Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

Spring cleaning is an annual ritual for most homeowners: throwing out the old, dusting and shining up the new, and generally giving the whole house a thorough scrubbing and polishing. Environmental responsibility has added a new twist to this old tradition, however; many Austin residents now choose to go green when they spring clean. Here are some ways to improve your home’s environment while preserving the earth’s environment at the same time.

Downsize and minimize
Most homeowners accumulate a surprising amount of clutter over the years, keeping a wide array of items that are never used. By reducing the amount of unused items in your home, you can more easily keep it clean and organized, allowing your spring cleaning process to go more smoothly next year. It’s important to be realistic. If you’ve only used your elaborate espresso machine twice since you bought it, chances are you don’t really need it after all. By clearing out unused items, you can save on space and minimize your cleaning time considerably.

Don’t toss it, donate it
Used items in good repair are always in demand by various charities. Thrift stores and local organizations often derive a significant portion of their income from these donations. Depending on the specific charity, you may be able to donate:

• Clothing
• Books
• Furniture
• Automobiles
• Large and small appliances
• Tableware and silverware
• Toys
• Home décor

Best of all, you can often deduct the fair market value of donated items on next year’s tax return, making it a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Avoid harsh chemical cleaners
A number of green cleansers are available on the market; alternatively, you can make your own with borax, baking soda, vinegar, and other natural substances. These are gentler on the environment and easier on your wallet as well. To avoid pests, use natural repellents like cedar wood, garlic, and various essential oils and herbs. Mice hate the smell of peppermint oil, for instance; sprinkling a few drops on a piece of cloth will help keep them out of your closet or kitchen.

Recycle
For items that can’t be reused or donated due to damage or wear, recycling is the next best thing. Used computer equipment, appliances, cell phones, plastics, glass, and paper can all be recycled through various companies and organizations. By minimizing the amount of trash that goes to landfills, you can help to keep the environment safe and minimize your environmental footprint.

By incorporating environmentally friendly methods into your spring cleaning routine, you can ensure that your home is a healthier, safer place to live both inside and out.

St. David’s HealthCare recently announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the Heart Hospital of Austin, Texas from MedCath Corporation, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. St. David’s, one of the largest employers in Austin, has long been considered a leader in the healthcare field throughout the region. This acquisition is expected to allow the St. David’s HealthCare team to provide an even higher quality of care and increase efficiency throughout the system.

St. David’s currently has twenty-four sites throughout Austin and the surrounding area, making it one of the largest healthcare organizations in Texas. It was the fifth largest employer in Austin before this acquisition, and is expected to move up in rank when the transfer becomes complete sometime later this year. The two companies are awaiting final regulatory commission approval for the acquisition.

St. David’s HealthCare has achieved high marks for employee satisfaction, ranking number one in the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Austin Business Journal’s list of “Best Places to Work” in Austin. It encompasses six of the metropolitan area’s major hospitals and has been awarded the Texas Award for Performance Excellence for its outstanding patient care and quality medical services. The addition of Heart Hospital will allow St. David’s to further solidify its position as the leading healthcare provider in the Austin area; the Heart Hospital of Austin was recently named by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as the best place in the country to be treated for a heart attack.

For Austin residents, this acquisition is expected to further cement Austin’s position as the leading healthcare industry center in the state of Texas and to provide additional employment opportunities in the area. Austin’s already high quality of life is also expected to improve as a result of the St. David’s HealthCare expansion and acquisition. Since the Heart Hospital of Austin will now be under local administration and ownership, the Austin economy is expected to see benefits from the acquisition as well; the streamlining of services and procedures will further improve the quality of patient care in the area and should serve as an additional attraction for businesses looking to relocate to the Austin area.

Austin uses single stream recycling.

Austin has earned a reputation as one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the nation, but this reputation has not come without cost. Austin’s current single-stream recycling program, which was instituted in October 2008, has cost the city over $2 million since it began. Single-stream recycling allows consumers to commingle all recyclable materials, including paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic, in one container. It is considered more convenient than recycling methods that require that individuals separate out the different types of recyclables into different bins.

The City of Austin has a contract with Greenstar to separate and accept the recyclable materials. The cost of the contract, however, has far exceeded initial estimates due to a sharp increase in recycling on the part of Austin’s residents. The ease of single-stream recycling is credited in part for this increase; another factor is the heightened awareness of environmental issues on the part of Austin residents. Regardless of the causes, Austin city residents have more than doubled their recycling volume since the implementation of single-stream recycling, and the figures continue to rise each month, creating an unexpected expense for the city and requiring a reevaluation of the recycling contract with Greenstar. The contract is currently under review by the city council to determine if it will be extended beyond its scheduled expiration in 2010 or if the cost of recycling materials can be reduced to a more affordable level by negotiating with the company for a longer-term contract.

Greenstar, based in San Antonio, has offered a number of alternatives that could bring prices down significantly. Austin city officials, however, have suggested a plan that would allow Austin to construct its own single-stream recycling facility and avoid the expense of outsourcing this activity to an outside vendor. Most independent analysts believe that the greatest savings over the long run would be achieved by this plan, which would require only a short-term extension of the Greenstar contract and allow the city of Austin to realize approximately $400,000 in savings over the duration of the extended contract term.

A decision on extending the contract is expected soon; city council members are considering three options, including one that will reduce Greenstar’s processing fees by approximately $20 per ton in return for an extension through 2013. If a new single-stream recycling facility is the chosen option, the resulting construction project is expected to provide employment for a number of commercial builders and environmental consultants who will be hired for the project. By constructing a single-stream recycling plant, Austin can continue to demonstrate its commitment to environmental responsibility and green-friendly living while saving taxpayer money into the bargain.

The National Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set requirements and standards that all states are legally bound to adhere to, in the Clean Air Act. These are designed to reduce green house emissions from cars, and other modes of transportation. Texas, like every other state, is permitted to set up their own method of enforcement and focal areas. Annually the EPA will take time to evaluate a state and their policies to make sure they are in line with the anticipated task.

After review this year, the EPA has determined that Texas does not reach the predetermined goals, making numerous violations. The worst offenders are Dallas and Houston which have never fallen within clean air standards. Currently Austin metro area is teetering on the edge of those standards. By regulating vehicle emissions in Travis and Williamson counties, Austin was able to avoid federal clean air management. This year it does not look good, as the requirements have become more stringent. This just means that Texas needs to clear the air on what can and can’t be done to keep it clean.

Currently as a result of this year’s evaluations, Texas officials are working with the EPA to ascertain how to approach this situation and how to maximize efforts to minimize noxious gases in the air. In this effort more than 30 new proposals have been made for the management of emissions from cars and vehicles to businesses and energy factories.

Austin has experienced some significant heat concerns as of late. In some cases people have found they need to adjust and readjust how they do things, to avoid the heat. As stifling as it has been, there are some guidelines to follow that are crucial for everyone. These common sense guidelines will help you to combat and deal with the unyielding temperatures.

There are some items you should also know about your water consumption to help fight dehydration. The first is that if you plan to spend any time outside you need to maintain enough water. The simplest way to know how much is enough is to take your weight and divide by two. This will give you how many ounces of water you need to consume daily as your minimum to remain hydrated. This number should increase on hotter days. When you drink your water you will need to keep in mind the water consumption will only affect you 6 hours after you have ingested it. If you drink an 8oz glass of water at noon, it will become a hydrating factor at 6 pm. So if you have errands to run in the heat you will need to combat it by drinking significant percentages of your recommended daily intake before you consider getting ready for the day.

The heat of the day typically refers to the time between 10 am and 3 pm when the sun is at the highest point in the sky. Doing errands around this time frame will mean less time in the heat and more time in a healthy cool environment. Too much time in unbelievable heat will mean that your body will be working harder to maintain basic body function. This is what leads to stroke and other heat related health issues.
To keep it simple, drink water 6 hours before you walk out the door into the heat, and limit your time in the heat significantly.

Human Water Consumption Calculate

Austin Water Utility Inspector has cleared the way for environmental housing builders to offer a new option to home owners. It is an environmentally friend toilet, one that both saves on drinking water and helps farmers and gardeners develop some of the best fertilizer available. This amazing option is the composting toilet.

This is the only composting toilet that I was aware of... until now.

This design uses the alchemy brought by bacteria to transform the human waste into the rich resource rich soil. Some who specialize in this field are referring to it as humanure. This particular design and approval is hailed as the common sense environmental alternative. This mode of waste disposal uses saw dust to flush the waste instead of water. This step saves on or extends the drinking water quality liquid available for washing and drinking. This design also saves on the power required to pump the water, filter, treat and clean the water once it has been used.

As you can see, Austin is stepping up once again as the top green city. Moving toward lowering overall carbon foot print, Austin is enabling home builders and owners to select this new option. As with all forms of sewage facilities, it is regulated by your local city and must be approved on that level. Be sure you check with your local officials regarding regulations.

As the baby boomer generation, the whole 78 million individuals are reaching retirement age; their lives are lasting much longer than those alive during the time they were born. This means that when they are at retirement age, the homes they have worked so hard to pay for and own, are close to their heart. Thus it is not the will of the vast majority of the baby boomer generation to leave those homes. This means a remodel of the most specific nature in order, to enable their personal safety, and to meet any special needs that may arise.

