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If you're planning to buy a toilet or bathroom sink faucet this fall, timing your purchase to coincide with Georgia's sales tax holiday for WaterSense labeled products can help you save a little money. Between October 1 and October 4, 2009, customers will not have to pay sales tax on toilets and bathroom sink faucets and accessories that have earned the WaterSense label. Consumers can be sure that products with the WaterSense label have been independently certified to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) rigorous criteria for water efficiency and performance.
Purchasing and installing WaterSense labeled products is a key way Georgians can save water. If just one out of every four households in Georgia would retrofit their bathrooms with WaterSense labeled bathroom fixtures, it could save nearly 10 billion gallons per year-enough for every Georgian to take a shower daily for about two months.
Whether remodeling a bathroom, constructing a new home, or simply replacing older, inefficient fixtures that waste money and water, consider installing a WaterSense labeled toilet or bathroom sink faucet.
As consumers shop for WaterSense labeled toilets during the sales tax holiday, they can be sure these fixtures use 20 percent less water than the current federal standard for toilets and that WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets and accessories will reduce a sink's water flow by 30 percent or more. Because all products must be tested to meet EPA's criteria before earning the WaterSense label, these water savings are achieved without sacrificing performance.
The sales tax holiday on WaterSense labeled products will start Thursday, October 1 at midnight and will continue through the weekend until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 4. Any WaterSense labeled product purchased for noncommercial home or personal use during the sales tax holiday will be Georgia state sales tax-free.
For more information on the sales tax holiday, visit Conserve Water Georgia.
For more information on WaterSense, please visit www.epa.gov/watersense.
For more information on WaterSense labeled, High Efficiency Toilets, please contact GA's largest seller of the award-winning Caroma Dual Flush toilets, ecoTransitions. All of Caroma's 47 floor mounted models also qualify for the $100 toilet rebate offered by most Metro Atlanta Water authorities. For more information, visit www.ecotransitions.com or contact them via email at sales@ecotransitions.com or by phone at (678) 313-9260.
Much attention has been paid in recent years to what seems to be a growing environmental conscience in the United States. Going green used to be considered expensive and a luxury for those who could afford the trend. Now it appears that we are learning that not only is adopting more environmentally conscious attitudes good for our economic situation, but also our....health? Yes, if we dig a bit deeper we can see that dirty industries and backwards policy is actually harming the health of the earth for our children and the health of her inhabitants today.
How Does Environmental Policy Affect Public Health?
There are two levels of health consequences associated with dirty industry, both direct and indirect. The direct consequences are examples like increased asthma rates in areas with high smog indices. Chlorofluorocarbon release into the atmosphere has shown to decrease the filter of direct sunlight on the planet, resulting in more concentrated ultraviolet light reaching the surface of the earth. Perhaps it is no surprise then that in countries with depleted atmospheric gas, skin cancer rates are among the highest in the world.
The indirect health consequences are harder to see immediately, but closer examination reveals that these are, in fact, perhaps the most hazardous. Bi-products of dirty and backwards industries, such as coal and oil processing, include cancer causing substances like asbestos and benzene. A U.K. study conducted in 2002 indicated that coal and oil industry workers are at a much higher risk of developing mesothelioma (associated with asbestos exposure) and leukemia (traced to benzene and heavy-metal exposure). Dr. Valerie Rusch among many other doctors who specialize in this area understand that these are substances that can be directly traced to antiquated pre-regulation equipment in industries whose environmental hazards are even more inherent.
Can we really afford to continue on the path we were on before? Investment in clean industry means not a healthier planet for our children and grandchildren, but also a healthier place for us to live today.
--June 18, 2009 Written by Bill Hawthorne with the maacenter
Learn about how the historic Hurt Building was converted to be managed sustainably.
The two-hour educational program will focus on how the building was turned into the first LEED EB office building inside the perimeter of Atlanta.
The program will also include a behind-the-scenes tour of the property.
Built in 1913, the Hurt Building is one of Atlanta's earliest skyscrapers. The 18-story, 436,340 square-foot building incorporates classic architecture, modern amenities and sustainable management. The Hurt Building has achieved Gold Certification as a LEED EB building. It has also been nominated for a 2009 Atlanta Business Chronicle Environmental Award. Additionally, the Hurt Building was honored as the 2006-2007 International Building of the Year in HistoricalBuilding category of BOMA International's The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) contest.
The meeting facilities and seminar coordination is provided by Harbor Group Management Company.
Don't miss out on this great seminar!
