WXRV - Boston, MA

Green Up New England

Ways you can help GREEN UP New England, as heard on The River:

The typical US office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copier paper every year- and less than half of that gets recycled. So think twice before hitting print- use scrap paper for notes and recycle what you don't use. If will save tree and water and money.

What's better? Turning your car on and off or idling for few minutes? According to the no profit group Environmental Defense, idling for more than 10 sec costs you more fuel than turning your car off and on. Slowing down on the highway will save you fuel and money. 50 percent of engine power is used to overcome air resistance meaning the faster you go, the more fuel you consume. And accelarting smoothly is one of the biggest ways to save fuel.

Every year, 2 1/2 billion holiday cards are sold and sent n the United States. Buy cards from recycled paper and avoid the shiny "can't be recycled" kind. And recycle what you receive when the season is over

Christmas trees are a topic of much debate environmnetally. Fake trees are reusuable, but are made from petroleum based products. Cutting down trees gives the natural benefit of live trees, but depletes them. The best solution is a live potted tree that ca be replanted

What's better for the planet, voicemail or answering machines? The answer by far is voicemail. Answering machines use more energy every day - and when they stop working- they become hazardous waste in landfills. If all the answering machines in the US were eliminated , the decrease in energy use would be like taking 250,000 cars off the highway for a year.

Your produce four and a half pounds of garbage every day. That means during an average lifespan, we will all leave a ninety-thousand pound legacy of garbage on earth for our children and grandchildren to deal with. unless we consciously try to cut back waste and recycle.

Americans use more than twice as much water and energy per person than most other contries in the world, and that's a problem considering both water and energy are becoming scarce. Over 40 percent of drinking water supplied to American homes is flushed down the toilet every day. Conserving water and energy will save you money and help to save the planet.

You may want to think twice before grabbing a big stack of napkins at the concession stand. Each American uses an average of twenty-two hundred napkins a year. If we all use just one less napkin a day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year. That's enough napkins to fill the Empire State Building.

If you lose weight- can it help save the planet? Well, consider this- if every airline passenger weighed 10 pounds less, it would save 350 million gallons of jet fuel per year, which is enough to keep a 747 flying continuously for 10 years.

Becoming less disposable will help save you money and help the planet. By eliminating plastic and paper bags, plastic utensils, and drink containers, and using resuable ones, you'll save about $250.00 a year, and about 75 pounds of garbage a year.

Four Seasons Foam Insulators: To find out how you can reduce your energy consumption - Contact Four Seasons Foam Insulators online at the Four Season F.I.N.E. com.

Incandescent lights really do save you money and save energy. Sure, they cost more, but compact flourescent lights, known as CFL's , last 15x longer than average light bulbs and save you $100 in electricity over the lifetime of each bulb.

If the lotion or soap you buy comes in a pump dispenser, buy refills instead of discarding the pump and adding to landfills.

If you wait until your dishwasher is full before you run a load (and don't waste water pre-ringsing your dishes) you'll save over 7000 gallons of water a year. That's as much water as the average person drinks in a lifetime.

How much junk mail do you get? The average American household receives the equivalent of 1 1/2 trees per year in junk mail. Recycling and not throwing it in the garbage will save 370 million dollars in landfill fees each year

Next time you're buying bread, buy bread that only has one wrapper around it. I f all households in hte US & Canada eliminated the double- wrap would save 60,000 pounds of plastic.

http://www.goinggreenexpos.com

mcfarland ford

www.mcfarlandgreencars.com

Local Builder Receives Prestigious National Award

Receives Certification Recognition

Franconia, NH – Recently at the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of New Hampshire (HBRANH) Cornerstone Award Ceremony, Bob and Kathe Tortorice of Building Alternatives, Inc. were awarded the Gold Award for Most Energy Efficient Design Solutions of 2007. One of the homes designed and built by Building Alternatives, Inc. earned a “5 Star Plus” rating for its energy efficiency. “To be eligible as an Energy Star home, a rating of 50 (out of 100) is required; the home we designed and built has a rating of 94.2 - 71% better than Energy Star requires” stated, Bob Tortorice.

