BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Natural Living Do you live in a "green" home?

I would love to do this, but it's soo expensive. Since we can't build or buy a green home, I'm looking into at least using all eco-friendly products to decorate/furnish the home. Any suggestions? I've found lots of links online but am looking for feedback from people who've actually used these types of products.

I live with my younger sister and her boyfriend as my roommates. We're in a rental house, so we can't really change the house itself, and everybody's pretty poor so we can't change all our hand-me-down furniture. However we do a lot to try and lessen our environmental impact.

We use cloth napkins instead of paper ones, and they don't get used just once before washing. Also, instead of using paper towels, we tend to use old t-shirts torn up into rags. About twice a month all of those make a nice small load of laundry instead of all that trash.

We're experimenting with more natural or make-your-own cleaning products. A gallon of vinegar and a box of baking soda can clean a lot of stuff and do it less toxically too. Since we have a cat and a parrot in the house, anything we use on house surfaces has to be safe for them too.

That's what we do. I did purchase an outdoor table/chairs that are eco-friendly, but for the most part I think secondhand is just as friendly.

We're big on composting and reusing. Anything that can be composted is. My birds get first dips on water then it goes to plants or the garden - same with the duck pools. Bird seed goes to the parrots first and then dishes dumped for the wildlife (because they never eat it all). Sometimes it sprouts and it becomes a new source of food for the ducks. We've got beer and soda bottles that have been around for years - I make beer & soda for the family. If I have a good growing year I also can my own veggies.

I also think the cleaning products are the biggie. We're experimenting with a few alternatives, but when they don't work out I tend to stick with stuff from Whole Foods or the Allergy Store (they use natural - not chemical).

Thanks to you both for responding. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> We're about to move from Orlando to Columbia and while we can't buy a true green home, we'd like to buy eco-friendly furniture, sheets, towels, etc....Do you guys do any of that?? We never have before.

I moved to Seattle in December of 2005 to get away from the higher prices of the Bay Area. I'd love to do stuff like that, but right now, I'm the most cash-poor I've ever been in my life.

I was happy to find that Seattle has a lot of organic produce so I'm eating more of that, plus my housemates (my younger sister and her bf) are avid gardners and we've been eating stuff out of the backyard since April. We've got three water barrels that catch our rain run-off to help keep the garden going.

One of our neighbors has solar panels and we've talked about the idea of incorporating some of that into the house (mom and dad own this rental so we do have supportive landlords, hahaha).

I can relate. We're moving from Orlando to Columbia because it's soooooo hard to live on one income here because housing is astronomical. In Columbia we're actually going to have a mortgage that's managable so I'm hoping to buy some eco-friendly stuff when we get there. We'll see how much we can afford.

We need to do the water barrel idea!!! Are they just plain barrels?

I particularly love that eco-friendly is often frugal <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It's win-win!!

When it comes to building a new home I'd go as green as I could afford while still getting what I want aesthetically and practically. IE: I have a lot of kids. I currently live in 3500 sq ft and plan to build bigger when we're ready, which takes a huge toll on the environment. However, I would make other decisions such as using as much solar power as possible, having the pool be a salt system rather than chemical, etc.

Often those things that cost more in the front end up saving over a course of a few years.

We had a rain barrell when we lived outside of Orlando way long ago when we only had 1 or 2 kids. We used a barrell meant for a water garden and it collected rain water as well as water than ran off the roof. The landlord didnt even really notice since we had a few papayrus growing in it, she thought it was a garden, LOL. Rain barrells are common sights in other countries it's sad that they are being banned from so many places in the US (HOAs, ya know)

Water from the rain, especially if there was a thunderstorm, is ionized (or is it deionized?? either way...) and it's way better for your plants. You can also mix a small amount of natural fertilizer or compost into it to make a "tea" that is great for plants. Also, if you use cloth feminine products you can use the soak water to accomplish the same thing. Since ours collected water from the roof and we didn't own that roof and didnt know what was on it I didnt give it to our animals or put in bird feeders.

If you can't manage a rain barrell, water from the outtake of your air conditioning unit is similar.

Jan..are you seriously moving to Colombia? as in South America or a city in the states that I can't think of at this exact moment? Didnt you just build a house? Am I confused? One of my very best friends in Orlando grew up in Colombia, her family owns coffee plantations.

You could always join me here in NW GA, LOL. We're in a brand new house 3 times the size of what we had in Orlando and it cost almost the same as what we sold that falling-apart fixer-upper in Orlando for! We're 20 minutes from Atlanta (ok, 30 on a good day) and have all the perks of big city living in the small town. We need more liberal homeschoolers here though <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> I have a ped here that you would love!

