When I arrived around 10 am, there had to be over 100 people already there and hard at work planting trees and other plants.  Greenstar employees, community members of all ages combined with families were all joining for the same cause.  What an amazing sight.

In the middle of all the action was the CEO of Greenstar Recycling Mike Simmons with a shovel in hand and hard at work.  I was able to pull him to the side for a moment and ask a few questions.  My initial question to you at the beginning of the post was ‘Can Houston Increase the Recycling Rate by 200%?‘ – I’m now convinced that if we do, Greenstar will have a huge part in the effort. 

First, Greenstar Recycling is a leading single stream recycler in the State of Texas and their offices are based out of Houston.  As you will find in a minute when I talk about my conversation with Mr. Simmons, single stream recycling brings convenience to homeowners and businesses by allowing you to place all recyclables in one container as opposed to separating in to different bins – And for those of you that follow my blog, you know how I feel about our ‘Society of Convenience’.  This seems like a natural solution to our recycling needs and to help it go mainstream.  Greenstar currently handles appx. 2 million tons of recyclables per year and is only focused on sustainability.  Recycling is all they do.  They have no interest in landfills except for reducing how much solid waste is dumped in them.

When I asked Mr. Simmons regarding their involvement with Keep Houston Beautiful and the Esplanade Project he responded “We are a key sponsor for both Keep Houston Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful because we believe that global problems can be solved at a local level.”  He was excited that so many community members and families had shown up in support to plant trees and help make Houstonians proud of their City. 

The next question I had was regarding the significance of single stream recycling.  Did you know that by converting to single stream:

• San Antonio increased recycling by 200%
• Dallas by 300%
• Austin by 60%

The competitor in me says that Houston can do better.  Right?  Mr. Simmons stated that  “People want to do the right thing… When recycling is made easy, people do it”  so Greenstar works closely with Municipalities to help make recycling convenient for residents.  They believe that Texas can be a National leader in Recycling and that single stream recycling is the answer for Houston.

For the readers that chimed in on Facebook, I did indeed ask if they were working to provide recycling options in Galveston, Montgomery County and in the Unincorporated parts of Harris County.  The answer is yes.  They are doing what they can in speaking with communities and municipalities.  But something tells me like anything else, we need to demand it to make it happen quicker.  Let your areas know that we WANT recycling options.  

Do you think that single stream recycling is the answer to Houston’s recycling needs? 

Thank you to Mike Simmons and everyone else from Greenstar that helped in getting these questions answered.  I’m excited to see how Greenstar can help change the recycling landscape in Houston and surrounding areas.

So, this has me on the look out for new products to use. I’ll be heading down to New Living to pick up some cleaning supplies but I’m also on the look out for Makeup, shampoo, soaps, etc.

Do you have a product that I should try? I’m thinking about doing a series on Turning Houston Green about it if the products can be purchased locally.

What do you recommend? I would like for a full list of ingredients prior to using it though.

Try me at Steph@TurningHoustonGreen.com or just leave a comment. Interested in hearing what kind of alternatives are out there for beauty products in Houston!!

I am even getting some really interesting requests to be added to the Business Directory on my site.  Quite honestly I find it scary, sickening, exciting and fantastic all at the same time.

Venturing out to various networking groups I meet some really interesting people doing fascinating things around town – and then I meet some that are just dumping more in to the Greenwashing that is becoming ever so common.  This was also discussed in a ‘Green Lifestyle’ class that I taught at Lone Star College at Cy Fair.  There were some absolutely great questions that arose out of that and so I thought I would address them here as well.  I wanted to put out some guidelines that you should consider when wanting to make some energy efficient, healthy or otherwise green changes within the home.

Certification of some kind -

Over the past year I have seen a tremendous increase in companies around Houston that advertise doing Energy Audits.  The costs range from $99 up to over $1000 – They range from doing a visual check to blower door and thermal scans of the property.  First and foremost the thing to consider is that there is a TRUE science between energy efficiency and indoor air quality.  One change can negatively affect the other.

