind of reading. It might even make a nice house warming gift for my environmentally-minded new homeowners!

I hope you pick up a GREEN read over the summer, and let me know if you enjoyed it!

How GREEN is your Real Estate Listing?

2010-06-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

When the real estate market becomes really challenging, as it's been in our market since late 2008, we as Realtors and Sellers need to look at listing properties from other perspectives. It's not just about the "handsome wainscoting" anymore (although really, who doesn't LOVE beautiful woodwork?) We've come into a time where we need to also discuss the features that will offer the buyers benefits such as lowering utility costs, greater comfort, and saving money. Not all buyers are on board with the social responsibility of living greener, but I've yet to meet one who wasn't interested in the money-saving aspect of it.

Putting aside what I would consider "extreme GREEN" features for our marketplace (solar or wind power, geo-thermal) let's consider the more common (& less pricey) GREEN features we might already have that we can work to our advantage.

"Energy-efficient" tops my list for favorite GREEN real estate terms. You always want to be able to substantiate that claim. You can offer the buyer copies of your utility bills compared to those of similar-sized homes in the area, which I think you can get from CL&P or your utility company. Some energy-efficient features you may have and need to highlight:

House is filled with natural light
Energy Star appliances
On demand hot water system
Multi-zone heat for better heat control
Programmable thermostats
Newly insulated attic
Great cross-ventilation that helps with cooling
CFL bulbs

"Healthy home" is another hot topic. I just dealt with this with buyers who closed on a house last week. Their concern was that the house did not contain toxins or allergens. We also think about the problems associated with lead, mold, radon & pesticides. While it's hard to avoid those altogether, there are some choices to be made that can be GREENER than others.

Hardwood floors or all natural low VOC carpet choices with no/low VOC adhesives
Smoke-free or pet-free environment
HEPA filter
Lead paint encapsulated or removed
Asbestos removed
Pesticide-free lawn

GREEN features aside, one thing I ALWAYS stress to home sellers in any market is the need for their home to be super CLEAN. Not just tidy, but CLEAN. Wash those windows so that natural light can shine through. If you have pets, keep the house dusted, vacuumed, and litter boxes clean. Dust the ceiling fans, make your appliances shine, and please remove the clutter from the counters. Trust me on this :)

The GREEN CT Realtor Returns to Europe!

2010-05-27T16:46:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time. It's been so easy to find excuses with 2 small children and a busy real estate career, but we're doing it - traveling to Europe en famille per la prima volta. (I mix my French & Italian because I feel like it just rolls off the tongue.)

For everyone who has been asking...here it is...the crazy, hectic "I can't-believe-we're-really-going-to-do-this" itinerary of our European Summer Adventure. Looking back at the "we'll never do that road trip again" vacation of last year, and feeling like we needed a vacation after our vacation, I'm still surprised that we're doing it. Wish us luck!

For starters, we're flying Air Canada for 3, maybe 4 reasons. I like the convenience of flying out of Hartford with 2 kids and not having to get to JFK or BOS. We stop in Montreal (I wonder if they have poutine at the airport?) and then on to Paris. My pilot neighbor Don talked me out of taking an airbus last year, so I had to find another option. Also, I figure Air Canada is less of a risk for terror attacks seeing as how everyone seems to get along with Canada and Canadians are very polite. It's not just a stereotype - it's quite true, thank you very much. Now if that Icelandic volcano can be still until the Fall we'll be all set.

Travel advice: renting apartments/condos/houses on sites like homeaway.com can save you money and get you into cool neighborhoods so you can get more of a local vibe.

We've rented a tiny apartment in Paris in an awesome neighborhood for a lot less than I could find a hotel. The French lady who owns the apartment moved us 4 times before we ended up here, but we couldn't be happier! (I'm pretty good at doing the French 'what are you gonna do?' shrug anyway.) Here's a photo hubby took from the door of our building in the 4th arrondissement.

