Technologist For Hire » green http://www.nexdot.net/blog An everyday attempt to stand out Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:24:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1-alpha-15359 I bought a house, and it’s going to be green http://www.nexdot.net/blog/2009/03/12/i-bought-a-house-and-its-going-to-be-green/ http://www.nexdot.net/blog/2009/03/12/i-bought-a-house-and-its-going-to-be-green/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:13:50 +0000 Christian Flickinger http://www.nexdot.net/blog/?p=86 In December of 2008 Katie, my Fiance, and I set out to buy our first home together. Our plan was to purchase the house sometime around May of 2009. We live in Michigan, so foreclosures are very common, so we focused on finding one to save some money. Well, we found the one that we loved, after looking at more than I care to mention, and have successfully closed on the house as of Monday, March 9, 2009.

The house was built in 1955, very solid construction, no structural issues, large basement, lath & plaster walls, and everything else that comes with a 50 year old house.

We have begun the process of updating everything. We have already torn out the carpeting, patched & sanded the walls, and prepared the house for our mini-renovation.

I made a decision early on that I wanted to be environmentally aware with everything that we put into this house. Below is a list of everything that is planned so far in my “Green Initiative”, some environmental and some economical:

  • Every light bulb has been replaced with a CFL bulb.
  • Every appliance is an Energy Star model, if available (which, so far, includes Fridge, Stove/Oven, Microwave, Dishwasher, Washer, Dryer)
  • Televisions are all Energy Star rated
  • Carpet is Mohawk brand everSTRAND. An amazing, extremely affordable (cheaper than standard carpet!), very soft (softer than standard carpet, in my opinion), naturally stain resistant (but still treated with Scotchguard), carpeting made from recycled plastic bottles.
  • Toilets are water conserving models.
  • Windows were brand new when we moved in, so no worries about that.
  • Water heater is Energy Star rated and wrapped in an insulating blanket (I would have preferred a tankless system, but I’m also trying to be wallet-friendly at my end)
  • Kitchen cabinets are being purchased from a company that has very strict environmental policies.
  • Thermostat is set at an Energy Star recommended daily programming schedule.
  • Water heater is set to a lower temperature.
  • Katie’s computer is made using “Green” products such as the new WD Caviar Green 1TB hard drive.
  • Our city has a recycling program, which we intend to use heavily!
  • I will be purchasing a battery operated Lawn Mower, which will mow my entire lawn using only $0.10 of electricity, zero emissions.
  • Katie plans on having a garden, which is as Green as you can get.
  • LOW/NO VOC PAINT!
That is all that I can think of right now. I will update the list if anymore come to mind.
It is so simple to be environmentally aware, but probably even easier if you are doing a renovation. Not only will I be saving money, but I will also being do a small part in protecting the environment.
]]> http://www.nexdot.net/blog/2009/03/12/i-bought-a-house-and-its-going-to-be-green/feed/ 2 Dell and the environment: green is out, brown is in http://www.nexdot.net/blog/2007/12/18/dell-and-the-environment-green-is-out-brown-is-in/ http://www.nexdot.net/blog/2007/12/18/dell-and-the-environment-green-is-out-brown-is-in/#comments Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:31:22 +0000 Christian Flickinger http://www.nexdot.net/blog/2007/12/18/dell-and-the-environment-green-is-out-brown-is-in/

[UPDATE: December 03, 2008 @ 5:11pm EST]
Dell has responded to this post. I like the outcome!

I have been meaning to write about this for a while, and today was the last straw.

The company I work for orders all of their computers from dell. About 4 months ago we started receiving random Adobe Acrobat Standard CDs & licenses for free with every single computer that we purchase. We did not request these CDs. At first, they came inside of the box with the computer. Soon, they started arriving in a padded envelope. After that, they began arriving in their own box, complete with paper padding, and a padded envelope. We have received well over 100 of these.

Today, a new shipment of computers came in (just 6), and we got 6 boxes, filled with packaging materials, a padded envelope, and a single Adobe Acrobat Standard. What shocked me, and added fuel to the fire, was that the boxes have now gotten bigger. A single Adobe Acrobat CD, in a DVD sized case, nows comes in a box that measures 10x19x10, complete with padding & padded envelope!

Please see photos below (the newest, largest box can be seen at the bottom of the pile):

Boxes & Packaging
Dell Boxes

Contents of the above boxes
Adobe CDs

Dell is being more BROWN and less GREEN with this method of packaging. They should be more environmentally conscious when it comes to shipping things. I wonder how much extra it cost to ship out those boxes, with packaging, and padded envelope.

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