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The term wicked problems describes some of today's most challenging social issues. Wicked problems require a reframing of success because they might never be fully solved. Success with wicked problems means having an impact on or making a difference toward improved outcomes and reduced risk. Today, we dive into the wicked problem of people-ism. I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am recording live at Shock City Studios with my co-host, Tony Pratte, today! People-ism  I recently found a book on Amazon called PEOPLEism: A Re-emergence in the Belief in People, A Chance to Humanize Ourselves Again. The notion of people-ism is central to many of the wicked problems we have been discussing on the show. Everything in nature is interconnected  As I learned more about nature, I discovered that all natural systems are interconnected. If, for example, I help save polar bears, it will also help save me and others.  Human welfare We all tend to be concerned about our welfare, how we will continue to thrive, and how we will survive any particular occurrence. Unfortunately, something that tends to get lost in that conversation is me caring about what is in it for you as well as for me.  Surviving and thriving as a collective It can be challenging for individuals or small groups of people to survive in our modern-day world. To thrive and survive as individuals, we need everyone to survive and thrive.  Our natural world affects us Our natural world affects us. Everything in nature is tied together, yet we tend not to talk much about the people aspect.  It’s all about the people I realized that having a green or sustainable home that promotes better health and a better life is all about people. A home is really just a place to enhance people’s living experience. Building a house When a house gets built, it is not just about the builder and the homeowner. There are also suppliers, neighbors, people in the subdivision, and others you may not even realize are stakeholders who have to consent to the project. Studies  There are studies on how people assess the companies with which they do business. A key indicator is how well the people within a company get treated. Fair wages and social justice get considered nowadays before people engage with a company. A shift The shift started with groups of people looking to companies to represent their values. As we began to experience the great resignation, companies' values became an even sharper area of focus. Why are people leaving companies? People feel comfortable now because money got pumped into the economy. People want flexibility. People prefer working from home. People who kept working during the pandemic saved money because there was nothing to spend it on. They can now afford to leave their positions. Some people feel it is just not worth working anymore. The younger generation is getting into a freelance mindset. So if something does not work out, they leave and go elsewhere. Fewer companies are offering benefits like pension schemes to anchor their people. Experience Lately, attracting employees has become more about the experience and less about money. Mental health Mental health has become part of the public conversation. People are paying more attention to their work-life balance and happiness quotient lately. Home The way people view their homes and what they require for their homes has shifted during the pandemic. Struggling to find workers Some of the places struggling to find workers include restaurants, retail, and essential services where people do not have the option to work from home. Many people in those industries jeopardize their health and safety to provide their services, so they feel it is not worth working there anymore. A new normal People must understand that the old normal does not align with the new normal. Grace and patience We need to practice patience and grace when dealing with people.  Thinking about others We need to think about others. Things that we think will affect just us do not. If, for example, we buy something unhealthy for us, the chances are that it was also unhealthy for those involved in producing it. Putting people first The notion of putting people first is hard. Putting people first has become even more challenging as our society has become more divisive, but we all need to do it anyway. A bigger conversation It can be harder to listen and be part of a larger conversation than to be right or have your way.  Acts of people-ism Putting your problems in front of you rather than between you and others is an act of people-ism. Another one would be to understand that there are many different points of view, and there are no absolutes.   Temper tantrums Lately, having public displays of temper tantrums has become normalized in places like restaurants. That is because people are focused on themselves and do not take the time to seek to understand the bigger picture related to the situation. Those tantrums also affect those to who they are directed and those who witness them. That is how the notion of people-ism came about for me. Empathy I am grateful for the empathy I developed during the pandemic because it enabled me to come from a gentler place when dealing with others. As a result, I have become a better mentor and coach. I sincerely hope that more of us will experience that too! Change Change is afoot! Change in the workplace usually starts with the new generation entering the workforce and then filters its way into the older generations. That is a good thing because everyone needs to learn to talk about things that make them feel uncomfortable.    How common purpose relates to people-ism We all have a purpose. When people who work together understand their purpose and understand how they can contribute to the overall purpose, that’s people-ism! Have a great green day! Links and resources: What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program Wicked Problem Definition  Helping People: The Living Well Toolkit with Tony Pratte  What Are We Afraid Of and What that Means for Corporate America, Blog from Shelton Group  A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World Science Moms On Climate Change — Now It’s Personal! by Katharine Hayhoe