We have 3-4 packed days in Paris before we head to Brugge, Belgium. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about Paris, but I've been there before, so for me Brugge is REALLY exciting. A Gothic city with canals, chocolate, beer, the relic of the Holy Blood, fries, swans, the marketplace, bicycling around the city...it's just so much to fit into 2 days! We're staying at a great little B&B - check out the view from our room!

From Belgium we head to the coast and follow the coast down to the Bretagne region of France, where we'll be staying with friends. While hubby spends 2 weeks there every spring, this will be my first time visiting. Looking forward to hanging out with the French teachers who have been staying with us every year as part of the exchange program where hubby teaches! This a really interesting region to me, and I'm looking forward to exploring the medieval cities, St. Malo, and the forest from whence (Arthurian legend has it) Merlin the Magician hails. The kids are simply happy that our friends live near the beach and there will be other children to play with. Like last year at French camp, Julien's going to have to draw on his French to communicate. He's come such a long way - I'm so proud of him!

While we're in Dinard, I was thinking I might check out a few real estate listings, like this sweet dream:

They were asking 750,000 Euros and it's under contract. Isn't it darling? The grounds are gorgeous too.

Leaving Dinard we have a big day (for me) because we'll be visiting both of my ancestral villages. I've always known that I was 100% French. We've always said French Canadian though, because my families on both sides were among the first French colonists in New France in the early 1600's. In one of the villages, there's a museum dedicated to the first group of settlers (you have to ask for the key at the town hall to get in) where my ancestor's name is on the wall. (Apparently Celine Dion's family is from the same village?) I've seen it online and am looking forward to walking the same streets or paths my ancestors once did. We're packing a picnic lunch to enjoy in the second village. I think it's pretty wild that both sides of my family came from only 45 minutes apart. It reminds me of my mom telling me that she remembers my dad's father visiting her family on horseback in Quebec (my dad's family didn't have a car) back when she was a child. Would she have ever guessed back then that she would marry his youngest son thousands of miles away wearing a mini dress in Florida 20 something years later?

The Loire Valley is next! I've always wanted to either bike or hot air balloon the valley, to take in the castles, but with the kids...well that's a bit too much at this point. Instead I found a charming Inn in a converted mill just down a path to the Chateau at Chenonceau and they have a pool and grounds plus we can borrow bicycles and ride to the castle! We've already made our dinner reservation in the restaurant :)

The history of the chateau many believe to be the most beautiful of the Loire Valley is very interesting. I am most excited to see it, and appreciate that hubby is willing to do this again despite having been here before. At the night the gardens are lit and they play classical music - can you think of a nicer way to spend the evening? Our 2nd day in the valley we'll be visiting a 2nd castle, probably Chambord.

Next we head to Montpellier, where we can't wait to see old friends Albert, Seb & family. The amazing thing about French people is that while it can take them a while to warm up to you, once you're friends, you're friends for life. We're there for about 3 days. Travel advice: I go by the 3 day rule when staying with friends. Guests, like fish, start to stink after 3 days, or something like that. I really, really like Montpellier, and I'm looking forward to maybe taking the kids for their first dip in the Mediterranean!

On to Provence, where we'll stay with more friends for 3 days, including Bastille Day! I've only seen Provence from the windows of the TGV (high speed train) and it's been a dream to spend time there. Of course I want to visit places like Avignon and Aix, but I'm happy to go along with whatever our gracious hosts suggest. (I'm just happy to be here, folks!)

(This is the Provencal house used in the film A Good Year, based on the Peter Mayle book, and starring Russell Crowe. Fabulous property. I'm seeing a slight resemblance to my Bretagne house above...)

Leaving Provence we bid au revoir to France as we drive through Monaco & the Cote d'Azur into Italy and on to Firenze.

Travel Advice: When booking hotels or B&Bs, I read the reviews on tripadvisor.com. I also write reviews on there because I feel that it's such a valuable resource. Also, ask if there's a cash discount for B&Bs - there often is. I found a top rated Bed & Breakfast with a big room and supposedly one of the best cappuccinos in all of Florence. We saved 10% by paying cash, which is enough to buy lunch the next day!