Meg

LOL

Columbia as in the State Capitol of SOUTH CAROLINA!!!!! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Yes, we bought a house this weekend. The houses up there are soooooooooo cheap compared to FL. We fell in love with Columbia on vacation in June and were floored when we saw a real estate flyer. Before we were moving out of state, we were building here but downsizing because we were sooo stressed regarding bills.

With the move to Columbia, we'll be able to live on one income COMFORTABLY which we've never done before due to our large mortgage payment.

We're going to have a HOA for the first time so I'm a little nervous about that...

Oh South Carolina....ahhhh, gotcha <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I was thinking a move to south america was a huge undertaking and knowing how stressful the move from Orlando to Atlanta was for me I can only imagine the move to a whole new country!!!

This is our first HOA and it's not that bad. We can't do everything we did in FL but there are benefits for sure...they clean the pool, LOL. Ours is pretty easy-going though, I've heard of some that are much more restrictive.

When it comes to natural/frugal things...we can't hang laundry out to dry. We can't plant a garden in the ground and the fruiting plants we do have must stay on the back porch. We cannot tint our windows or line them with reflective materials to save on energy use. We cannot use lined drapes (though we do have these awesome opaque heat blocking paper blinds).

We've lived on one income for 10 years and knew if we wanted to stay in orlando either I'd have to work full-time also or we'd be stuck in the same tiny old house forever. We hadnt planned on moving and were pretty much forced to if my husband wanted a job, but it's worked out (and I accidentally picked up a career to boot!!)

meg

Our rain barrels are made for collecting rain, and they are hooked together so the water flows from one to the second and then to the third as it comes down from the roof. My folks have several of them at their house as well. Sadly, this summer has been very dry and our barrels ran dry back in early July.

We use biodegradable soap for dishes and laundry. The dirt in the yard is kinda [censored], so there are raised beds for the veggies. I don't own a car, and neither does my sister and everyone's got bicycles too.

When I hear the restrictions you ladies are dealing with in regards to HOA, I'd never live someplace that had such energy-inefficient and earth-bad policies in place.

HOAs... gotta love 'em. NOT!

It's not just the HOAs, though. My county has rules against reuse of brown water. We'd planned to have plumbing put in to route the brown water from the washer out onto the yard; but its not permitted. You MUST have it run into a septic (or sewer if you're on a line) or you will be fined.

I don't think our HOA is going to be that bad. I checked out the regulations on the website and they didn't seem too terrible...

I guess we'll have to see. I really don't want to be out in the "sticks" or anything. I want to be in the city and close to everything which often means HOA. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Rae, I always thought that about HOAs as well. There are positives though when the covenant is written and executed in a logical manner. I have way fewer nuisances and a greater property value (versus non-HOA homes in the area) than I did back in orlando where we had no HOA.

Never ever ever in my life did I ever think I'd be defending an HOA..ever...but here I go anyhow. *deep breath*

I may not have a rainbarrel, a garden in the ground or a clothes line but I do have all brand new energystar appliances, a high seer heat pump, programmable thermostats, native plants & landscaping that require absolutely no artificial watering, natural shading, a grey water resevoir used as the primary means of watering the community common areas, recycled natural (and native) materials for mulch, a kicking container garden (which is more than I can handle anyhow), prettier window dressings that work almost as well as sun-reflecting/glare-producing products and our community pool is solar heated...so for everything I can't have there is something I can have that is earth-friendly.

The convenant dictates the 6 colors I can paint my house but in return I don't have to worry about the neighbor parking a 30 yr old rundown RV on the street, blocking traffic and emptying raw sewage into his yard.

I have a playground across the street that we can walk to in safety without having to worry about neighbors who own big dogs with nasty reputations and refuse to chain them up.

I have street lamps that work every night rather than waiting for the city or county to come out and replace them months after they burn out.

When houses are being sold there is no worry about the person across the street painting their house bright neon green and lowering the aesthetic value of the other homes.

I dont have to worry about houses being abandoned and left half-constructed because the financing fell through, leaving hookers and worse to occupy the house (a 600K house on the lake just four houses down from mine in orlando was like that!!)

All of the above happened over the course of the 4 years we owned our home in a non-HOA community in an expensive part of Orlando (ok, all of orlando is expensive).

As hubby & I grow older and raise our family our needs and desires change and those things are now more important to me than they were 10 years ago. Having to take down holiday decorations within 2 days of the holiday ending is worth the much quieter and safer neighborhood.

I'm not as willing to compromise on some of those things as I was in earlier years. I just have different needs now <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Meg

I don't EVEN want to get started on HOAs. My mother's HOA even tells them what color flowers they can plant. The intent of HOA is good, but unrealistic - especially in a sustainable world. Let's keep dumping chemicals on our lawns like good neighbors instead of something natural like a chicken/duck or two for pest control and fertilizer...just one of my many pet peeves.