It can be hard to find good products that also have great packaging.  Several years ago, I started using a great set of products with amazing packaging that gets specially delivered.  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I have Lindsey McCoy from Plaine Products joining me today! Plaine Products is a company with a unique delivery system for sustainably packaged vegan bath and body products! Plaine Products  Lindsey and her sister started Plaine Products in 2017.   About Lindsey Growing up, Lindsey wanted to save the planet. Back then, business was not the way to do it, so she joined the non-profit world and spent the next twenty years working at various non-profits.  Environmental education Her last non-profit position was doing environmental education in the Bahamas. She was not an environmental expert at that point. She only knew what recycling was, and she had heard the term zero-waste before.  Plastic Lindsey spent time with many scientists and environmental experts on the island. While showing them around, she kept on seeing plastic piling up everywhere. She did not want to add to it. So she started using reusable bags and water bottles and tried to buy less.  Starting a company In May 2015, when she and her husband moved back to the US, Lindsey asked her sister to help her start a company to help people accumulate fewer plastic bottles. They launched their business in February of 2017. A subscription system Lindsey and her sister created a subscription system where they send out bottles of bath and body products with pumps. When their customers run low, they send out refill bottles. They pay for the return of the empty bottles, which they then wash and reuse. Finding the right manufacturer Lindsey’s sister is picky, so she made Lindsey go through several manufacturers before they found one they both liked.  Ingredients They had to learn a lot about ingredients! They settled on using only clean vegan beauty ingredients in all their products. Before that, Lindsey had no idea how bad most of the bath and body products she used were or what was in them.   Connection Many people tend to miss the connection between their health and the health of our world. Poor communities The plastic problem is worse than we realize. Most plastic gets recycled in places with poor communities. The people living there have to breathe toxic air and plastic fumes.  We have a choice Many people know that plastic can be bad for their health. Yet they continue to use it because it is so convenient. Fortunately, we have a choice. Even though millions of dollars have been spent convincing us that we should value convenience above all else, we can still decide how we want to live. Reducing waste  There are many solutions out there for reducing the amount of waste that gets produced. Word of mouth Hearing from someone you trust has been proven to be the best recommendation for trying new products. Hopefully, people will also learn from others how to make more mindful decisions. Why is there so much plastic? Plastic is a by-product of fossil fuels and is very cheap to produce. In the US, fossil fuels are subsidized. That makes plastic even less costly to produce.  Plastic has many good qualities. It is indestructible, durable, and can get molded into any shape. Still, it does not make sense to use something that lasts for hundreds of years for five minutes and then throw it away.  Cancer Plastic is one of the first things most people with cancer eliminate from their lives because there are too many health questions surrounding it that are just not worth asking. Recycling plastic Plastics can get recycled, but the process is complicated. One of the biggest problems is that most cities do not have the facilities to recycle more complex types of plastic. Metal Metals are infinitely recyclable. That means that the aluminum bottles used by Plaine Products never need to be thrown away.  The Plaine Products system Plaine Products has a circular approach. They try to create as little waste as possible in every aspect. After making something, they send it out to be used. Then the packaging gets returned to be washed, refilled, and reused. Even their cardboard boxes were designed to be reused many times over.  No perfect solution There is no perfect solution to the plastic problem. Lindsey gets frustrated with organizational nit-picking and finds the term zero waste a little intimidating. She prefers to simply do the best she can with whatever comes up each day. Their products  Plaine Products strives to make fewer products that can do lots of different things. All their products are chemical-free, so they are safe for everyone to use, including children. The products are all aloe-based and super-thick. You only need to use very little, so they last for ages! New products At Plaine Products, they do their best to respond to whatever people ask for without creating any extra items to be thrown away. Lately, they have been embracing more hair products. Their newest products are a deep hair conditioner and a styling gel, and they will soon be adding a scented handwash. Environmentally friendly products Environmentally friendly products have come a long way! There are some excellent products available today. Remember that by supporting businesses that support your values, you are helping support our planet for the future!  Have a great green day!   Links and resources:   Links and resources: Plaine Products COUPON CODE GreenHomeCoach Plaine Products - GHC Trusted Brand  Sustainable Products and Packaging  Circular Economy, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Designing Out Plastic Pollution  Hear Lindsey's first podcast episode on the Green Coach Show   Recommended book: Cancer as a Wake-Up Call by M. Laura Nasi

The term “wicked problems” describes some of the most challenging social issues of this time. Those problems require a reassessment of success because being successful with wicked problems means making a difference toward them or influencing improved results and diminished risk, even though the problem may never be fully solved. Consumerism, or focusing on economic improvement based on things people buy, could be another wicked problem.  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! My co-host Tony Pratte and I are recording live today at Shock City Studios in downtown St. Louis Missouri! Challenges Many challenges and issues are tied to the topic of consumerism. Consumerism and waste  One reason consumerism is problematic is that our focus on buying things leads to large amounts of waste. Creating those products also speeds up the use of our natural resources. Retail in Oklahoma City I recently read an article about the glory of retail in Oklahoma City, a city dependent on the sales tax generated by the sale of goods. That made me wonder if the same thing happens in other places too, and whether that drives the push for people to keep on buying things.   Municipalities Each municipality has its source of income that gets written into the by-laws, and the local city governments determine how those funds get used. Property tax Part of the property tax charged by municipalities goes to the fire and police districts, and some of it goes to the county for infrastructures like parks, forests, and museums.   Stuff People tend to use a lot more stuff today than they did in my mother and grandmother’s time.  My parents and grandparents My grandmother grew up in the depression, so she had a waste not, want not mentality. My parents grew up during World War 2 and were teenagers in the 1950s. So they went from a scarcity of materials to a booming economy in the next decade where money and products were abundantly available.  The economy The economy was put back on track in the 1950s by pumping money into manufacturing goods and creating jobs for the soldiers returning from the war.  