Where & When
2:30-4:30 p.m. June 16, 2009
$20 members of BOMA-Atlanta and the Green Chamber of the South
$40 non-members
Additional $5 late fee for registrations after June 9.
For more information http://online.boma-atlanta.org/core/events/eventdetails.aspx?meeting=SUSTRE0609
This chart shows how much water can be saved by replacing an old, inefficient toilet with a Dual Flush HET (High Efficiency Toilet). It compares the water used per person or per family of 4 utilizing a Dual Flush toilet versus all other, currently available toilet models (1.28 per flush, 1.6 per flush and of course all the older models, using 3.5, 5 or even 7 gallons every single time!). The money savings are calculated on the newest approved Water rates in the City of Atlanta. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Source http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/first-time-years-new-homes-are-shrinking by Martin Holladay 
The McMansion Era May Be Ending
WASHINGTON, DC - For the first time in at least ten years, the average size of new homes sold in the U.S. is shrinking. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the average new home measured 2,342 square feet - significantly less than inthe second quarter of 2008, when new homes averaged 2,629 square feet.
Reporting on the trend, USA Today interviewed Gopal Ahluwalia, vice president of research for the National Association of Home Builders. "This will remain a trend. I don't expect this (home size) to come back up," said Ahluwalia. "We don't need big homes. Family size has been declining for the past 35 years." According to an NAHB survey, 9 out of 10 builders say they're planning to build smaller, lower-priced homes than in the past.
A Novel Idea: A Home Is A Place To Live
USA Today also quoted Kermit Baker, chief economist of the American Institute of Architects, who said that plummeting home values "have caused many people to stop seeing houses as an investment but rather as a place to live."
Recognizing the trend, home builder KB Home is selling tiny new 880-square-foot homes in three Houston subdivisions for $64,000. According to BusinessWeek.com, "If the houses sell, KB will build them in other cities, targeting renters in all markets. The houses will yield higher-than-usual margins, KB says, because they have [fiber-cement] siding instead of brick and Formica countertops rather than stone. Bathrooms are lined up vertically to save copper pipe. ... KB chief Jeffrey Mezger says the mini-houses are a return to his industry's roots in post-World War II communities such as Levittown, N.Y., where 800 square feet was a typical home size. ‘Any time there's been an age of exuberance and then the economy turns,' he says, ‘people get back to "What do I need?" rather than "What could I buy?" ' "
Tags: McMansion, Small home, tiny home
Image Credits:
- KB Home
More and more cities and municipalities are offering a rebate for the replacement of old, inefficient toilets with Low Flow or High Efficiency Toilets (HET) using 1.6 gallons or less per flush. I compiled this list to make it easier for you to find out if your city, county or water authority is participating in a rebate program. Please note that links to most authorities are included. I will try to keep adding more as they become available. If you know about programs I have not listed, please comment so I can add them.
Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Massachusetts
Missouri
North Carolina
New Mexico
Oregon
South Dakota
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Every Drop Counts
More than 1 trillion gallons of water are wasted in U.S. homes each year from easy-to-fix leaks. That's why ecoTransitions is participating in Fix a Leak Week, March 16 to 20, 2009, and we encourage you to join us.
Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) WaterSense® program, this week is an opportunity to improve the water efficiency of your homes by checking for and fixing leaks, which waste an average of 11,000 gallons of water per home each year. That's more than enough water to fill up a backyard swimming pool!
Here's how to identify and address leaks around your home: 
- Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.
- To determine if you have a leak, now is a great time to check water usage. If a family of four exceeds 12,000 gallons per month in the winter, you probably have leaks!
- Search for toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If any color shows up in the bowl without flushing first, you have a leak. (Be sure to flush immediately to avoid staining the tank.)
- If you decide it's time for a new commode or faucet, look for WaterSense labeled products, which use 20 percent less water and perform as well or better than standard models. The vast majority of leaks can be eliminated after retrofitting a household with new WaterSense labeled fixtures and other high-efficiency appliances.
Faucets and Showerheads:
- A leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year. A home with WaterSense labeled toilets could use that water to flush for six months!
- You can reduce faucet leaks by checking faucet washers and gaskets for wear and replacing them if necessary. If you are replacing a faucet, look for the WaterSense label.
- A showerhead leaking at 10 drips per minute wastes more than 500 gallons per year. That's enough water to wash 60 loads of dishes in your dishwasher.
- Most leaky showerheads can be fixed by ensuring a tight connection using pipe tape and a wrench.
Toilets:
- If your toilet is running constantly, you could be wasting 200 gallons of water or more every day.
