There are several ways you can “Think Green” when it comes to maintaining your lifestyle. By looking to renewable energy and resources, your home will be more energy efficient, better built and more environmentally conscious.
Wind Power
PGE breaks ground on Wind Farm to power 100,000 homes
Energy Trust of Oregon Knows Wind
WindPower for Kids
Solar Energy
Energy Trust of Oregon Knows Solar
Solar’s Portland prospects grow brighter
Solar Saves and Pays
Rain Harvesting
Collect rain water for irrigation
Bio Power
Energy Trust of Oregon Knows BioPower
Reuse and Recycle Reuse materials when remodeling your home
Recycling for Kids
Replacing sections with carpeting tiles can significantly lower this figure. If 10,000 people purchased carpeting by the tile, it would prevent 163,000 pounds of unused carpet from ending up in landfills.
Vintage materials are often less expensive and more unique. If 10,000 people recycled building materials, the amount of energy saved would be equal to the energy produced by 78 million gallons of gasoline—enough to drive an SUV around the earth 55,000 times.
Energy-efficient construction and retrofitting not only improve the resale value of your home, but can also increase your home-buying power. Lenders treat expected energy savings as income, allowing borrowers to qualify for larger mortgages. If 10,000 people converted to Energy Star-qualified homes, the oil saved each year would fill 6,000 hot tubs.
Plants such as philodendrons and peace lilies do an excellent job of absorbing airborne pollutants and are easy to keep. If 10,000 people unplugged their 24-hour electric air purifiers in favor of air-filtering plants for one year, the electricity saved could power a 29-story building for a month.