Blogging has challenged me. Between facebook, twitter, and many other social media tools I use on a regular basis, blogging fell by the wayside. So, why am I back?
Tomorrow’s Earth Day. It’s more important than ever to celebrate this day everyday, but tomorrow’s a great reminder for the small steps we can take to make a smaller environmental impact on our sweet little Earth.
Blogging is not the only thing challenging me. Becoming a little greener is too. Case in point: a hail storm hit Central TX a few weeks ago. Our home (we moved in the past year) was hit pretty hard and needs a new roof. I looked at metal roofing (briefly) and a few other options like the Certainteed Solaris shingle. Although the 30% rebate was tempting, I just couldn’t justify another $4K toward a new roof that might help reduce the roof temperature a few degrees in our hot summer sun. So, I went with fairly standard, 30 year shingles. At least we’ll fix the venting issues the current roof has…
In the interest in full disclosure, I have some additional areas of improvement for verde living:
1. I’m no longer carpooling
2. I forget my cloth bags for the grocery store all of the time
3. I chose a low-cost energy supplier for our new place, not a green energy supplier.
4. Installed a new lawn in the backyard. Went with the moisture sucking St. Augustine instead of Zoysia or Buffalo grass. Why…we have lots of shade, it was cheaper, and I wanted some yard areas for the kids to be kids.
My recent decisions were often based on short-term monetary debate. When it comes down to making a purchase, green cash has won over green decisions for me lately.
On a more positive note, here are some great things we’ve done since we moved:
1. Replaced 9 out of 12 windows with Energy Star, Low-E, Argon Gas filled double pane windows from Simonton…pricey, but well worth it.
2. Installed several native plants and landscaping in the same yard we installed in the back.
3. We have a garden in waiting…can’t wait for some homegrown tomatoes.
4. Replaced 90% of the incandescent bulbs in this new house with CFLs. They didn’t go into the trash since they still worked, but some person took them off our hands…carbon dispersion vs. sequestration.
There’s a quick update. Regardless, I’m back and feeling more obligated to make some bigger changes for a verde living lifestyle.