- If your toilet is leaking, the cause is most often an old, faulty toilet flapper. Over time, this inexpensive rubber part decays, or minerals build up on it. It's usually best to replace the whole rubber flapper-a relatively easy, inexpensive do-it-yourself project that pays for itself in no time.
- If you do need to replace the entire toilet, look for a WaterSense labeled model. If a family of four replaces its older, inefficient toilets with new WaterSense labeled ones, it could save more than 16,000 gallons per year. Retrofitting the house could save the family approximately $2,000 in water and wastewater bills over the lifetime of the toilets.
Outdoors:
- An irrigation system should be checked each spring before use to make sure it was not damaged by frost or freezing.
- An irrigation system with pressure set at 60 pounds per square inch that has a leak 1/32nd of an inch in diameter (about the thickness of a dime) can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month.
- To ensure that your in-ground irrigation system is not leaking water, consult with a WaterSense irrigation partner who has passed a certification program focused on water efficiency.
- Check your garden hose for leaks at its connection to the spigot. If it leaks while you run your hose, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench.
As a WaterSense partner concerned with preserving our nation's water supply, ecoTransitions can help you learn more. Use our water savings calculator to determine how much water you can save by installing a Caroma Dual Flush toilet.
Learn More
Fix a Leak Week is March 16 to 20, 2009. Grab a wrench or contact your favorite handy person, plumber, or WaterSense irrigation partner to address leaking toilets, faucets, and irrigation systems around your home. Visit the WaterSense Web site to learn more.
About EPA's WaterSense Program
WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by EPA. Its mission is to protect the future of our nation's water supply by promoting and enhancing the market for water-efficient products and services. Currently, there are nearly 250 WaterSense labeled toilets, 500 labeled faucets and faucet accessories, and more than 550 certified irrigation partners. WaterSense labeled products must achieve independent, third-party testing and certification to prove they meet EPA's rigorous criteria for efficiency and performance.
Living "green" is about more than just energy efficiency and recycling - it's also about giving your family a healthier home. Breathing "greener" air means checking your home for radon, a leading indoor air problem that is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Breathing in high levels of radon indoors can lead to lung cancer yet it is easily preventable. A simple home radon test can tell you if you have a problem. If your home does have a high radon level, there are simple ways to reduce this radioactive gas and make your home's air safer.
I just found this article on http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv/news/headlines/37199249.html
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EPA: One in 15 Homes in Virginia Have Elevated Levels of Radon
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January 7, 2009
According to the Environmental Protection Agency , Virginia is among a handful of states with areas that have elevated levels of radon. The EPA estimates that one in 15 homes will have elevated levels of radon. Experts say because we spend a lot of time inside during the winter months, now is the best time to have your home tested.
Also, the EPA reports that radon can lead to serious health concerns such as lung cancer.
When Albemarle county resident, Dave Lewis and his wife were pregnant with their son, River, a little more than two years ago, safeguarding their home was a top priority.
"It just makes you re-evaluate everything, kind of pay attention to the stuff you skipped over," said Lewis.
Before bringing their new life into their home, testing and reducing the elevated levels of radon jumped to the top of their ‘To Do List.'
Wolfgang Hermann of Central VA Radon stepped into the picture to install a radon reduction system in the Lewis' home.
"Its radioactive gas that seeps out from the soil and it's a breakdown of uranium in the soil, so it's a gradual decomposing of stone, but it's radioactive," said Hermann.
According to Hermann, radon can lead to serious health challenges, especially in children, like River. It can also be detrimental to the elderly, who often spend a lot of time at home.
"When breathing it out here it's diluted harmless, but inside a house it gets drawn in, it accumulates and gets concentrated," said Hermann.
According to Hermann, reducing radon levels can cost about $1200 and testing your home can cost lest than $20.
"You can do it yourself, you send it in the lab report will come back in a week, and you'll know where you are at," said Hermann.
Provided the gas has no smell or odor, Hermann says testing is the only way of knowing.
"Its' nice to not have to worry about that at night, it's one thing to know that the radon levels are not going to bother us, they're not going to bother him," Lewis said.
For more information on radon testing in central Virginia, or a radon area map compiled by Central VA Radon, visit http://www.central-va-radon.com
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. It is a colorless, tasteless, odorless radioactive gas that enters your home through cracks and crevices in the foundation. Decomposition products attach to very small particles in the air which then can be breathed into the lungs, potentially resulting in serious health consequences. National statistics indicate that one in fifteen homes in the U.S. have unacceptable levels of radon. ANY house can contain elevated levels of radon unless there is a functioning radon system in place. It's not a sign of a bad builder - shifting and settling happens.