If you are going to have an Energy Audit done at your property request one that is Certified to do so.  Check out Natresnet to find one near you.  A ‘visual’ exam that you pay through the nose for may disappoint you in the end.  Make sure you get a professional.

Visual exams are GREAT as long as they are done by the right professional that has been properly trained.

Claims of Saving you Money -

True Green industry professionals can save you money with changes that you make – But the really good ones will tell you if you are wasting your time or need to make other changes first.  Ask for documentation on savings for your particular home.  Ask if they have a guarantee and make sure that if they are selling you a product that claims to be cheaper than another ask for documentation from the manufacturer stating that the PERFORMANCE is equal.

Often times even though the products are identical in their purpose, it may be apples to oranges in performance.  A perfect example here would be new HVAC equipment or windows.

Certification of Products -

This is the interesting one lately.  All kinds of ’self’ or ‘company’ certifications seem to be popping up.  Some will give you a hot water heater blanket, a couple dimmer switches and a tube of caulk and call your home green.

This is so not the case my friends.  Do your research to make sure you are getting what you really think you are.  Here is a good wiki explaining some of the hidden trade offs.

Testing -

If someone is wanting to sell you a product or service, ask what kind of testing is involved.  HVAC equipment is another good example of this.  You want to make sure that the product will actually work for your home and properly sized.

If someone wants to sell you renewable energy such as solar panels, find out how to prepare your home to save you money in the long run.  This is documentation.  

Otherwise Green Contract Work around the home -

If you are building or remodeling, get the background of who you want to do the work.  What has been their experience?  Do they have a clearly defined scope of work with the above documentation?  Are they willing to tell you that what you want is not necessarily what you need?

Ask for references and find out what they know about the labels or products you are considering and most importantly ask WHAT MAKES IT GREEN.

Some are infill near Downtown are others are in the Burbs.  I mention this because looking at the reports that I do every month, it gives us the impression that there is not a whole lot going on – when in reality, its appears that it will start to pop up everywhere. 

I am currently in the process of creating a site where I can add floorplans and price sheets for Green-er Communities and Projects around town.  If you know of some amazing green secrets, we would love to hear about them!

Now, historically speaking October is a rather quiet month for Real Estate -  November and December may pick up a little bit – but overall not a whole lot of change until the next year.  Here are the October statistics that we have been following – And a quick question posed to you..Would you like to hear an overall Real Estate Report each month? 

Next month will be month #4 – I’ll start tracking with graphs so that it is easier to follow the change from each month.

• New construction – 125
• Resale – 111

• New Construction – 10
• Resale – 5

• New construction – 12
• Resale -5

• New construction -2
• Resale – 2

•  Active on the market – 905
• Sold in October – 131

• Active on the market – 671
• Sold in October – 95

• Active on the Market – 266
• Sold in October – 50

Here is the first ever Houston Green Real Estate Market Report.  All data compiled through the Houston MLS.

Tankless Hot Water Heaters

Active on the Market

New Construction:  Jumped to 104 from 85
Resale and Rentals:  Jumped to 97 from 58

Sold in September

New Construction:  23 under contract or sold
Resale and Rentals:  12 under contract or sold

Solar Hot Water/PV

Active on the Market

New Construction:  10 down from 15
Resale and Rentals:  5 up from 3

Sold in September

New Construction:  7 under contract or sold
Resale and Rentals:  1 under contract

Insulated/Low-E Windows

Active on the Market

Built Prior to 2000:  1445 from 1850 last month
Built Prior to 1990:  830 from 1090 last month

Sold in September (Including Rentals)

Prior to 2000:  506
Prior to 1990:  308

HVAC Greater than 13 SEER – Not New Construction

Active on the Market:  491 from 455 last month

Sold in September:  172

While I would love to post information here regarding the LEED Certified, NAHB Certified and other really cool stuff such as Geothermal – It is obvious that the numbers showing and some of the listings are not accurate.  The numbers would be incorrect.  For November I will attempt to research these numbers to and give a report on my findings.