Finally we meet up with friends from home in Lucignano, Tuscany, where we've rented a villa for a week. (I posted a photo of the villa some time back - it's dreamy!) It'll be nice to spread out and have a little space to ourselves after spending almost a week between friends. With a centrally-located home base, we'll do day trips to Cortona, San Gimignano, Sienna, Florence, and other spots, returning to cool off in our pool and have fabulous dinners & wine on the terrace. Since we've spent time there before, it keeps the pressure low to have to see every sight and we can focus on favorites or the ones we may have missed. Seeing as how Scott spent 10 summers in the area, he's more keen on visiting old friends and drinking vin santo. The children are excited that we'll be meeting up with playmates. I may have to stop by and visit some of the real estate offices to build up my international real estate networking base. I'm working on my Certified International Property Specialist designation :)

Our month-long odyssey ends in Roma, the eternal city that feels like home to me. Mille grazie to Monica & Gaetano for lending us their apartment. They are simply the most amazing people. I can't wait to see them - it's been waaaay too long. I wanted to share a picture of the last time we were all together, only my scanner doesn't want to communicate with my iMac. If you're looking for a fantastic place to stay in Rome, you should check out the hotel Scott's friend owns. It's the Albergo Cesari and has got to be the best location in Rome - near Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, etc. This is a view of the new rooftop terrace at dusk. It books early, so give yourself plenty of time when making reservations!

There you have it! It's going to be quite an adventure for the GREEN CT Realtor & family. Time to brush up on my French & Italian, and maybe pick up a few Flemish phrases while I'm at it!

Keep it GREEN my friends!

ReSnackit? Yes Please. Pesticides? No Thank You.

2010-05-20T15:22:00.000-04:00

Guess who just got one step closer to becoming the QUEEN of GREEN lunches? Oui, c'est moi! Not only is my 6 year old carrying waste-less lunches, but now my preschooler has her own reusable snack/sandwich bag by ReSnackIt. This is the work of Avon, CT "mompreneur" Kristin Webster on a quest to create waste-free lunches and drop the plastic bag habit. Picked up a gender-neutral orange design at Whole Foods so that it gets maybe a little more use in that maybe my son might use it too, but I can already see we'll picking up more of these for days when we're out running errands, etc. My son has his eye on the skateboard print!

Newly Reported Dangers of Pesticides

As if there weren't enough health risks posed by pesticides, new studies reported this week have associated certain pesticides (or residues) to ADHD in children. Read the Time Magazine article here. All the more reason for me to keep up my garden and continue to buy organic produce. I do hear a lot of people say that organic isn't affordable, and if you only shop at the local supermarket, it's not only expensive, but it's pretty lousy too (*with the exception of the frozen store-brand organic produce - I think those are pretty good.) I agree with both statements. I do 4 things to keep my organic spending in check. 1.) No secret - I grow my own. 2.) I shop at Trader Joe's, where organic doesn't cost an arm & a leg. Sure, I have to drive 30 minutes to get there, but I combine trips or stop when I have to be in the area for work, and a neighbor and I pick up stuff for each other when one of us makes the trip. 3.) I shop Whole Foods too - but only the organics that are on sale. 4.) I follow the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides with the Dirty Dozen & the Clean 15:

The Dirty Dozen (Worst at the top)
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries
Nectarines
Bell Peppers
Spinach
Kale
Cherries
Potatoes
Grapes (Imported)

The Clean 15 (Best at the top)
Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Sweet Peas
Asparagus
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet Potato
Honeydew Melon

Would you like to read a disturbing statistic? (You may want to avert your eyes or skip over this part.) I read that if a person gets their 5 servings of fruits & veggies a day from the items on the dirty dozen list, they're probably ingesting 10 pesticides a day. Does that turn your stomach? I'm NOT feeding my kids 10 pesticides a day! I got that from foodnews.org, and while I don't necessarily trust everything I read, it's a reminder that it's so very important to thoroughly WASH any produce.

On a different note, I realize I haven't been sharing as much info on the GREEN side of real estate/home improvement lately. It seems I keep getting excited about so many topics these days. For those of you who've shared with me your dreams of building GREEN, I will have an interview coming up soon with friends here in CT who has been going through the GREEN building process for almost a year now. We'll talk about the things you need to know and what advice they have for those of you looking into environmentally-friendly homes & construction.