There are many certified building specialists who concentrate on improving home floor plans, and creating options that will allow people to stay in those homes, or age in place, beyond that some might otherwise expect. Some simple modifications include lifts, wider doorways, ramps, wider more accommodating showers, lower kitchen counters and appliances for wheelchair access when needed. The final goal of any project like this is to enable independence to the home owner.

This kind of project is always a custom project. It requires a builder to inspect the property and meet with the client about their needs. During the building and remodeling process each item will be reviewed prior to installation, this means that there is no set rate or pricing schedule. Each set up and each home will be laid out as needed and prices will be per project. Don’t forget to ask about green upgrades that can be completed and designed to assist the homeowner with rising expenses related to the home.

You have amazing plans. They involve you buying a house that might need a little work but has a lot of potential. You’ll take that potential and use it to create a green haven. Your home will be more eco-friendly than even you had ever imagined. Everything in it will work to sustain some part of the environment, from the roof, which will hold a garden, to the cooling system, which will be energy efficient and made from recycled parts. You have grand plans, but there is one small problem: your wallet, for the money in your savings and checking accounts won’t go as far as you may think.

HyoJung Kim and husband Seth Garland of New York both thought they could easily renovate their home, making it green for as little as $70,000. What they found instead was that going green was putting them in the red. Units that were energy efficient and moderately priced were costing them thousands of extra dollars to install. Architectural designs that would save money in the future were causing complications and costing money they didn’t have in the present. And the falling real estate market was only adding to the real estate debt they had already accumulated. To make ends meet, they had to forgo many of their plans, sell their mortgaged condo and attempt to make the house, rather than a green place to live, a livable place to live.

Before you wind up in the same situation as Kim and Garland, assess your finances. Whatever you imagine it will cost to make all of the renovations you are envisioning, add a little more. And then, find ways to go green that you can afford. You don’t have to knock down walls, build roof gardens or use only plastic plumbing to help the Earth. There are other things you can do, less costly things that will keep the world and you in the green.

A Living or Planted roof is not a new concept, in fact the concept dates back to the ancient times of Babylon when they displayed hanging gardens and built terraces of stone with lush layers of reed and tar on which plants and trees grew in soil.

Today we live in a time where we must become more aware of the impact we make within our own lives that effect the environment and the world which belongs to our children and grandchildren.

Let’s examine what it would take to create a living or green roof system. There are four basic components: a waterproofing layer, a drainage layer, a growing medium, and vegetation. There are other elements that can be added by are not necessary are root retention and irrigation systems. We are going to stick with the basics.

Now we will list the benefits.
• Reduces heating and cooling
• Reduces heat requirements during cold months
• Reduces ambient temperature of the roofs surface
• Reduces cooling costs
• Reduce Storm water drainage
• Protects from extreme temperatures and harsh weather conditions.
• Filters pollutants and carbon dioxide
• They increase insulation to the roof
• Creates a bird and wild life habitat

A green roof is not for everyone. For those who choose to explore this energy efficient option, there are many resources available. There are nurseries that specialize in growing specific plants will thrive in that environment.

Explore this option, it might be fun!

Going Green is slowly becoming a new way of life. As more and more people become aware of the critical impact of the current demands being placed and our natural resources, individuals are taking steps assist in reducing their carbon foot print.

We are adopting a more responsible way preserving our world for future generations. In doing so, we begin to read labels and seek out products, services and companies that give us assurances that they are environmentally safe and eco-friendly. But, how can we be certain that what they are telling us about their product or service is not a perception designed to sell product?

There is a new word that has been adopted in this return to green era. “Greenwashing” is a term used to describe products and practices falsely advertised to be environmentally or eco-friendly or sound.

One good example of a product marketed as a “biodegradable” product and an eco-friendly product is the great Hefty trash bag deception. Mobil Chemical designed a trash bag where they added starch to the plastic. With the addition of the starch, that was in fact degradable. But was the plastic biodegrade? If left out in the sun, the plastic would not degrade, but it would eventually break up into smaller pieces. Imagine how many Hefty bags were sold to households trying to be more aware about making the right choice of trash bags. The advertising led us to believe that we would make a difference by choosing products responsibly?

This is just a heads up. There are products and companies that are coming out of the woodwork (pardon the pun) who will profess to understand the critical need for all of us to do our parts and save our natural resources. They claim that they have developed a product or service that can assist us with making the right choice. However it is up to us to find out if that product is truly in our environments best interest, or is it just another Hefty choice?