For now,  I can tell you that the number of New Construction Single Family and Townhomes popping up around town with Green Certifications is rising every quarter.

If you have a tip on a really cool Green home coming up on the market email me with the Breaking News!  Steph@TurningHoustonGreen.com

Reassuring two–legged neighbors

Appearances count in small urban spaces or tightly regulated neighborhoods. Consider a compost bin, as opposed to pile, if you live close to others. Sturdy plastic bins with lids are commercially available at Green Culture – Gardener’s Supply and here locally at Green Builders Source. If the price seems high, remember that by the time it produces about 10 bags of high-quality compost, it has paid for itself. Do-it-yourself-ers can find plans for a variety of compost containers at this resource.

If your chosen compost container is itself likely to be considered a visual blight, construct a very neat screen fence around the area. Cover fresh kitchen scraps, so that they will not attract the attention of neighbors or other animals. In time, more people will come to see a compost area as no more unattractive than a laundry room or potting shed.

Discouraging four-legged neighbors

Tell anxious folks that you discourage animals from hanging out in your compost by making it both inaccessible and unattractive to animals.
To inhibit easy access, use a container with a lid, such as the above-mentioned commercial bins. Enclose other types of bins with heavy gauge-galvanized wire on the bottom and sides. Locate the compost in a high-traffic area, ideally near the kitchen door, so that wildlife have no privacy there.

What keeps a rodent from chewing right into the bin? Low payoff for his effort. Don’t add dairy products, meat, or grease to the pile. These high-fat items entice animals and also slow the composting process down. Keep a hand trowel by the bin to scratch the fresh scraps into the mix or cover them with leaves to discourage flies. If you feel the compost still attracts animals, make the menu more boring. Leave out the fruit, pits, and nuts. Garden cuttings and low calorie fare such as wilted lettuce will be fine. The warmth of a pile can appeal to animals in the winter. Keeping the pile moist and periodically turning it discourages their nesting, while speeding the rate of decomposition.

Keeping a pile healthy and productive.

For every amount of wet “green” material like grass clippings, banana peels and collapsed eggplants, add several times more than that amount of dry “brown” materials like leaves, straw, or shredded newspaper. The dry materials keep the pile from getting sour and smelling bad. This can be harder in the summer, when dry leaves are scarce but watermelon rinds are plentiful. Try to save bags of autumn leaves for use during the summer, or use the confetti in your shredder. While the pile needs to be wet down to start the decomposition, too much rainwater can make it go sour, so again, a lid is needed. If the pile just won’t rot because it is too dry, it should be soaked again and
turned with a garden fork.

Next month we will share tips for setting up and harvesting your compost.

Enjoy!

Mary Carol Edwards is a landscape designer and owner of Luminous Ground Design. She specializes in landscapes which unite the environment and architecture, and support natural ecology. She considers a landscape a success if it can do all that and be fun, elegant, and creative, too.

With a container garden, you can grow something even where space is limited, add instant “curb appeal” to your landscape, or just ease into gardening cautiously.  And, of course, every container garden can also be a small contribution to the environment.

Drying

Size matters when picking out the container.  A large pot for several plants is a better investment than several small pots with one plant each.  Small pots dry out quickly, but larger ones seem stabilize by creating their own ecosystem.  The material of the container affects its drying rate, too.  A plastic, wooden (with liner), or glazed ceramic container will keep the soil moist longer than a terra cotta or concrete container, unless a liner is available.

Drainage

If your chosen container does not have a hole in the bottom, some nurseries will drill one for you.  The container will drain best if it is not sitting directly on a surface. Place it on smooth flat stones for elegant ‘legs’, on a tray holding pea gravel, or on a dolly with casters.  Inside the container, add a sheet of porous landscape fabric, or an inch or so gravel or pot shards to keep the soil from leaking through the hole.  Fill the container with good potting soil. Soil directly from the garden is too heavy.