Finally I want to pay my respects to a former real estate client of mine who passed away unexpectedly yesterday. I found her to be both a spit-fire and an elegant lady, and we shared a love for our gardens as well as our copies of Martha Stewart Magazine. Rest in Peace, Helen Condon.

Gardening is the Original GREEN

2010-05-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure why I was so completely mortified in 6th grade when my mom told the whole school that I loved to garden the night I was named student of the year. Why was that soooo embarrassing then? (Looking back, I should have been more embarrassed by that crazy 1980's dress I was wearing!) Gardening has been a part of my life forever. My parents both grew up on farms, everyone I knew had a garden. We'd go to visit an uncle and spend the morning picking or planting together. My cousins own a huge commercial farm. It's in my blood. It might just be in my children's blood too!

I'm one of those gardeners who buys the leftover seeds at the end of the growing season. You know, the ones in a basket tucked under some shelf that you have to get someone to help you find because you just know they're hiding somewhere? I take my kids and for 25 cents per pack I let them go wild. Big spender, right?

Well, I've amassed quite the collection of seeds, as you can imagine. Seeds last well beyond the date on the package, by the way, they just have a lower germination rate, so plant a few extra if you're using older seeds. I've got some from 5 years ago that are still sprouting for me! Vegetables, perennials, annuals, herbs... I've got them all. Some I start as early as January, in little clean yogurt cups with the kids. Some I plant as soon as the ground is ready, like my peas & lettuces. Some I share. I mean, am I really going to plant 80 organic turnips? (OK, the truth is I would LOVE to plant that many. I love turnips more than anyone should. I just don't have enough garden space for it. Enough land, yes, but not enough of it is garden. I'll have to work on hubby to get more space!) To continue with the turnips as an example, BTW, if your garden helper is say, 3 yrs old and you let her plant the seeds, don't be surprised when only 5 come up. I'm just saying :)

This year I've already shared over a dozen strawberry plants. I've handed out onion sets. I have pepper plants to share, and most likely after my trip to Urban Oaks this weekend, I'll have an extra tomato plant or two to pass along. The list of perennials I'm willing to share is pretty extensive. Come harvesting season, this one in particular, I'll have LOTS of veggies & fruits to share, especially while I'm away and I've invited family & friends to come and harvest. As long as no one touches my asparagus - it's not ready to harvest for another year!

My goal in the summer time is not to buy any produce from grocery stores, with the exception of organic lemons. I grow a good variety of things, and what I don't grow I buy from farmer's markets. I'm already harvesting my own lettuces & spinach, and let me just say that none of my friends should have to buy mint for mojitos or for tea for the entire summer!

My non-gardening friends sometimes ask why I'm out there so much. It seems like a no-brainer, but also it's the way I grew up. Let's see...I can put in veggies & herbs for a fraction of the cost of buying them at the chain grocery store (after they've been sitting in a warehouse somewhere, and had to be trucked in from out of state.) I know they're organic. I can walk out my door and have a salad ready in minutes. I like teaching my children where food comes from, and I LOVE that they're outdoors digging in the dirt instead of inside in front of any screen. I like the way fresh warm strawberries taste right off the plant - the berries at the supermarket are flavorless in comparison. I like composting all of my kitchen scraps (and coffee grounds - sometimes I pick up bags of still warm grounds from Starbucks on my way out the door!) and opening the bottom of my Earth Machine composter and finding that rich black compost at the bottom makes me feel so GREEN! We've really reduced the amount of garbage we produce the past few years thanks to recycling and composting. Most of all, I like the idea of being somewhat self-sustaining, and of being able to share.

Good News for Alternative Energy in CT & Farmer's Markets!