The only way to know whether your house has unacceptable levels of radon is to have the lowest livable space in the home tested. You may test yourself using kits that are available at home supply stores or seek professional assistance. Winter is the best time to test since doors and windows are kept closed allowing radon concentrations to reach detectable levels.
If radon occurs as a result of out gassing from the soil, the most common reason, it can be readily mitigated with ventilation for roughly $1,000. Removal technology is simple and straightforward. It involves blocking points of entry into the lowest livable space in the home and venting areas to the outside using an active circulation system to exhaust basement air. Usually plastic ducting and piping are sufficient, and these low-cost materials help keep total costs low. In a few rare cases, it has been discovered that foundations were made of radioactive mine tailings or other waste materials. In these situations, the costs of radon mitigation become substantially more than $1,000.
More Articles on This Topic:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Indoor Air - Radon
http://www.epa.gov/radon/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: A Citizen's Guide to Radon
This is a Press release from the EPA
Release date: 01/05/2009
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543, smith.bonnie@epa.gov
PHILADELPHIA (January 5, 2009) - - Radon doesn't have to be the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. By testing for radon and taking any needed preventive steps you can protect yourself and your family from this health threat.
Radon comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It is an invisible, tasteless, radioactive gas that can become trapped indoors. When you breathe air containing radon, you are exposing yourself to the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is found all over the country and in any type of building including homes, offices, and schools. Because we spend most of our time indoors at this time of year, this is the best time to test our homes for radon.
While many health challenges are tough to solve and expensive, testing for radon is easy and inexpensive. For $20 you can buy a "do-it-yourself" radon test kit at a hardware store or retail outlet. Many of us had our homes tested when they were purchased, but that may have been 20 years ago. EPA recommends you get your home tested every five years, since foundations can shift over time.
If your test shows high levels of radon, confirm with another test and fix the problem. A high radon level might be lowered with a straight-forward radon venting system installed by a contractor. Mitigation costs generally run from $1,000 to $2,500. In new homes, builders can easily and economically include radon-resistant features during construction, and home buyers should ask for these. EPA also recommends that home buyers ask their builder to test for radon before they move in.
EPA estimates that one in 15 homes will have a radon level of four picocuries per liter of air or more, a level the agency considers high. Based on the national radon map, all of the mid-Atlantic states - - Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, D.C., and Delaware - - have areas with elevated radon levels.
For more information about radon contact our regional website at: http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/Indoor/radon.htm or contact our national website at http://www.epa.gov/radon or call 1-800-SOS-RADON (767-7236).
You can also reach your state radon office on-line or by phone at:
Delaware Health and Social Services Administration at 302-739-4731
Maryland calls go to EPA Region 3 at 215-814-2086
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection at 717-783-3594
Virginia Radiological Health Programs at 804-786-5932
Washington D.C. Department of Public Health at 202-535-2999
West Virginia Radiological Health Program at 304-558-6716
January is National Radon Action Month: http://www.epa.gov/radon/nram/public.html
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If you live in a single family home or an older ground floor condo please get your home tested!
What is LEED®
LEED® stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It was created and is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit environmental organization with more than 14,000 member organizations dedicated to sustainability in building design and construction. The certification system has been in use for more than seven years in commercial construction, and includes more than 3.2 Billion square feet of real estate currently seeking LEED® certification.
LEED® recognizes the highest quality in green homebuilding. LEED® promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor air quality.
Please explore case studies on a variety of LEED®-certified homes at http://www.thegreenhomeguide.org.
LEED®for Homes FAQs for Home Buyers
Is a green home right for me?
If you would like a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle for you and for your family, a green home is right for you. Green homes have lower utility bills, use less water, are associated with fewer asthma attacks, and are at lower risk for mold and mildew. Green homes are better for the environment, and they are affordable.
How are green homes good for the climate?
In the United States, our homes are responsible for 21% of our nation's greenhouse gas emissions. Living in a green home means that you're helping to stop the causes of climate change.
How will a LEED®home benefit me?
The benefits of a LEED®home include economic benefits such as lower energy and water bills; environmental benefits like reduced greenhouse gas emissions; and health benefits such as reduced exposure to mold, mildew and other indoor toxins.
LEED®-certified homes may also be eligible for financial benefits such as lower fees for financing and lower insurance rates.
How can I compare a green home to a conventional home?