Plastic We were excited when soda came out in plastic bottles because they did not break. At the time, we had no idea of the impact it would have, and how that convenience would later merge with consumerism.  Two kinds of companies A marketing theory asserts that two kinds of companies exist. One notices a need and develops a product or service to solve it. The other develops a product or service and then creates a need for it. Convenience In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a growing feeling of coming of age because of all the new products and innovations that were coming out, and people thought they needed those things to have a good life. As life began to speed up in the following decades, people thought they needed more convenience items. Innovations It takes time for society to evolve. Most of the innovations between the 19th and 20th centuries showed up toward the end of the 20th century. Today, innovations are happening all the time.  Overload There are so many more product choices available today than we need. I prefer smaller local grocery stores with fewer items to choose from. Costs Many unseen costs are associated with everything we buy. Circle  Today, companies should use a circular rather than a linear way of thinking when looking at the things they produce.  Responsibility We are slowly changing from a linear economy to a circular economy. A circular economy means you remain responsible for the products you have produced throughout the life cycle. Nature Everything in nature is used. Nothing gets wasted. We can use a similar life-cycle assessment for things we produce. Generations  It’s interesting to see how differently younger generations look at things. There seems to be less emphasis on stuff with younger people.  The experience There currently seems to be less emphasis on things and more on the experience. A simpler life Living a simpler life with fewer things to maintain leaves you with much more time to do the things you want. Flaws in the system The toilet paper shortage during the pandemic exposed some major flaws in our system. Psychology Consumerism was built on psychology and the understanding of human behavior. The psychology behind buying things is immense!  Economic wellbeing The amount of stuff people buy is a measure of our economic wellbeing. That will need to change going forward.  A solution We need a solution that does not rely on things being produced, sold, and disposed of but still encourages economic growth. Things changed In the 50s and 60s, things were produced locally and built to last. Jobs got produced around the repair and maintenance of those things. In the 70s and 80s, more imported goods became available that were cheaper, did not last as long, and could not be repaired. Even though those goods cost to buy in the short term, they ended up costing more in the long term because they had to be replaced- often several times. A shift Many wicked problems stem from short-term thinking. We need to shift from short-term thinking to long-term thinking. We also need to understand the unintended consequences and trade-offs of every decision. A new normal During the pandemic, when things were in short supply, people were happy to substitute one thing for another. Now, many people have gone back to wanting what they want again without understanding that they are not in alignment with the new normal.  Be mindful I urge you to be mindful about the things you use and buy and only use what you need.  Have a great green day!   Links and resources: EGH Shop  Trusted Partners  The 4th R - Refuse  Shop Your Values  Right to Repair  Good Better Best: Cutting Your Consumer Carbon Footprint  Right to Repair Revisited Flushing Trees Down the Toilet  Study.com

There are so many different products to choose from for our homes, well-being, and personal care that it is often really hard to figure out which products are better for our health and wellness, are longer lasting, more durable, and do what they are meant to do.  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I’m doing a solo episode to share my thoughts on selecting the best products and materials to bring into your home. Much of the work I do involves helping people understand the specifications for products and materials, find what will work best for them, and provide them with the necessary health and wellness benefits when they do a design, remodel, or big build project.  A health and wellness remodel in our kitchen My husband and I recently did a small remodel in our kitchen. We called it a health and wellness remodel because the kitchen was small, and we wanted to make it spacious enough for us to cook together. Home repairs We also had some significant cracks in our dry walls, so we called in several professionals to take a look. One of them thought there might be a crack in the concrete slab under the floor too- and he was right! So, we had that fixed and replaced floor. Materials  Our designer was Christy Howell from CRH Design Build in Oklahoma City. After she set out how everything would look, we had to select the materials.  Limitations We ran into some limitations with supply chain shortages and had to make some trade-offs. Going through that process helped me understand things from the client’s perspective! Green labels Green labels give an independent third-party verification for products that have been researched and tested. I advocate for using trusted green labels when selecting materials or products for your home or the homes you are building or remodeling.  Goals Start your remodel by considering your goals and laying out what works.  Choosing materials that worked for us For our home remodel, we wanted to use durable materials that would work well together and did not off-gas. We chose quartz countertops, and even though we had to do some trade-offs, we eventually found a flooring product we felt good about that worked for us. We also used tiles made with a lead-free glaze and zero-VOC paint for the walls and cabinets. (Unfortunately, we had to use a high-VOC primer to make the cabinets more durable.) We learned a lot from the process! The Everyday Green Home Shop The shop on Everyday Green Home is divided into many different categories. Most of us have an established relationship with Amazon, so all the products in the shop are sourced from Amazon. There is even a go-green edition of the Monopoly game available there! Affiliate programs and brands We have had direct affiliate relationships with several companies, and those affiliate programs are all still there. We are excited to have added some new affiliate partners too, and we hope to add a few more by the end of the year. We will also add the products we like to use ourselves, in our homes and daily lives, to the trusted partners and brands category. Imperfect Foods Imperfect Foods is a company that helps people avoid and fight food waste by repackaging and selling ugly produce and surplus foods at affordable prices. Most of their food is sourced sustainably. All the packaging is recyclable, and the food gets delivered right to your door. Rothy’s shoes  Rothy’s shoes are made from recycled plastic bottles. They are super comfortable and have arch support! They are also washable.  