2010-05-06T16:02:00.000-04:00

I've been a little engrossed in real estate lately - it's that time of year, and when you add in the crunch we had to get in under the tax credit wire, well, let's just say we're lucky I can still speak in somewhat complete sentences. That's my excuse for not knowing about the Energy Bill that was going before the CT House of Representatives this week. It passed 81-40. Click here to see who voted for it. Let's be hopeful that it now gets signed by Governor Rell. (BTW, you can call her office 800-406-1527 during business hours to ask her to support Senate Bill 493.This bill would subsidize alternative energy production such as solar, wind & hydroelectric power, and calls for a 15% reduction in electricity rates (yay!) plus tougher regulations of the retail marketing of electric power to both residential & business consumers.

As much as an energy bill makes me happy....farmer's markets & spring markets make me absolutely giddy! Although some of my favorite markets (Florence Griswold Marche en Plein Air, Ashlawn Farm & Coffee Roasters) don't start until we're farther into the growing season, many are open early for plant sales! While I don't have much room left in my gardens for more plants, I can't help but fall in love with some of the new beauties out there! Makes we want to dig up another patch of lawn :)

Now when I'm on the lookout for organic produce or plants, here are some of my CT Favorites as well as those I've been meaning to visit:

West Hartford Farmer's Market on LaSalle Rd is already open for the season! What it lacks in ambience it makes for in convenience.

Farmington's Hill-Stead Museum is hosting its annual May Market this weekend - note there is an admission fee.

I would be remiss not to mention one of my favorites - the Lyme Farmer's Market at Ashlawn Farm is always packed full of farmers with great produce, organic meats & cheeses, & baked goods! This is a farmer's market set in a field next to barn and you can see animals and fields of flowers while you shop, but they also have AMAZING organic coffee. It's a great location and you can pick up some really yummy foods there.

For a very quaint country artisan's market, I like the Middle Haddam Farmer's Market at the Middle Haddam Library. The guy with the homemade artisan bread is a culinary genius. His bread, some goat cheese, and fresh fruit from Rick Walker's gorgeous table at the market make for an incredible lunch!

Elizabeth Park in Hartford is hosting its annual plant sale on May 15th from 10-2. I've always wanted to volunteer my time in their gardens....one of these days I will!

I've been meaning to visit Urban Oaks in New Britain for some time thanks to my fellow realtor Carl Lantz of West Hartford. This organic farm is known for it's fabulous tomato plants and their seedling sale is coming up Fridays & Saturdays from May 12-June 12. I will most likely be picking up my few tomato plants there during their sale.

BTW, the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme has an ongoing Garden Fest through the end of June.

There are just SOOOO many great markets out there, and if like me, you're not happy with what you find at Stop & Shop, take the time to search out a farmer's market where you can buy fresh & organic food directly from the growers. Support your local farmers, or even take the time to plant a few seeds yourself and see what grows!

No/Low VOC Paints

2010-04-29T16:55:00.000-04:00

Anyone else have a painting project you've been kicking around? Other than every piece of trim in my kitchen desperately needing a fresh coat of paint, I have a furniture project giving me the stink eye every time I walk past it. It's a set of bookcases we got from a tag sale that need a charming/Pottery Barn vibe. I saw a how-to on The Lettered Cottage and I loved how it came out. It's going to require some work: trim moldings, some beadboard wallpaper or mirrors, maybe some hinges & cabinet doors, the use of a mitre saw & table saw (I might just be on my own using them - hubby wants nothing to do with my project) plus primer & paint. Not just any paint though. I'm not introducing more toxins into my house, thank you very much. This time I'm going the zero/low VOC (volatile organic chemicals) route. Why, exactly?

This passage from Ed Begley, Jr.'s book, Living Like Ed, sums it up nicely for me:

"Traditional paint has got all kinds of nasty stuff in it: petrochemicals, solvents, mercury, formaldehyde, benzene, lead, cadmium, chromium, dibutyl, and diethyl phthalate. This frightening chemical cocktail then releases VOCs into the air. You might assume that VOCs are only a problem right after you paint, when you can actually smell the new-paint smell when you walk in a room. But it turns out paints and other finishes release low-level toxic emissions for several years. And it's definitely not good to be breathing this stuff."