Think of LEED®as a nutrition label for your home that gives you much greater confidence in specific features of your home that will contribute to your quality of life.
LEED®certified green homes include a homeowner's manual and a LEED® "scorecard" that reflects third-party verified information about your home's energy performance, water savings, materials used in construction, and other features.
Similar, third-party verified information is typically not available for conventionally constructed homes.
What types of homes are LEED®certified?
The LEED®for Homes certification system is tailored for the construction of market rate and affordable new single family or low-rise multi-family homes (like condos and garden apartments). Existing homes undergoing extensive renovations - down to the last studs on at least one side of each exterior wall - are also eligible to participate in the program.
What about remodeling projects?
USGBC and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) have partnered to create the REGREEN Program, which are the first nationwide green residential remodeling guidelines for existing homes.
How can I purchase/build a LEED®home?
Tell your realtor or builder that you want a LEED®-certified home. Some markets now include whether a home is LEED®certified in MLS listings of homes for sale. If you are interested in purchasing a LEED®certified home in Georgia, please contact me. I have a list of builders participating in the program.
You can also visit www.thegreenhomeguide.org to find a homebuilder participating in the LEED®for Homes program in your area.
Do LEED®certified homes cost more?
LEED® certification can fit into your family's budget regardless of what it is. LEED®certified homes include everything from luxury residences to Habitat for Humanity projects. Buying green and asking for LEED®-certification is your choice.
Are there any incentives?
Many local and state governments, utility companies and other entities across the country offer rebates, tax breaks and other incentives for green homes and for remodeling with green technologies.
Where can I find more information on green home building?
Visit www.thegreenhomeguide.org for comprehensive information and links to other great online resources.
If you are interested purchasing a "green" home or remodeling "green" in Georgia, please contact me. As a certified EcoBroker®, I have received additional education to promote energy-efficient, sustainable, and healthier design/features in homes and buildings. If you are a Buyer, I look at your individual situation and help you find a home that is comfortable, affordable, healthy and saves money on utility bills. If you are a Seller, I will help you identify how you can improve your home's water and energy efficiency to appeal to today's buyer.
Source EPA WaterSense
It's a story more complicated than it first appears. A drought looms. A community conserves. And then, even though less water is being used, the cost of water rises.
This is the situation facing Atlanta's northern and western suburbs, where regional water wholesaler Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority is increasing rates by about 50 cents per thousand gallons this October. Atlanta communities had cut back water use significantly in response to a record drought in the region that started in 2007.
So what gives?
Beneath the surface, this issue is more complicated than it first appears. These Atlanta suburbs, like most communities in America, had not been paying the true cost of water.
In general, the price of water in the United States has little to do with supply and demand. Municipalities and regulators typically set rates as low as possible, so much so that 30 percent of all water utilities operate at a loss or a deficit. Often water rates will increase for a multitude of reasons.
Consider this: the American drinking water infrastructure network spans more than 700,000 miles-more than four times longer than the National Highway System-and in many municipalities, these pipes are more than 100 years old. An EPA study estimates that updating aging water infrastructure could cost nearly $500 billion over the next two decades.
Inevitably, water rates will go up in order to pay for the replacement of old infrastructure, new water treatment technologies for better water quality, and new water infrastructure to support increasing populations. Water efficiency can in fact help utilities save money over the long run by delaying costly capital expansions. And many homeowners may find that through water efficiency, even if they pay more per drop of water, they will still be paying less overall on their water bills than they would have before.
What's more, Atlanta communities were asked to take drastic, necessary measures to reduce water use well beyond water efficiency or conservation. "What is painting efficiency in a bad light in the Southeast is the failure to recognize the difference between emergency response and efficiency. The extreme watering restrictions and mandated reductions we've experienced in Atlanta are emergency drought management tactics and they have devastating financial ramification just like any natural disaster such as hurricanes or tornados," said Kathy Nguyen, water-efficiency program manager for Cobb County Water System, the Authority's largest customer. "Efficiency is not about hardship, sacrifice, and mandates and it does not destroy a water system's fiscal plan."
Finally, tap water is, on the whole, inexpensive. Bottled water costs from 100 times to more than 2,000 times more than tap water. In the Atlanta metro area, the Cobb County rate increase will equate to about $3.25 more for water per month for the average family. In the long run, however, it's still better to protect water supplies and systems for future generations.
What is WaterSense?
WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water.
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Andrea Paulinelli
Marietta,
GA
More about me…
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers
Office Phone: (404) 243-2500
Cell Phone: (678) 313-9260
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