Oka-B Shoes Oka-B shoes are manufactured by a woman-owned company in Georgia. They are made from plant-based plastic and are recyclable. They are very comfortable with arch support.   Inventive ways to use resources I love seeing the inventive ways in which people use the resources we already have in a new way! My son and his business partner have a company in St. Louis, Missouri, called Printerior Designs. They make filaments for 3-D printers from recycled plastic, and they also have a print farm that is growing steadily. I am super proud of him! Small businesses Many of us own small businesses, and we like to help one another out. I love finding products that support the cause and help other small businesses!  Trusted partners and brands Partners are vital for reaching enough people, so I started building a network of businesses with which I had previously collaborated or shared content. I created a trusted partners and brands page on the Green Home Coach website so that we could all share our audiences and knowledge and make the network more official. I am very excited to finally get it off the ground and have the opportunity to share the word and pay things forward with the trusted partners and brands page!  I encourage all listeners to try some of the new companies, products, and new ways of thinking! Have a great green day!    Links Green Home Coach Trusted Partners and Brands Everyday Green Home Shop  The Truth About Green Product Labels Who Gives a Crap TP  Imperfect Foods Ask your questions on the Love Your Everyday Green Home Private Facebook Group

We have some tremendous wicked problems in our society right now! Wicked problems are how we describe some of today’s most challenging social issues. They call for us to reframe our notion of success because they may never get fully solved. Being successful with wicked problems means making a difference toward them, improving the outcomes, or reducing the risk.  Today, we are diving into the wicked problem of infrastructure.  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! My co-host, Tony Pratte, and I are recording live at Shock City Studios in St. Louis, Missouri! Infrastructure Infrastructure is critical to our growth and progress as a society and how we transport water, people, and things. Newer cities in the US tend to have fewer problems with their infrastructure than some of the older cities in the eastern part of the country. Old cities St. Louis is one of the oldest cities in the United States. In most of the world’s older cities, we find bits and pieces that show us aspects of what the infrastructure used to be like in the past.  St. Louis  Many things come into play in St. Louis. It was founded in 1764, so it was around even before the United States of America. It is situated where east meets west in the United States and still holds that heritage. It also has different weather and cultural patterns. The infrastructure of St. Louis Parts of the infrastructure of St. Louis date back to 1764, and we don’t even know where much of it is. Several years ago, the foundation for a new high-rise got dug in the central-west end of the city, and they had to stop when they came across a hundred-plus-year-old water shoreline that nobody knew anything about. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act  The infrastructure needed to run our country and the built environment are very tightly linked. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is being looked at right now. There has been a lot of discussion about what infrastructure entails. Some interpretations are that infrastructure includes roads, buildings, the electric grid, and the services that enable people to connect and cities to work.  The infrastructure for a house The infrastructure required for a house is immense! It includes sewers, storm-water systems, the electrical grid, internet, cable, gas, roads, fire hydrants, water, and more. The entire home infrastructure gets attached to a regional infrastructure provided by a company or organization, and then that gets tied into the national infrastructure.  Three electric grids There are three electric grids in the United States. They are west of the Rockies, east of the Rockies, and in Texas. A lot of management goes on in the different power pools that most of us know nothing about!  Energy transitions Energy transitions need to happen slowly to avoid losing any potential generation.   Physical infrastructure Many discussions lately have been about how money gets allocated for building new physical infrastructure. Yet the existing infrastructure has not necessarily been well maintained. An example is the hundreds of bridges throughout the country that need repairs.  Political leaders One of the reasons our infrastructure has reached a point where so much is in disrepair is that our political leaders seem to find it better to build new infrastructure instead of repairing what we already have.  Revitalizing Oklahoma City Oklahoma City has a project to revitalize the city called the Maps Project. It is now in its fourth round.  Budget We need the budget to maintain everything that gets built in our cities. Campaigns to raise capital funds are possible, but not for operating expenses. How we fund projects, and stock prices, are both parts of the problem. Municipal meetings One solution is to go to municipal meetings and speak out about any repairs or maintenance that needs to get done. There are also open forums where citizens can hear about the plans, how the money gets allocated, and voice their opinions. Representatives  We have a strong we versus us mentality in this country, and we tend to see our government as separate from ourselves. We should realize that the people running our country are our representatives, not our leaders. Taking responsibility   We need to tie our personal experience into the responsibility of asking our government representatives to be accountable for the way our infrastructure gets maintained. That means we have to be persistent when we ask them to do something and let them know that we will only vote for them if they take full responsibility for everything that has to get done. Sustainability Sustainability means that we can move into the future.  Controlling the infrastructure Municipalities control much of our infrastructure daily, and organizations and companies control much of the infrastructure on a regional or national basis. Both of those matter, so they need to be addressed. They also need to connect. A master plan St. Louis municipalities need a master plan to speed up the creation of infrastructure for new developments and upgrade the existing infrastructure.  Three prominent issues We have three prominent issues with our infrastructure: Fixing what we already have. New structures need to get built better. We must think ahead about the additional infrastructure that we need to grow. Maintenance Maintenance is a crucial part of keeping anything built in the best possible shape. It is the same with infrastructure.  Get involved It can sometimes be hard to get involved with bigger issues. For many of us, it is easier to get involved locally, so show up at a city planning meeting. It will be worth showing up because your community and future may be affected. Have a great green day!   Links: What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program Wicked Problem Definition  Delivering on the Promise of Federal Infrastructure Funds in States  Infrastructure Topics on GreenBiz  Strong Towns 101  EPA Green Infrastructure  