Plan for the top of the soil to be an inch below the rim of the container after the plants are in.

Planting

Gardeners used to be concerned primarily with what looked pretty and survived in Houston, but now we also consider whether it supports wildlife, can be eaten by humans, and is not an invasive species. In warm weather and a sunny location, try basil, mint, perilla, lemon grass, or lemon verbena together with insect-attracting plants like pentas, salvias, black-eyed susan and coreopsis. In cool weather, you can plant chard, cilantro, parsley, arugula or dill together with poppies, calendula, nasturtiums, and paperwhites. Some of the herbs have varieties with showy purple or striped leaves. Thyme and oregano look nice draping over the side of a pot, and varieties of eggplant, chili peppers, and leaf lettuces are as attractive as any ornamental plant.

If you don’t want to change plants by season or prefer simplicity, consider planting a small or dwarf variety of citrus, apple, or fig in your container. Urban Harvest list ideal fruit tree varieties for Houston at http://www.urbanharvest.org/advice/fruitgardening.html. A selection of perennial Texas natives in a large container could include salvias, manfreda, Lindheimer muhly grass, coreopsis, winecup, switchgrass, and lazy daisy.

Maintenance

Synthetic fertilizers, among their other faults, cause a buildup of salts in the soil of the container.  It’s another reason to use organics.  Save some rainwater for your container garden. It will help flush out minerals left behind by tap water.

Mulch will protect the plant roots, just as in a garden bed. Look for hardwood mulch made here in Houston from local tree waste. For style points, you might try a layer of tumbled recycled glass in a container where plants are not changed often.

Now that the burn of summer is easing, a container garden is a good way to kick off the next planting season.

Enjoy!

Mary Carol Edwards is a landscape designer and owner of Luminous Ground Design. She specializes in landscapes which unite the environment and architecture, and support natural ecology. She considers a landscape a success if it can do all that and be fun, elegant, and creative, too.

Consumers, not just speaking of those interested in Real Estate, are demanding more.  We are getting to the point where we are demanding a better product.  One that will last longer, one that will have less maintenance, products that are….Green?  Products that promote less waste in the landfill, overall efficiency, and so on?

We read Consumer Reports and have for many years now to find out what product will give us the biggest bang for our buck.  We take in to consideration products that we buy and how long they will last.  We are getting tired of those that are essentially disposable, one that we will have to ‘throw away’ or Redo within a few years.  It seems more than before with large purchases we are stepping away from the Clearance Racks so to speak- or the ‘irregulars’.

Where used to we would get the instant Gratification of buying a product Dirt Cheap.  The example I used yesterday was a pair of jeans on the Clearance for $10.  One leg is about an inch shorter than the other, but if we wear the right shoes, no one will likely notice…until we wear them a couple of times to find that although they were cheap, that was a poor investment.  They really are uncomfortable and no matter what shoes I wear it is evident.  So, we then go out and buy another pair for $40 that we can wear for a significantly longer time period.  Well, that $40 pair of jeans just cost you $50 when you think about it.

Same thing goes with homes but the cost  is quite a bit higher.  For this next example I will use apples to apples.  New Construction vs. New Construction.

2 Homes are about the same size.  One costs $300,000 and the other costs $250,000.  Both have Granite Countertops and heck, the cheaper one may even have other features that you like better!  But let’s look at the Quality of Construction and the lifetime cost of the home.  Is it really apples to apples?  Likely it is not. The cheaper one may very well be that pair of jeans with one leg shorter than the other.  You can buy it today for less money, and have an electric bill that is $200 more per month, or the design of the home may cause wood to rot out or promote mildew growth.  The carpet is a lower grade, the roof is only a 15 year shingle vs. a 30 year- the possibilities are truly endless.

What am I getting at?  Just like the jeans that ended up costing you $10 more, the home over the lifetime of you living there may cost you a considerable amount of money more in the end.

