Get More Green (page 2 of 4)

What's Driving Green Construction?

Among the real innovators in green building is Palo Alto, California-based Clarum Homes, a developer of communities with three- to five-bedroom houses as well as apartments.

In Clarum's Vista Montaña community of Watsonville, California, four-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot homes priced at $500,000 sold out in one year. Neighboring homes of comparable size went for just $8,000 less, and Clarum says the extra expense for its proper-ties pays for itself in about 11 years.

The Department of Energy is a big force behind green construction, with its Building America program, an initiative that's responsible for the construction of more than 33,000 energy-efficient homes.

More Good News
Mortgage lender Fannie Mae estimates the savings from a $2,400 investment on a typical energy-efficient home is $720 a year. And that's nothing to sneeze at, because you'd recoup that premium after just three years. To find one of these homes near you, go to energystar.gov and click on Find Local Homebuilders.

Buy Energy-Smart
Every time you turn on the lights, run the dishwasher, do a load of laundry or microwave popcorn, you're spending money on energy. But that's not even taking into account the appliances you have running all the time, like air conditioning in the summer and your refrigerator throughout the year.

Considering all the stuff you power up, your smartest move is to buy appliances that have earned the Energy Star seal.

What's in It for You?
The government-backed seal is a guarantee that the item is energy-efficient. Take compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. These nifty lights use 75 percent less electricity than a normal bulb, last ten times longer, produce 450 fewer pounds of greenhouse gases and save you almost $30 over the life of each one. Imagine if someone handed you 30 bucks every time you changed a light bulb!

For a list of Energy Star appliances from tons of manufacturers, check out energystar.gov.

• Going Green
• • Environment

• Save Cash -- and the Planet!
• Cool new ways to save money -- and the planet.
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• Cut Back on Energy Spending
• Save hundreds of dollars by streamlining your energy needs.
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• America's 50 Cleanest (and Dirtiest) Cities
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“ After the holidays, maintain your exercise program (exercise is a great antidote for fatigue, depression and overindulging). ”

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• Quiz: What's Your Celebrity Cause IQ?

Twelve-step jargon has seeped into the language. I was trying to get my son to do his homework. "What's the assignment?" I asked."Write a paper on a national leader," he answered.I pressed, "And what's the first step?""Admitting I have a problem?" 

-- Bette Wordelman, Columbia, Missouri