Lately, I’ve been talking about health and wellness and how much it impacts our living environment. That means how we design, build or remodel a house or building, how we live in it, and how we interact with it.  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! For the last few months, I have hosted one of my business partners on the podcast. It has been exciting to build a group of people who care about how people live in their homes!  Today, I am happy to have Christy Howell of CRH Design Build back on the show! Christy has been on The Everyday Green Home podcast several times before. I have enjoyed connecting with her and watching how she has progressed with transforming her business and how she shows up in Oklahoma and Oklahoma City as she learns more! Mainstream culture I moved back to Oklahoma City six years ago after living in St. Louis, where I got deeply involved with the sustainability culture. In St. Louis, the green culture eventually became part of the mainstream culture through work with the regional Chamber of Commerce. I loved being part of that evolution! People care about their health Christy and I have discovered a fair amount of interest in the green and sustainability culture because people care about their health. That is important because people’s health and how they live their lives blend. Crafting the story Oklahoma is very conservative. That sometimes closes people off from hearing the whole story. So we have learned to craft the story in a more meaningful way.  Professional Women in Building   Professional Women in Building is a council of the Homebuilders Association and a national council with the National Association of Homebuilders. It is all about supporting women in the building industry, trades, and the ancillary industries around the building industry.  Like-minded go-getters It was fun and inspiring bringing Professional Women in Building back to Oklahoma City because it brought together a group of like-minded go-getters who were all parts of the building industry! Some great personal and professional relationships have emerged from that group.  Build My Future Professional Women in Building was the genesis of, Build My Future, a construction career day for high school students. The Construct My Future camp for middle school students also came about after that. Christy’s background Christy started her career in interior design about twenty years ago. She was working for a homebuilder when she decided to spread her wings and open a design firm. After that, she moved on to her current design form, CRH Design Build. Christy is gradually educating herself as she educates others about her type of build. A healthy home With a wellness-inspired design aspect, a home built with a solid envelope creates a healthy home. Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) Insulated Concrete Forms are well-insulated life-sized Lego blocks used to create the envelope for solid, energy-efficient, health-oriented, air-tight, comfortable homes. Mechanical ventilation ICF homes are air-tight, so they require mechanical ventilation. (Affordable options are readily available.) Remodels Remodels tend to be more expensive than new construction.  My home remodel We brought Christy in to do our home remodel. (Before that, she consulted with me about remodeling her parents’ home.) Being each other’s clients has been insightful for both of us! Our rebuild was green-oriented, and we also brought in some sustainability factors. Fortunately, we managed to salvage many of the old materials and donated them to be reused by those who needed them. Why did we remodel? Our main driver for remodeling our home was health and wellness because we spend a lot of time there. Another reason for our remodel was that during Covid, my husband and I started cooking together, but we soon discovered that our kitchen was too small. Challenges Some things were challenging to do. We had to work with supply chain issues, and we also had to educate our workforce about certain things and motivate them to learn some new habits. We also had to remove some click-and-lock flooring that was glued down. Using products to their fullest capabilities Christy likes to educate herself about the products she uses to ensure that the products she implements for her clients get used to their fullest capabilities. Real wood floors  Real wood floors are natural and reasonably sustainable. They are also beautiful!  Trade-offs There are always trade-offs because anything we touch on this planet will have an impact. So we need to accept that, be flexible, and adapt. We also need to understand how any given trade-off will impact us. Dealing with issues When an issue arises, Christy addresses it immediately. She communicates with the contractor and the client and does everything she can to rectify it. Bringing our skills together Christy and I are finding a way to bring our skills together when we work on a project. That allows us to create something better than we would have managed before.  A video series Our goal is to put a video series of our entire project together, from start to finish, along with some commentary on things that others may be able to use in their home remodels. We hope to have it done by August or September. Christy and I plan to put it out on our respective channels at different times. You can learn more about it on Green Home Coach, Instagram, and Facebook.  Contractors When we push contractors into the green and sustainable world, they tend to feel overwhelmed and want to keep on doing things how they did them before. Giving them information upfront helps them feel more comfortable with making a change.  Have a great green day!   Links: What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program  CRH Design Build  Building in Wellness  Pursuing Green Home Certification  Sherwin Williams paint used in remodel  Ask your questions on the Love Your Everyday Green Home Private Facebook Group  Follow CRHDB on Instagram to see photos Follow Green Home Coach on Instagram 

