SanJoseGreenHome.com

Imagine you’ve hit it big or you’ve finally saved up enough towards a decent down payment towards purchasing your own home and you have one major requirement – you want it to be a truly sustainable place to live, a green home so to speak. 

What’s important for you about the green home?  What matters?  How will you decide?  These are reasonable questions, aren’t they?

I find there are three types of eco friendly house buyers out there and I’m dying out of curiosity to find out where do YOU find yourself in this equation.  Below are three different mindsets, please read through them and let me know which one you relate to most.  There’s a survey at the end of this post and if you could answer the questions we will all be very curious to find out about the dominating trend in our area.  Now it is more than likely you will be a mix a all three personalities but please pick one that you feel would stand out for you.  Let’s have some fun!

1.     Economizers.  This is the class that is concerned with the idea of saving money by wise use of resources.  This category also entails land lords who are counting on a life-cycle cost analysis and the value of various earth friendly features that can boost their cash flow.  For economizers the mighty cash is the king and all the rest of the ecological issues is less important.   

2.    Idealists.  This is your typical Organicsons household.  They take environmentally conscious living very passionately and believe that (more…)

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Don’t try to tackle all the issues, pick the closest to your heart, where you’re most likely to make a decent impact.  Most importantly – be brave, don’t be politically correct, have courage,  be the change you want others to be.  Mean what you say and don’t be mean when you say it.  

Don’t fall in the extremes as those who do that are very vulnerable… do it from the heart.  When it gets tough, remember the others, do it for them, don’t expect rewards, don’t ask for recognition.  This is the way of a true eco warrior.  

Stevie Wonder sang… “If you believe in things you don’t understand then you suffer.”  He’s awesome.  Get educated, see what’s really happening in the world, study the science yourself, go visit places!  Visit places in Asia, you’ll see much less subtle ways how humanity is wreaking havoc on the planet.  We’re all connected. 

The biggest challenge facing the planet is overpopulation and all the demands on the resources that this brings with it.  Every new life will create a footprint.  When you have kids, don’t be selfish by having many.  Strive to live (more…)

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If you are going on a long trip across a couple states for a week do you drive your own car or do you rent one?  Many people rent because they don’t like adding extra mileage on their cars.  Normally renting a car is a bit more expensive than driving your own but what about renting a hybrid?  Can the gas savings potentially offset the rental car costs?  As we found out during our recent trip to Nevada and Arizona, the answer is absolutely YES! 

First, we weren’t sure what to do.  Alamo at San Jose Airport presented two options: to rent an economic mid-size car for a total of $180 per week or go for a hybrid for $220.  Considering the fact that we are thinking of buying a hybrid in the future, and the fact that our trip would leave a smaller pollution trail, we decided to have some fun and go for a hybrid – the brand spanking new Toyota Prius. 

Man it was exciting to get into one of those.  Besides the fact that it took five minutes to figure out how to start the darn thing, the ride, the comfort, the dynamics is all really a joy in that car.  Cruising at low speeds in national parks and knowing that there is absolutely no emissions coming out of the pipe was nothing short of orgasmic.  

It was a great trip but what about the bottom line on the numbers? (more…)

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Many times people you’ll meet will be skeptics of your ambitions to live a green lifestyle and protect the planet.  They may say some scientists do not support the theory of climate change, some may say we humans are not the cause of it and some may be… well, lackadaisical.  

Please share with them this highly scientific, carefully drafted decision making graph that may help them understand the picture.  If you were in a driving seat and saw these signs, would you keep going?

This masterpiece was inspired by the sunny Saturday morning and a cup of green tea. 
Copyrights are strictly unprotected.    Have a great weekend!

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One would be miserable without a mask in Kathmandu

If you ever think that San Jose is polluted or is not “green” enough then keep reading… Last February I had a fortune to visit one of the most polluted cities in the world – Kathmandu. Air in Kathmandu is so polluted, you can taste it in your mouth and your skin smells like it for weeks after you leave the place. I am not even being sarcastic, it really was very fortunate circumstances that led me there and it was truly a trip of a lifetime.

Kathmandu is a capital city of Nepal. This magnificent country, situated just north of India, is beautiful, rich in culture and hosts one of the biggest treasures of our planet – the Himalayan Mountains and of course – the Everest, the rooftop of the world.

However, this story focuses on the darker side of that part of the world – overpopulation, pollution and overwhelming neglect of its environment. See, Kathmandu with all of its beauty is situated in the valley, just like the Silicon Valley but the major difference is (more…)

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