This 3,500 square foot home over a finished basement was built by Building Alternatives, Inc. for Bob and Kathe Tortorice. The Tortorices wanted to build a home that would showcase the technology available in energy-efficient design, constructing their own retreat from the icy North Country winter weather. It was their hope that this home would serve as a working “model home” for potential clients. One would be able to see first-hand what this kind of home really looks like, experience the technology in use, and see how the various elements are utilized, and how this technology significantly reduces heating costs.

A basic Saltbox was the starting point for Kathie’s design. They chose a beautiful piece of land set on a hill in Franconia, offering a full southern exposure with breathtaking views of Mount Lafayette and Cannon Mountain and the surrounding landscape. The sloping land was perfect for a two-story house over a full walk-out basement with an attached three car garage. The building placement itself was well thought out, as the garage blocks the north/northwest side of the house, buffering the cold winter wind. A traditional stick-built house would not perform as well in this location, as the occasional 80 mph winds would blow right through the building.

In every aspect of this home design, the Tortorices looked to utilize energy-efficient materials and harness the sun’s power in as many ways as possible. For example, the first floor deck system was built on top of a 9 foot foundation wall, thus increasing the height (off grade) of the exterior deck. This not only allowed full sun to enter the basement, but avoided the “tunnel” effect of a traditional walk-out basement under an exterior deck. Passive solar through the windows collect 90% of the sun’s rays, and in combination with the two-foot overhangs have kept the home at a comfortable 70 degrees during the sunny days of the fall and winter, the energy efficient construction kept the heat in the building during the nights and cloudy days. In fact, December 17^th, 2006, was the date that the heat had to be put on for the first time.

The Active Solar system from Dawn Solar is a reverse radiant system installed under the metal roof, meaning rather than collecting solar energy through traditional panels, this system absorbs all the sun’s energy that gathers underneath the metal, and stores it in a 600 gallon water tank located in the basement. This energy storage tank has temperatures that average 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, which pre-heat the 39 degree Fahrenheit well water before it is used for radiant heat, as well as domestic hot water, the garage, and the Endless swimming pool.

The Cornerstone Awards are presented yearly to recognize excellence in the building industry and are given in the categories of design, remodeling, new construction, landscaping and special features. Professionals who are members of HBRANH are encouraged to enter their best work to be judged by a neighboring Home Builders Association. The HBRANH is one of New Hampshire’s largest trade associations with a combined membership of over one thousand companies.

In addition to their recent award, Bob Tortorice is now recognized as a Certified Graduate Builder, one of the top two designations developed by National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). This designation assists new and potential clients to identify those professionals who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and a desire to maintain a high level of professionalism. Having completed regularly updated curriculum of industry-related topics, Building Alternatives, Inc. provides superior quality work, outstanding customer service and adheres to a strict Code of Ethics.

Building Alternatives, Inc. builds homes throughout New Hampshire, as well as parts of Maine and Vermont. Specializing in single-family homes, with an emphasis on system-built homes clients are able to choose from Timber Frame/Post & Beam, Log, Cedar, SIPS, ICF, 2x6 Panelized, and Modular Homes or a combination of these building technologies. All homes are designed and built with energy efficiency in mind using passive, hybrid & active solar energy, while Geothermal earth or water sources can be used for heating, AC & domestic hot water.

Building Alternatives, Inc. provides a unique service in the building industry by serving as an agent to their clients, offering building expertise and proven management skills from conception through to the design and construction of a home or addition. Bob is the President of the North Country Home Builders & Remodelers Association (NCHBRA), Master Chief (Builder) with the Navy Seabees (reserves) and is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau, Home Builders and Remodelers Association, and the Franconia, Littleton Area, and Manchester Chambers of Commerce. To take a tour of the building, receive a 2 hour complimentary consultation to learn more about Buidling Alternatives, Inc. and the construction process contact them at (877) 823-5101 or at www.buildingalternatives.com. To learn more about HBRANH and the other category awards given visit www.hbranh.com.

Boston Recycling Locations

from Allston to Roslindale:

http://www.cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods/default.asp

North:

City of Haverhill Waste Water Division HHW Program Information

(0.00 mi.) Household Hazardous Waste

978-374-2360