  Global challenges are abounding, and working in the world of sustainability, health, and wellness has brought many wicked problems to light.  We can describe some of the most challenging social issues we face today as wicked problems. With those problems, we have to re-frame our notion of success. Although they will never get entirely solved, success with wicked problems is about impacting or improving outcomes and mitigating risks.  I am Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am excited to be back in the studio today with my co-host, Tony Pratte, who is joining me to talk about the wicked problem of changing weather.  Stay tuned for more! Crazy weather There has been some crazy weather in St. Louis for the last couple of months! It has been raining a lot, and the driving downpours have caused many problems for land developers.  Lots of rain  Over the last decade or so, we have seen an increase in rainfall in the Oklahoma area. There has been unusual rainfall between March and November- and sometimes even December!  Changing weather patterns Weather patterns appear to be changing everywhere. Even though some of it could be cycles, the changing weather over the last few years has been partially due to the increasing drought in the western part of the United States.  What is rain? When the moisture in the air reacts with water in the ground, it rains. Currently, the ground out west lacks water, so rain is not getting triggered in that area. The moisture that should be causing rain in the west (in California, Arizona, and Nevada) is moving eastwards. Extreme weather patterns Lately, the extreme global weather patterns have become more extreme! You cannot compare Oklahoma with St. Louis You cannot compare Oklahoma with St. Louis because St. Louis is a meteorological anomaly. Most cities have two weather patterns. They are either affected by the Arctic or the Gulf of Mexico. St. Louis gets affected by both, so it has three weather patterns. For weather forecasting, two mathematical equations get combined. In St. Louis, there is a third equation that throws everything off. A river effect St. Louis is at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the second-largest freshwater flow in North America. So the state is surrounded by water. That causes a river effect, much like the lake effect at the Great Lakes, which amplifies many weather patterns. That matters because it helps us gauge the changes we see in the weather patterns. Climate shift Things that do not usually occur in certain parts of the country are happening a lot more, and strong weather patterns have been reported in the news. Scientific data shows that the weather is changing, and people are starting to accept it.  Water usage Many large cities are in the desert. Air conditioning makes the heat bearable, but where does the water come from? A limited amount of fresh water exists on the planet that constantly gets recycled through the water cycle. A billion people have problems accessing clean water every day. Yet we keep building big cities in areas with no water (like Las Vegas), and more and more people keep moving to those locations.  Subsidized water The water pumped to the desert cities gets subsidized, so people aren't aware of the real cost. If it was not subsidized, fewer people and businesses might move to those cities. That could relieve some of the strain on the natural resources of those locations and help stabilize the weather patterns. Water rights In the west and in California Central Valley, where a lot of food is grown, water prices are soaring. As the drought in that area worsens, people are buying up water rights. That has created a challenge for small farmers who are unable to compete with the huge conglomerates that own the water rights. Is water an inalienable right? The corporations that own the big farms can use their resources, create hedging strategies, and buy options on commodities like water. So people are talking about whether water is an inalienable right, and if it should be commoditized and purchased.  A perpetual cycle Changing weather affects water patterns, and water patterns affect the weather. It is a perpetual cycle, so it is hard to know where to start if we want to change things. Natural patterns The natural patterns that exist will continue. If there is mismanagement, however, things get thrown out of whack, and problems tend to get amplified.  A wicked problem The water issue is a wicked problem because it requires many different solutions. If we want to continue as a society, we need to figure out how to deal with the effects of the weather changes. Change Change is here, and it is unavoidable. No matter what, we will have to adapt, mitigate, and suffer.  The real cost of water Mitigating and adapting will not solve this problem. If people were charged the actual cost of water in desert cities rather than subsidizing, it could prevent some future suffering.  Thinking differently We have to start thinking differently about water and the changing weather patterns. Some people recognize that, so they use water wisely and consider ways to conserve it when building. Figuring out how to obtain water  Although the agricultural community has probably adapted better than most by coming up with more efficient irrigation systems and using technology tools, we still have to figure out how to capture water and recharge the aquifers. Because thousands of acres of farmland and millions of people are affected by the weather changes.  Wasted water The water from the heavy rains in Oklahoma City over the past weeks has been running through the storm-water systems and into the Gulf of Mexico. That water gets wasted because it mixes with salt water. It would be a much better idea to figure out a way to keep that water fresh and re-introduce it to the water cycle.  Using strategies to overcome the feast or famine effect We can all do something for ourselves to overcome the feast or famine effect resulting from changing weather patterns. Small steps add up.  Gutters in Oklahoma Gutters are not automatically fitted on houses in Oklahoma City because there is usually not enough rain to make them worthwhile. With the climate becoming wetter, more people are putting gutters onto their houses and installing rain barrels and rain gardens to capture the water. No simple answers There is no simple answer to the wicked problem of obtaining enough water for everyone with changing weather patterns. We need to have open and realistic discussions about what is changing weather and the water patterns. It does not matter who caused the problem. What does matter is that we have to fix it. Some simple tips for becoming part of the solution: Use rain barrels (if they are legal in your state) Install a rain garden Buy local produce  Use native plants for landscaping Stand up and speak out about the need for change Have a great green day!   Links and resources: What Makes a Green Home Green Audio Program:  Green Home Coach Study.com video: wicked problems definitions EPA.gov climate indicators Scienceline on how weather affects the way we live EPA.gov Weather.com - weather changes National Geographic - climate change CDC Climate Effects on Health Psychiatry.org

