'Green' Thoughts for Holidays and Winter

I'm getting on the soap box for a few lines this month to discuss some 'green' thoughts for the holidays and winter. And, I think that all of these types of things start at home. Many of these items also start and end in your wallet, so that's important to keep in mind. That being said, here are some tips entering winter:

1) Furnace Inspection
•Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts.
•Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.
•Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable thermostat (but know how to use it)
•If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them.
•Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.

2) Get the Fireplace Ready
•Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.
•If the chimney hasn't been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote.
•Buy firewood or chop wood. Store it in a dry place away from the exterior of your home.
•Inspect the fireplace damper for proper opening and closing.
•Check the mortar between bricks and tuckpoint, if necessary.

3) Check the Exterior, Doors and Windows
•Inspect exterior for crevice cracks and exposed entry points around pipes; seal them.
•Use weatherstripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows.
•Replace cracked glass in windows and, if you end up replacing the entire window, prime and paint exposed wood.
•If your home has a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with plastic shields.
•Switch out summer screens with glass replacements from storage.

4) Inspect Roof, Gutters & Downspouts
•Adding extra insulation to the attic will prevent warm air from creeping to your roof and causing ice dams.
•Check flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home.
•Replace worn roof shingles or tiles.
•Clean out the gutters and use a hose to spray water down the downspouts to clear away debris.
•Consider installing leaf guards on the gutters or extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from the home.

5) Service Weather-Specific Equipment
•Drain gas from lawnmowers.
•Service or tune-up snow blowers.
•Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.
•Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.
•Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt / sand.

6) Check Foundations
•Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation.
•Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house.
•Tuckpoint or seal foundation cracks. Mice can slip through space as thin as a dime.
•Inspect sill plates for dry rot or pest infestation.
•Secure crawlspace entrances.

7) Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
•Some cities require a smoke detector in every room.
•Buy extra smoke detector batteries and change them out annually.
•Install a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace and / or water heater.
•Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work.
•Buy a fire extinguisher or replace an extinguisher older than 10 years.

8) Prevent Plumbing Freezes
•Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency.
•Drain all garden hoses.
•Insulate exposed plumbing pipes.
•Drain air conditioner pipes and, if your AC has a water shut-off valve, turn it off.
•If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to at least 55 degrees.

9) Prepare Landscaping & Outdoor Surfaces
•Trim trees if branches hang too close to the house or electrical wires.
•Ask a gardener when your trees should be pruned to prevent winter injury.
•Plant spring flower bulbs and lift bulbs that cannot winter over such as dahlias in areas where the ground freezes.
•Seal driveways, brick patios and wood decks.
•Don't automatically remove dead vegetation from gardens as some provide attractive scenery in an otherwise dreary, snow-drenched yard.
•Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a sheltered area.

10) Prepare an Emergency Kit
•Buy indoor candles and matches / lighter for use during a power shortage.
•Find the phone numbers for your utility companies and tape them near your phone or inside the phone book.
•Buy a battery back-up to protect your computer and sensitive electronic equipment.
•Store extra bottled water and non-perishable food supplies (including pet food, if you have a pet), blankets and a first-aid kit in a dry and easy-to-access location.
•Prepare an evacuation plan in the event of an emergency.

Don't forget about your duct work! It can make a huge difference to inspect your duct work and tape up any areas that aren't properly sealed or are losing some warm air. It can mean big bucks back in your wallet for the holidays.

And, moving into the holiday season, here are some tips to reduce your waste and carbon footprint while boosting the American economy:

1) Buyer American made! If every American spends $64 on an American made product this holiday season, 200,000 jobs can be created - wow!

2) Thousands of paper and plastic shopping bags end up in landfills every year. Tell store clerks you don't need a bag for small or oversized purchases.

3) Wrap gifts in recycled or reused wrapping paper or funny papers. Also remember to save or recycle used wrapping paper. Give gifts that don't require much packaging, such as concert tickets or gift certificates.

4) Turn off or unplug holiday lights during the day. Doing so will not only save energy, but will also help your lights last longer.

5) Approximately 33 million live Christmas trees are sold in North America every year. After the holidays, look for ways to recycle your tree instead of sending it to a landfill. Check with your community solid waste department and find out if they collect and mulch trees. Check with TVA about using them as fish nesting habitats.

6) When buying gifts, check product labels to determine an item's recyclability and whether it is made from recycled materials. Buying recycled encourages manufacturers to make more recycled-content products available.

Happy Holidays!

Agree or Disagree with the Protests - If You're Reading This, You're in the 99%

I thought that this month I would simply share a few links that I found interesting. I would like to preface them by saying that whether you agree or disagree with the protests, if you're reading this, you're part of the 99% that these people are talking about. And, if you're part of the 1%, we need to get together and discuss real estate investment opportunities.  A statistic was just released from the CBO that the wealth of the top 1% of the US population (that make $344,000/year or more on tax returns) has grown by 275% since 1979, while the bottom 20%'s (individuals who made $25,000/year or less) wealth grew by just under 18%. This is a very hot button issue and people have very strong opinions on the topic, and there are always "deadbeats," "troublemakers," "and "losers" that take part in any kind of protest or cause that tend to yell louder and spoil it for others (i.e. Tea Parties), so I thought that I would just share these links to also expose the idea that these "Occupy" movements are going on all over the world. I'm not taking sides or trying to convince anyone of what to think or not to think, but the distribution of wealth is the basis for a strong democracy, and that is just a fact agreed upon by any economist on any political side.  And, currently the US ranks just above Uganda, Cambodia, Iran, and Cameroon. So, take a look, it's pretty interesting...

Graph and article about the CBO growth of wealth study:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/income-doubles-top-percent-1979/story?id=14817561

"Occupy" opinions from around the globe:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/oct/21/occupy-wall-street-whyoccupy-conversation

Map of the "Occupy Protests":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2011/oct/18/occupy-protests-map-world

Country's of the world distribution of wealth comparison:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html

Feel free to share your thoughts, but please, play nice!