As we step away from the Clearance Racks, how do we advertise these differences? Where stone floors, Granite Countertops and even Stainless Steel appliances give a home that sexy advertising kick that some people are looking for, there is nothing really sexy about Caulking Floor Joists to promote energy efficiency or having premium Ventilation in the home so you don’t sneeze as much or get dirty carpets at bedroom doors from air being sucked underneath it.

“You won’t sneeze or have to dust as much in this home!” is not anything that I expect to see in any advertisement any time soon.

So what ARE we going to see?  Just 5 years ago even having a Radiant Barrier on a home was considered to be too expensive, now it is too expensive to NOT have it!  Are we going to start seeing Builders and Homeowners post Energy Ratings to prove the difference?

How about a home with Solar Backup advertised with “I had Electricity during Ike!”

We are in a time of amazing change.  Personally I think we are going to see huge changes in the way homes are advertised- Both New Construction and Resale.  Will people start demanding Certifications on homes whether it be LEED, Environments for Living or NAHB Green?  Consumers have demanded over the past 5 years or so more and more Energy Star Logos on various products.

Just as cars have a miles per gallon sticker and energy star products have an annual usage tag, maybe homes should have something similar?  There are many people out there that think this is a good idea.  Will it happen in the next year or even two?  Probably not.

Where am I going with this?  The Construction industry is changing every day.   The term ‘Green’ in ‘Green Building’ seems to become a little more normal and even expected by the day whether that be through Efficiency or Total Lifetime Cost through maintenance.

If you are really looking in to stepping away from the Clearance Rack with your next home and buying one that is Durable, Efficient and all that Jazz- take a look at the Details- the ‘fine print’ so to speak.   Weigh your options.  Is that home you are thinking about buying going to cost you more in the long run?  Is it maybe just Greenwashed – i.e. more talk than action? – Will it REALLY perform the way you want it to?

If you are selling an existing home with Green, Energy Efficient, Maintenance upgrades- Now more than ever it is important to have a Real Estate Agent that can actually portray that in Advertising so it doesn’t end up on the ‘Irregular’ rack by accident.

It’s all just food for thought.  It will be interesting to see what ‘09 has in store for us.

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year and as tradition holds in my household, the kids and I put up the Christmas Tree the night of Thanksgiving.  We do this every year as a way to kick off the Holiday Season.

As I was getting out some of the Decorations, Ornaments and Lights-  It crossed my mind that ‘Tis The Season for Shopping, Heavy Traffic around the Shopping Malls, Rush-Rush-Rush trying to get everything done…

But not only all of that the makes the Season complete and in an odd way fun, It is also the Season for Loads of Trash!  Think about it.  We throw away old strands of Christmas Lights that either don’t work or we are just tired of.  We have Broken Christmas ornaments, linens that we replace, Clothing that we get rid of, Trees that often times go to the Dump…

I would be curious to know exactly what percentage of Garbage we accumulate in the Dump over the last 2 months of the year…and first few weeks of every year.

This made me do a little bit of Research that I thought I would share with my Turning Houston Green Friends.  I will be looking at options besides Trash Dump throughout the rest of the year…and will share those as well, but for now- Here are some ideas.