We’re hearing a lot about health and wellness right now!  Since the start of the pandemic, conversations about how we feel, sickness, wellness, and even cancer have blown up everywhere! We are starting to realize that our health and wellness, how we feel, our mental well-being, and what is going on inside our walls have converged, and they all matter!  I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. I’d like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Jillian Prichard Cooke, the Founder of Wellness Within Your Walls. Jillian is joining me today to tell her story and talk about her journey. Stay tuned for more! About Jillian  Jillian is a champion of wellness. She helps people connect wellness and health in their homes and buildings. She was recently appointed by the Global Wellness Institute as a Global Wellness Ambassador. A compelling reason Jillian had a very compelling reason for starting Wellness Within Your Walls: Sixteen years ago, she got involved with the very first Leed-certified home in the United States, in Atlanta Georgia, together with Laura and Rutherford Seydel. Laura and Rutherford approached the home from an angle of sustainability and systems. They explored greywater, water purification, solar, and smart home technology.  Points system  Laura and Rutherford were ahead of their time and were able to experience the Leed certification through the points system. A health challenge  The Seydels and Jillian were consultants on the project, and Jillian experienced a massive physical and mental health challenge related to a cancer diagnosis. Her immediate concern was about where it came from and how it had happened.  Environmental  It was not genetic, so it had to be environmental, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where it came from. The only constant in Jillian’s life had been her career in interior design, where she had been exposed to toxins regularly for forty years.  The birth of Wellness Within Your Walls While she was working with Laura and Rutherford, Jillian decided to bring to their home a step beyond what their Leed program was about. That was the birth of Wellness Within Your Walls. They were asked to write a class for ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and IIDA CEU Credit. That eventually turned into a certification. After that, they made a concerted effort to understand how energy efficiency relates to houses. A holistic approach Many health and wellness benefits lie between energy efficiency and indoor environment quality. Jillian and I both support a holistic approach to the design-build process. Everything is related Everything is related, so when planning for energy efficiency, it is vital to put strategies in place that align with high performance and sustainability in the home and speak directly to health. My involvement Jillian and I met at a National Association of Home Builders meeting. (I am involved with the National Association of Homebuilders and the National Green Building Standard, the green certification endorsed by the National Association of Homebuilders.) Soon after meeting Jillian, I realized the wellness aspect of Wellness Within Your Walls would complement the National Green Building Standard- or any other green certification program. Bridging Wellness Within Your Walls bridges everything that is trade-related and bestows knowledge on consumers to assist them with their decision-making processes and advocating for themselves. The Healthy Living System The Healthy Living System is a holistic approach to health and wellness in the building and design industry. It is a ten-point strategy system that adopts everything that relates to health and wellness with other systems within the home and takes it beyond the physical build-out of the home. It starts with clean air, clean water, and natural light, and it includes physical, mental, and spiritual wellness and conscious and mindful consumption on the part of the consumer. Food science Another point within the Healthy Living System is food science. Food science is about more than nutrition. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) lays out what consumers should be doing regarding food science in the laundry room and kitchen, and strategies for buying food.  Behavior strategies The last and most important point of the Healthy Living System, as it relates to the consumer, is about behavior strategies and the way consumers conduct themselves inside their homes. HVAC systems Air strategies in the home are vital because they can either spread or prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses in the home. Jillian has a partnership with Aprilaire. They were prepared for the pandemic and shipped out personal ventilation units to purify the air in people’s homes and offices. Their 4-inch cassettes capture 99.5% of all airborne viral and bacterial particulates. 2020 2020 was disruptive, but it was also a paradigm shift- especially around health and wellness within the home. Wellness Within Your Walls Wellness Within Your Walls offers natural, sustainable, and responsible options for the things we use inside our homes. What sets them apart is they are not afraid to talk about chemicals and off-gassing strategies. They support consumers with healthy products and assist them with education and certification around their four Ps:  People Places Programs Products They are always willing to take on new projects outside of the normal wheelhouse of residential design and application. They recently got involved with social equity in less-served communities. Mothers & Others for Clean Air Mothers & Others for Clean Air is a non-profit group that advocates for clean air. They have put out a free Healthy Home Clean Air toolkit.  The three categories of the Healthy Living System: Natural options Sustainable options  Responsible options The ten Healthy Living System strategies: Clean Air Clean Water (Go to The Environmental Working Group and use your zip code to look up what is in your water.) Natural Light Chemical Control Physical Wellness Mental Wellness Spiritual Wellness Conscious Consumption Food Science Behavioral Strategies Healthy Home Take Control Jillian and I invite you to listen to the podcast series we started a while back called Healthy Home Take Control. Have a great green day!   Links and resources: Connect with Jillian: Email Jillian - Jillian@wellnessinyourwalls.com Wellness With Your Walls We’re hearing a lot about health and wellness right now!  Since the start of the pandemic, conversations about how we feel, sickness, wellness, and even cancer have blown up everywhere! We are starting to realize that our health and wellness, how we feel, our mental wellbeing, and what is going on inside our walls have converged, and they all matter!  I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. I’d like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Jillian Prichard Cooke, the Founder of Wellness Within Your Walls. Jillian is joining me today to tell her story and talk about her journey. Stay tuned for more! About Jillian  Jillian is a champion of wellness. She helps people connect wellness and health in their homes and buildings. She was recently appointed by the Global Wellness Institute as a Global Wellness Ambassador. A compelling reason Jillian had a very compelling reason for starting Wellness Within Your Walls: Sixteen years ago, she got involved with the very first Leed-certified home in the United States, in Atlanta Georgia, together with Laura and Rutherford Seydel. Laura and Rutherford approached the home from an angle of sustainability and systems. They explored greywater, water purification, solar, and smart home technology.  