By the way, I think Ed Begley, Jr. and I would be great friends, and I can forgive the fact that he started a sentence with 'and.' (I had an English teacher who would have chucked her blackboard eraser at him for doing that. I hear teachers don't chuck stuff at students anymore.) He could be my 'over the top' GREEN friend/mentor/boyfriend (just kidding) who makes up for the areas in my life where I don't come up quite so GREEN.

As far as paints go, I've always liked Benjamin Moore. A painter friend of mine had told us years ago it was her choice, and after painting our family room ceiling probably 6 or more times and having it come out looking awful, we switched and my allegiance to BM was born. I'm going with their Natura Zero VOC line, first a primer, then a paint in a light color, probably a shade of white to help brighten up a dark hallway. It dries in 30 minutes so I can finish my project in just 1 day. BTW, they also have Pottery Barn colors :)

In the Consumer Reports March 2009 issue, there was a review of the no/low VOC paints, and Behr did very well in their tests, but got mixed reviews by actual users on the site I visited. Sherwin Williams also has a product line called Harmony which is low VOC and got very good reviews. Interestingly, the tests by Consumer Reports said that at the time, the products they tested all contained some VOCs, despite the claims they were no or low VOC paints. In this case, less is more, and I'm OK with that. At this point, I wouldn't use anything else than a no or low VOC paint for any paint inside my house. Wish me luck on the project! I'll let you know how it comes out.

On a different subject, my Bento Box lunches are a HUGE hit in my son's class! After his first week of lunches, one little boy asked me if I would make his lunches for him, and today a little girl at lunch addressed me as "Mrs. Perfect-Lunch-Maker!" This has been our own self-imposed International Week so I've had to get a little creative. In theory the Asian lunch was great, and it looked amazing, reusable chop sticks and all, but my little guy barely touched it. Turns out dumplings & rice aren't his thing at lunchtime. The Italian lunch with a Nutella & banana sandwich was the bomb though :)

Earth Day & My First Bento Box Lunches

2010-04-22T11:44:00.000-04:00

There's so much to say today! HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Last week's guest post was such a huge smashing success - thanks again to Let's Go Fly a Kite for sharing her recycled paper wreath! Check out her blog this week as she's kept with an Earth Week theme - I absolutely love her Eco-Organization project from a few days ago pictured below.

BENTO BOX LUNCHES

I've been getting a LOT of questions about how it's going with the Bento Box Lunches for my little guy. Thanks for all the interest! The idea was to make him a healthy lunch without any waste & using all reusable packaging. We're on Day 4 (we started for Earth Week too, by coincidence) and I've learned a few lessons so far:

You don't have to fill every container - keep in mind how much your child will actually eat so you're not wasting food. Small portions are good.
My child is more than happy with his reusable water bottle (no more buying juice boxes or organic milk boxes) and is thrilled to see sliced organic lemons, limes & oranges in his water - picking up a bag of organic lemons on sale at Whole Foods this weekend was a great deal. I love that I'm cutting down on his sugar and he doesn't mind one bit!
It takes some planning. It has taken me 25min to make his lunch so far every day! A friend of mine went ballistic when I told her that. She can make her kid's lunch in 3 minutes. Really? I'm sure it's just because I'm not doing the prep work the night before, and my knife skills at 7am are just not that quick. Plus I'm trying to be creative and use fresh food. I've already given in to a cereal bar & organic bunny grahams when I felt like I was cutting it close!
A menu in his lunch box explaining what he was eating was a huge hit (although he still didn't know what his apple fritter was and thought it was some strange kind of chicken!)

Favorite items so far have been the homemade banana/oatmeal/chocolate chip muffins for snack time, fresh fruit (this week I used mango, strawberries, fresh pineapple, apples, & mandarin oranges), the tuna & carrot "sushi" rolls I made (he likes the added crunch of the carrots) and the fresh edibles from our garden (I used fresh mint, a nasturtium blossom, & chives to tie the sushi rolls.)

The cheese butterfly didn't fly with him, but he ate the organic fruit leather decorations.