One of the best resources I've found is a book called Green Living by the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine. It's chock full of ideas & resources. Well worth the money given the amount of time you can spend searching for this stuff online (or even thinking up some of the ideas).

You asked if we used any of this stuff .. I have a table top water purifier from Gaia, bought recycled and organic clothing products from various sources, bought sustainable wood patio furniture, water saver products (shower, laundry, & toilets), compost bins (recycled plastic), etc. We integrate it piece by piece as we can afford to - some of it is expensive and the reality is we sometimes have to go with the cheaper option.

This is a great resource for outdoor green ideas http://www.composters.com/docs/rainbarrels.html like rain barrels, composters, etc. I bought one style of rain barrel from there I hated, but I don't see it anylonger. Some of the styles are really nice and might even hide well from the evil HOAs ....

We also buy our electricity from Green Mountain Energy. Many people think the green electric companies are more expensive, but we haven't found it to be so.

Are there specific products or companies you're looking at?

but...but...

I dont want to live somewhere with chickens in the front yard, if I did i'd move to the country. We had that in my old orlando neighborhood too and it annoyed everyone who didn't own the chickens. These were not responsible chicken owners and they did not follow local code calling for home owners to have at least 50 feet on all sides of a chicken coop (they didnt even have a coop!)

Regardless, I opted to live in the city so I wouldn't have to hear a rooster crowing every morning at 4am. I lived in a city so I didnt have to worry about a neighbor being VERY angry at me when the chicken he allowed to get into my *fenced* yard was killed by my dogs. I don't want to smell the chicken dung when I walk outside just as I expect the neighbors not to want to smell my dog's dung (thus I cleaned it up daily!)

we did have ducks but not as pets, we lived between 3 large lakes.

guess what, there are no chickens in my new neighborhood and the ducks stay in the lake, I'm happy.

We don't put chemicals on our lawn, we never have and we never will, HOA or not. We keep it well-maintained naturally and we plant things that are native and suited to our local environment. This cuts down on the need for artificial watering, pesticides and fertilziers. We had a flea issue in the yard once but instead of reaching for poison we used diatemacious earth and orange oil spray that we made from the refuse from our neighbor's citrus trees.

Our HOA isn't nearly as restrictive as some. The list of thigns we can plant is 2 pages long and with the exception of a few annuals it's almost all native shrubbery and grass. They even list plants that are good for the native insect species. Some people don't like that but it's better for the earth.

I dont think all or even the majority of HOAs are horridly restrictive or abusive. I believe some are, especially when you breach the 600K housing market..but if you aren't willing to conform to the HOA it wouldn't really matter, you'd be spending your 600K elsewhere on what you did want, even if that meant chickens in your backyard <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Meg

I wasn't dis'ing your POV, Meg. We actually posted at about the same time so I didn't see yours before I did mine. But, I simply do hate HOAs because of what they represent today. The idea behind them is ok, but they've gotten out of control.

We get along well with our neighbors and when we want to make changes or do something out of the norm we talk to them. If someone has a junker we help fix it or recommend a charity. Part of the problem is that HOAs help enforce an isolationist society. I believe a good community isn't built on the rules it enforces - it's through neighborhood relations. Every single HOA I've ever been involved with likes everyone to "report violations". I've sent numerous letters to associations telling them we'd all be better served by teaching people how to talk to their neighbors. I'm more concerned with what happens when the doo-doo hits the fan (like hurricanes, floods, or crime) and whether our neighborhood will be able to pull together instead of whether or not someone's got neon green paint or a rooster. Frankly I think we plunk down too much money for homes these days not to have some leeway in how we live in our 'castles'. The value of my home is how I am able to live in it today - not how much I can sell it for someday.

People who don't take care of their pets don't deserve them, but we shouldn't penalize everyone because some don't use common sense and courtesy. And I guess that's the bottom line for me - using common sense and courtesy about how living your life infringes on others. Common sense says I probably won't paint it neon green because it would upset the neighbors when a nice forest green might do. It also means I don't keep noisy animals like roosters, but I might keep Muscovies which make little - if any - noise and keep them corralled appropriately.

HOA's started out as a way of controlling residential communities in areas where local control of things like zoning, environmental codes (grass too tall, garbage all over the place), etc. wasn't very strong.

Unfortunately, these organizations have flourished like rabbits and more than often try to implement controls that go well beyond health and safety issues or whether you run a business out of your home. I'm out in the boonies and I'm stuck with an HOA--luckily, they don't have a lot of power beyond what was written into the original covenant 18 years ago. But, we have a county commissioner on the board and that makes life with our HOA a PITA.

If you're in the city, code compliance offices, zoning offices, commissioner courts, etc. have control and the HOA's should be shut down.

My two cents. I really can't stand them, but there's not many places to go where you don't have them anymore. Even my parents have an HOA; and they're so far out in booneyville it's an hour drive for a haircut.