• Christmas Lights-  I ran across a site that will Recycle Old Incandescent Christmas Lights for FREE! They also sell Christmas LED Lights and Pre-Lit Trees.  When you send in something to be Recycled, they will email you 15% off Coupon to be used at their site.  The company is HolidayLEDS.com and they even recommend that you get together with your friends and family to reduce Shipping Emissions.
• Christmas Trees-  Personally, because of allergies I have to use an Artificial Tree but if you use a Real Tree of the Holidays, don’t forget to Recycle it!  The City of Houston, The Woodlands and most Surrounding areas have options.  Here is a link for a Google Search on Recycling Christmas Trees Just Click Here around Houston:
• Artificial Trees- We get tired of them, We upgrade/downgrade and often times they end up in the Dump.  I have been known in the past to sell them at Garage Sales, but I think I am going to try something new.  The Women’s Shelter in Houston takes ALL kinds of donations for displaced Families that are victims of Violence.  Often times, these Women have small children.  I am going to send over Christmas Decorations from now on.  Here is a link And to let you know, I got this idea from a Fantastic Person.  You can read her blog here <<—
• Clothing-  Women’s and Children’s clothing can also be taken to the Women’s Shelter, Men’s clothing is always welcome at other Organizations such as Goodwill and Salvation Army.  Do you know of other Organizations that need clothing?  I would love to hear about it.
• Old Bed Sheets-  Have you ever made Curtains out of old bed sheets?  I’m using some as a Christmas Tree Skirt this year that I jazzed up.
• Cardboard Boxes and Paper-  Recycle Bins of course!  HEB usually has Cardboard Recycling available in their parking lot and so do many Schools.
• Odds and Ends of Other Recycling Information for all areas of the United States can be found at Earth911.com – They are an excellent resource on where to Recycle Electronics and about anything else close to YOUR home.

The more you think about it, the more you realize how much we send to the Trash Dump- Not just during the Holidays, but all year.  Bed Pillows, Shoes, Old Rags, Broken Toys and all kinds of other items.

What are your ideas of Recycling Old Holiday Items? My goal is to send less than one Bag of Trash to the Dump of the Holiday Season.  Share your ideas with me!

In Houston, the two programs that are getting a lot of Buzz and being asked about is Energy Star and Environments for Living.  Energy Star has done an amazing job branding itself as Energy Efficient.  The Energy Star logo is now a common sight on products that use Electricity as well as more and more builders hopping in to use the program.

When it comes to homes, Energy Star primarily focuses on how much Energy the products in the home use.  For example, the Dishwasher, lights, ceiling fans, hot water heater, etc.  An Energy Star home uses Energy Star rated products.  It is important to remember that Energy Star does not focus as much on the Envelope of the home.  Absolutely I agree that as many products as possible in the home should have the Energy Star logo- but this is where Environments for Living hopped in to bridge the gap.

Environments for Living is a program that appears to be growing with Light speed in the Houston area, but what does it mean?

The two main differences if you take a look at the Websites for the two >>ES<< and >>EFL<< are this:

• Energy Star: “at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC)
• EFL: “seeking to achieve energy efficiency 50 percent above 2006 IECC“

EFL takes Energy Star as a basic minimum standard.  There is a minimum requirement for products in the home that have to bear the Energy Star Logo…and then builds on top of that, so at the same time they focus somewhat on different features of the home.

In both programs, you will find a focus on Air Infiltration meaning the home will not ‘leak’ as much air in or out depending on your climate but their end goal for energy usage are using different Codes with different requirements.

As Craig Lobel with EcoEdge Consulting puts it:

EFL energy models the actual floor plan and then makes recommendations on R-Values, SEER and AFUE.   I think it’s important to remember that floor to ceiling, wall to window, and wall partitioning differ from each home.  Their energy modeling process also gives the annual electricity and natural gas BTU usage for the home.  Also keep in mind, EFL backs their program up with a 3 year comfort and energy usage guarantee and geared towards being 50% more efficient on Heating and Cooling over a code built home in a given region.

Another part of the Thermal Envelope are the windows- how they are sealed and the minimum requirement for Solar Heat Gain.  Air Ducts in the attic must have a minimum R-Value, holes in the homes sheathing must be sealed to not only help with Air Infiltration but moisture management which is a HOT topic in Gulf Coast Regions such as Houston

If you get up in to a higher rating of EFL, the home also focuses on Water Efficiency and other GREEN features.

Both Energy Star and Environments for Living are great programs, they just focus on different things in the end.  Which one should a Homebuyer consider?  Well, that depends on what your needs and wants are…maybe even what price range you are in.

Check out the links that I have placed throughout this post and it may help to explain more in detail the difference between the two.  In my opinion, EFL focuses more on the envelope and the home as a system than Energy Star and should have a tighter blower door test rating in the end…if your focus is Energy Efficiency.