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Green House Calls:
An eco-friendly in-home party

- Courtney Drake McDonough

Move over Tupperware and candle parties. There’s a new kind of in-home party teaching families how to go "green".

Companies such as BeCentsAble and Green Irene have trained educators who come to you to conduct a personalized makeover (or let you play host for a group workshop). The goal, according to Chrissy Pate, co-founder of BeCentsAble (www.becentsable.net), is to "help people find simple things they can do around their house to save the planet, have a healthier family and save money."

When Kristy King, an eco-consultant with Green Irene (www.GreenIrene.com/KristyDenver), conducts a home consultation, she goes room-to-room and outdoors covering everything from energy efficient lighting to air quality to waste reduction.

Pate and King offer the following green/money-saving tips: Energy Conservation
• Energy Saving power strips save money by zapping phantom power. Some video games for instance use $200 a year in power in the “off” position.
• Turn the hot water heater down from 140 to 120 degrees.
• Hot water isn’t proven to take out laundry stains, according to Pate. So wash everything in cold water, saving approximately $70 per year.
• Switch out all light bulbs for Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs). They are now available in a variety of wattages and are even available for candelabras and dimmable switches. “Many of our clients have over 100 bulbs in their homes that can be replaced, saving them more than $8000 over the life of the first set of bulbs, depending on their local electric rate,” says King.

Water Conservation
• "The real savings is in HOT water conservation," explains King. "Faucet aerators (so the kids brush their teeth using ½ gallon of water per minute instead of three) and low flow shower heads that don’t make you feel like you are sacrificing anything (using 1.59 gallons per minute instead of three), can save thousands of dollars."

Waste Reduction
• Reusable spongy cloths cost only a couple of dollars but can replace 17 rolls of paper towels.
• "Make your own cleaners and save hundreds of dollars," says Pate. "For instance, an all-purpose cleaner made of white vinegar and water costs 30 cents for a 16-ounce bottle."
• Hybrid, rechargeable batteries can recharge fully 1500 times saving money after seven uses. "The average family has 42AA and 12AAA batteries in use. They could, theoretically, save $40,000 and avoid the toxic waste being buried in a landfill," says King. "Even if you only recharged a 4-pack of Hybrids 100 times you’d save $184 just on that 4-pack."

Both companies provide tips that every member of the family can carry out so everyone is working together. As King points out, "Going green is a process and a journey."

To arrange for a consultation or workshop, contact Christine Miskie at centsable.christine@gmail.com or Kristy King at www.GreenIrene.com/KristyDenver.
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