Green housing in Hawaii

With the worlds focus turning to sustainability and keeping earth green, Hawaiis homes have shifted to become more green and supportive of the global initiative to keep the planet clean for generations to come. Many of Hawaii real estate properties on Oahu have benefited from the Curbside Recycling Program initiated in 2007 and expanded to the rest of the island in 2008. Sponsored by the City and County of Honolulu in an effort to improve the sustainability and greenness of homes in Hawaii, the program has made recycling and disposal more efficient and environmentally-friendly.

Three years ago, the only curbside bin residents had access to was a simple black one for all refuse. Today, most Oahu residents have three similarly-sized bins: the black one for most trash, a blue one for mixed recyclables, and a green one for green waste. While most people are familiar with the black receptacle, the green one now takes grass, tree trimmings, and other landscaping waste. Most importantly, the blue container helps to recycle and re-use many renewable products, including newspaper, corrugated cardboard, glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans and plastic containers #1 and #2 plastic codes. Items picked up from blue disposal bins are sorted and re-used in order to lessen the strain for resources on the environment.

Some Ways to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

If you dont have the money or simply dont want to invest in solar panels or a new hybrid car, you can still find some easier, and cheaper, approaches to make your house more environmentally friendly. Whats better is that if you are planning to sell your house in the future, making a few small green upgrades to your home will most likely not only make your house look better, but also make it worth more. These days, many home buyers are searching for more environmentally friendly houses and will be willing to pay a little more to make that desire come true.

Some of the more common changes you can make to have your home go green is by replacing all standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. Known as CFLs, these bulbs uses much less energy, last a lot longer, and give off less heat. You should also add motion detectors to any outdoor lights you would normally leave on, because then the lights will only turn on when you need it to. It is also important to save water by fixing any leaks, installing low flow shower heads, and turning off the water when you dont need it while taking a bath or brushing your teeth. Some other changes that may not seem as obvious including creating a compost pile which will you can use as an alternative to throwing biodegradable materials such as food in the trash can. Installing an aluminum-clad storm door, window tinting, fans, and better insulated roofs will help to keep your house cooler in the summer, and warmer in the winter, reducing the need for air conditioners and heaters. And of course, remember the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle.