River City Referrals Blog

We did a newsletter on this topic last year, but I felt like putting out such great information again.
Green remodeling is simple, but many Richmond homeowners are not sure what it really involves. So I set out to determine what defines green, environmental, eco-friendly, energy-efficient…okay, you get the point. What I found is that there is no such thing as a right or wrong way to go “green”.
At my house, we started by simply recycling our trash. It means less in the landfills, more things reused and a $25 savings each month for us on trash pickup. Scrap wood from our recent bathroom upgrade was pulled out of the trash pile, and went into our fireplace during cold weather. Simple steps lead to big savings for our wallet, but even better is that we are doing our part for the environment as well.
Building and remodeling green is a thinking process, not a contest to see how many green things you can incorporate into your home. Doing what you can within your budget and personal motivation is plenty. Reducing is as powerful as eliminating. There are lots of things that are free. Some are more expensive in the short run and only see long term returns on the investment. Lots are energy efficient. Most look no different than traditional building or decorating.
When it comes to green remodeling, you don’t have to do everything green, but anything you do will help. How about using recycled or salvaged wood from Eco Supply Center on Roseneath Road here in Richmond? How about insulating with fabulous new cheap alternative-recycled denim? It actually holds more heat and absorbs more sound than traditional insulation. It’s available at Nature Neutral in Charlottesville. Time to repaint? Check out Sally Fretwell’s low VOC paint on Ridgefield Parkway? Don’t forget, using products that are locally or regionally produced helps support the local economy, and requires less energy and fewer resources during production and transportation. To find more great ways to reuse, reduce and recycle, check out your local online freecycle chapter where other Richmond residents pass along their unused items to others who may need them.
At River City Referrals, we are committed to providing our customers with alternative green contractors, builders and designers. Won’t you join us?

Tags: Green building, green remodeling, Richmond

This entry was posted on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 2:50 am and is filed under Find A Contractor, Going Green. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.