I already have plans for next week which necessitates a trip to Trader Joe's this weekend, but I need to keep up the variety and speed up the morning process with a little evening prep work. Yeah, it is a little work, but you should have seen my little guy's face when he very proudly told me he hasn't thrown out a single piece of trash at lunchtime, and how good feels about that!

(Julien's Bento Box came from Laptop Lunches, and I've found it cheaper on Amazon.com since Amazon offers free shipping. My goal there was to find something as food safe as possible. This fit the bill nicely for me. Also search Amazon for all the cool Bento accessories like the hard-boiled egg molds and special cutters!)

COMPOSTABLE PAPER PLATES

So we're trying to create less waste, but what about when you're hosting a party or picnic for waaaaay more people than you have plates? More than a few times a year I host such a fete. I'm good with cutlery, but for the plates I've moved on to compostable paper plates. My question was how easily do they really compost? Here's a photo of 2 I pulled out of my composter after they've been sitting in there since September.

I had imagined it would go much faster, but keep in mind that it was over winter. The other 30 or so plates in there haven't composted much at all. Let's see how things heat up now though :)

I also want to send out a big THANK YOU to my readers & to everyone following along on this GREEN journey. This week we quickly surpassed 1,000 views and my guests have come from as many as 16 countries!!! I hope it sparks a few ideas or offers some useful advice. Now, before I can go out and enjoy this gorgeous Earth Day, I have a boatload of real estate work to get through! Happy Earth Day to all of you :)

The GREEN CT Realtor

All I Want for Valentine's Day is a Rain Barrel!

Best of My GREEN Bento Lunches!

The Return of the Garden in Real Estate

GREEN Deals

Happy New Year!

Eiffel Tower Goes GREEN?

Clarifying The American Clean Energy and Security Act

Little Green Things Adding Up!

Day 365 Totals on our Solar Panels

Happy 1st Anniversary to my Solar Panels!

Do These Jeans Make my Butt Look GREEN?

More GREEN Reads

My Blog Turns 3 Today!

Lessons I Learned from Irene

Day 5 No Power

Preparing for a Hurricane (& Stocking the Cocktail Cabinet)

Live GREEN CT Festival - Mark Your Calendars!

CBS Connecticut's Most Valuable Blogger!

GREEN Summer Finds :)

On My GREEN Nightstand...Part I

This Week at The GREEN CT Realtor...

Mickey is GREEN!

Roundup in the News Again...

CT Farmer's Markets Opening!

Whole Foods Parking Lot

What About That Cork?

We Need Your Votes

Socially Responsible Investing

Alicia Silverstone Wants Me to Go Vegan!

Earth Hour - Coming To You Soon!

Let's REALLY GREEN our Beer for St. Paddy's Day!

Whole Foods has Local Foods!

A GREENER 2011

Photovoltaic Avalanche!

52% Growth Rate in Environment-Related Careers

Happy New Year!

30 Days of Solar Energy

MAMA GONE GREEN is my Guest!

I'm so happy to share a guest post/quick tip with you today from one of my favorite daily reads, MamaGoneGreen. Special thanks to Taryn! Please stop by her blog - I know you'll enjoy reading her as much as I do :)

Quick Tips: Handwashing

My GREEN Ireland

ReStore Comes to Middlesex!

While I Wait for the GREEN Light...

Solar Project Moves Along...

O Canada I'm With You on This One

The GREEN CT Realtor in Photon Magazine

Your New Green Blog Friend

Solar Panels on Monday

GREEN Events...Coming Up!

Modular & Pre-Fab Housing has a GREEN Lining

Solar Panel Update!

Biodynamic Wines? Yes, Please!

Back in the US with Organic Wine on my Mind

My GREEN Experience in Europe

Monica Seles & Knowles Landing!

Pick Up A Green Read!

How GREEN is your Real Estate Listing?

The GREEN CT Realtor Returns to Europe!

ReSnackit? Yes Please. Pesticides? No Thank You.

Gardening is the Original GREEN

Good News for Alternative Energy in CT & Farmer's Markets!

No/Low VOC Paints

Earth Day & My First Bento Box Lunches