Bryan, TX

Happy Fall!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending Be Green in Bryan's Greening Your Home 101 workshop, upstairs at the Bryan Public Library. Taught by Mary Strauss, the City of Bryan's Sustainability Program Coordinator, the workshop provided ten realistic, helpful suggestions that will help our environment and save you money.

I'm about to throw a lot of links at you. Most go to information located on BeGreenInBryan.com, which is a site worth visiting. On that site, if you click on the symbols on the left side of the page for a wealth of information on each subject.

Ten things YOU can do in the home to help our environment and save money.

1. Cut junk mail. Americans pay $320-$370 million per year to dispose of junk mail. Save 1.5 trees/person/year by visiting http://optoutprescreen.com or http://mailstopper.tonic.com.

2. Stop accepting or using plastic grocery bags. We throw away 100 billion polyurethane bags annually. Despite appearances, these bags are so cheap that they offer nothing to break down, and actually end up in landfills. If you have extras, the Brazos Valley Farmer's Market is happy to take and reuse them.

3. Reduce, Reuse & Recycle - On average, American consumers purchase 500 million beverage bottles and cans every day. Only one in three get recycled. Bryan's drop-off recycling center is located in the Wal-mart parking lot. You don't even need to get out of your car!

4. Rid your home of pesticides - Over 80% of human contact with pesticides occurs indoors. 90% of those tested had traces of 5-16 pesticides in their bodies. Check out http://beyondpesticieds.org.

5. Green the Garden - Use compost instead of synthetic fertilizers. The Bryan Compost Facility sells compost for $21/ton and mulch is FREE! Concentrate on native plants and perennials. You can find a selection at the Brazos Valley Farmer's Market.

6. Turn off lights and unplug appliances when possible. Reduce phantom power or energy vampires - Up to 40% of the power used by home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Standby power consists of 10% of our total power consumption.

7. Replace standard light bulbs with CFL's and LED's - CFL's use 50%-80% less energy and last up to ten times longer. Some LED's have a 60,000 hour useful life.

8. Look for EnergyStar Appliances - These appliances use 2-10 less power than their conventional conterparts. Check out http://energystar.gov.

9. Reduce Water Consumption - Look for leaks, and make sure all faucets have aerators for indoor conservation. Consider low-flow toilets. Catch rainwater for outdoor use.

10. Replace household cleaners - Over 90% of reported poisonings occur at home, with the leading reported cause being household cleaners. Many chemicals found in household cleaners are known carcinogens. Natural alternatives are in most stores. Why? They are more economical, biodegradable and more healthy for you!

    

Now, some of these suggestions are easier said then done, but the point is to work on what you can, when you can, and keep moving in a more sustainable direction.

To help us along the way, Mary had the back of the room set up as an organic household cleaner factory, complete with ingredients, fragrances and delivery systems. We got to see and feel how to make these very inexpensive cleaners, and knew what to look for when shopping.

I give the City of Bryan credit for having Mary on board. She is an expert in her field, and charged with several different tasks, all benefiting both the environment and our pocketbooks.

This workshop was the third in a series of five for 2009. I missed the first two, Rainwater Harvesting 101 and Worm Composting 101. There are two more:

• Home & Energy Efficiency 101 on Nov. 5
• Green Living 101 on Dec. 1

You can view the flyer and register here.

Sustainability makes sense. We can do small things that make a difference. I'll visit more about this later.

Blue skies,

Sam White
SamWhiteRealty.com
979.446.0031

Bryan's Green Team

Great location for stidents and working professionals, 2 bedrooms and one bath, totally updated with tile, granite counters, new light fixtures, kitchen, etc. Kitchen appliances convey with accepted offer. Furniture is negotiable. This property is ready for move-in. To directly access this property, use this shortcut: http://www.fizber.com/texas-buy-condo-townhome-co-op-home-11649100.html

Sample Media Release

Texas Recycles Day (TRD), takes place every year on November 15, and aims to raise public awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of recycling. The Theme for "Texas Recycles Day" is "It all comes back to you", with an emphasis on Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rebuy.

The State of Texas Alliance for Recycling and Keep America Beautiful are helping to motivate Texans to make recycling part of their everyday lives. Recycling not only decreases the amount of garbage thrown away each year, but it also conserves natural resources, saves energy, and reduces the amount of landfill space used each year. Though reduce, recycle, rebuy, "It all comes back to you."

Texas Recycles Day and America Recycles Day events range from providing educational materials to hosting a collection for recyclables and making sure they get reused or sent to the appropriate recycling center. Any individual, civic group, youth organization, or company can participate.

Help us teach Texans to make recycling part of their everyday lives! For more information on the TRD program, visit www.texasrecyclesday.org.

Have you just bought a new home or are you considering selling your current home? Does your yard or garden need a little TLC only you just can't afford to spend too much? Well courtesy of the City of Bryan, Texas you won't have to dig too deep into your pockets!

Did you know that woodchips are free?

How many times have you bought 50lb sacks of woodchips for your flower beds or around trees? How much have you paid for all those sacks? Did you know that you can get woodchips from the City of Bryan for free?

You can pull up to the City of Bryan's compost facility and get as much woodchips as you need and as they can provide for free.

Did you know that you can purchase compost at a fraction of the cost found elsewhere at the same facility?

1-25 tons at $28.00 per ton and 26+ tons for $20.00 per ton.

The bio-solids are tested quarterly to make sure that they meet all Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) standards, they are also processed to meet the State of Texas Process to Further Reduce Pathogens (PFRP) guidelines. The finished product is also tested quarterly in order to meet guidelines.

So take a look at your yard or garden and see if it needs to have compost or wood chips added and if so then head over to The City of Bryan's Compost facility and do a little recycling of these natural products and safe a little money in the process.

So where is all this good stuff located?

The Bryan Compost Facility is located at 2988 Pleasant Hill Rd, Bryan, TX 77807

They are open Monday - Friday from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm and on Saturdays from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm.

http://www.bryantx.gov/resources/Recyling_Compost_FAQ.pdf

I know that a new blog post can automatically be posted on Twitter if you choose that option on the settings tab but is there anyway that new comments made on your blog posts can also be sent to your Twitter feed?

Many times I have come across the beginning of what is a comment on Twitter only to find that the linked page is to a blog post that was really great and one that I would have otherwise missed if it hadn't been for the comment that was automatically feed to Twitter too.

It would really be a great tool if it can be done. Any help would be appreciated!

Edit: Can it also be done on Facebook too? Automatically posting both the blog post and comments that you've made. Links can then be made back to the original post.

Just a thought but it would be an awesome marketing tool!