Points system  Laura and Rutherford were ahead of their time and were able to experience the Leed certification through the points system. A health challenge  The Seydels and Jillian were consultants on the project, and Jillian experienced a massive physical and mental health challenge related to a cancer diagnosis. Her immediate concern was about where it came from and how it had happened.  Environmental  It was not genetic, so it had to be environmental, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where it came from. The only constant in Jillian’s life had been her career in interior design, where she had been exposed to toxins regularly for forty years.  The birth of Wellness Within Your Walls While she was working with Laura and Rutherford, Jillian decided to bring to their home a step beyond what their Leed program was about. That was the birth of Wellness Within Your Walls. They were asked to write a class for ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and IIDA CEU Credit. That eventually turned into a certification. After that, they made a concerted effort to understand how energy efficiency relates to houses. A holistic approach Many health and wellness benefits lie between energy efficiency and indoor environment quality. Jillian and I both support a holistic approach to the design-build process. Everything is related Everything is related, so when planning for energy efficiency, it is vital to put strategies in place that align with high performance and sustainability in the home and speak directly to health. My involvement Jillian and I met at a National Association of Home Builders meeting. (I am involved with the National Association of Homebuilders and the National Green Building Standard, the green certification endorsed by the National Association of Homebuilders.) Soon after meeting Jillian, I realized the wellness aspect of Wellness Within Your Walls would complement the National Green Building Standard- or any other green certification program. Bridging Wellness Within Your Walls bridges everything that is trade-related and bestows knowledge on consumers to assist them with their decision-making processes and advocating for themselves. The Healthy Living System The Healthy Living System is a holistic approach to health and wellness in the building and design industry. It is a ten-point strategy system that adopts everything that relates to health and wellness with other systems within the home and takes it beyond the ph

Wicked Problems: Trade-offs of electric vehicles with Tony Pratte  The topic of wicked problems has been inspiring some interesting conversations lately!  Driving electric vehicles rather than those powered by internal combustion engines is fascinating for Tony and me! Recently, Tony sent me an article explaining that what we need right now is an honest and comprehensive evaluation of the entire life cycle of clean energy- from raw materials through disposition. Up to now, we have only heard about the benefits of clean energy, so we need to understand the real cost of clean energy, including the negatives and the environmental impact.   In reality, there is a trade-off for everything we do, and if we fail to look at both sides, we have no way of knowing whether or not we are making the right decision.  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, my co-host, Tony the Green Guy, is joining me to talk about various aspects of electric vehicles and the vehicles we know. We will also dive into the decision-making processes and the life-cycle analysis. Energy independence During a recent special election for a new Senior Senator for Oklahoma, a previously conservative candidate sent out a flyer saying that we need to restore our energy independence. He was referring to fossil fuels because Oklahoma is an oil and gas state. But energy is not the fuel, and ironically, Oklahoma has made a big investment in alternative energy sources.  Trade-offs There are certain things we need to transition away from, but they have to remain part of the process until we find an infrastructure that can handle the alternative. There are trade-offs for everything, so it is vital for us to know if the alternatives are better than what we currently have.  Solar Most of us think solar is a good idea. But nobody talks about how solar affects wildlife or where the materials used to make the solar panels come from. Honest discussions We need to be willing to have honest discussions about alternative energy sources. We need to listen and be open to hearing things that might make us uncomfortable. Those conversations can be challenging, so when we have them, we need to put the problem in front of us, not between us!  Electric vehicles  The number of electric vehicles in Oklahoma is increasing almost daily! Electric vehicles have many advantages. There is no waiting in line for gas, and they require less maintenance. On the flip side, motor mechanics will have to find new ways to use their skills, and fuel stations will have to diversify over time. Internal combustion engines  Internal combustion engines will still be around for quite some time because the infrastructure for EVs still has to be created.  No one answer It might help if we have more options to ease us into things as they change. A solution might be a combination of several ideas or possibly a hybrid approach. Hybrid Hybrid vehicles could be a good option because they will allow people to drive electric in the city or for short trips and use the internal combustion engine for longer trips. BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) Many people use BATNA to look at everything they do because if something does not work out, it means they will already have the next best thing in mind.  Budgets and affordability Budgets can influence people’s decisions when choosing a vehicle. Apart from the budget, there are also many other things that can influence their choices. Creating a grid to compare the affordability, the various options, and the trade-offs can help a lot! Sustainability The manufacture of any electric item, batteries, in particular, requires a lot of rare earth minerals. Unfortunately, rare earth minerals are not a sustainable resource because they are mined. We need to understand that our natural resources are limited, and mining has a massive impact on the environment. In some countries, mining even infringes on human rights. Life cycle analysis As consumers, we should have transparency around the origin of everything we buy. That falls into the life cycle analysis of products, which has been a big push in sustainability reporting. Electric vehicles have big batteries, so the life cycle analysis of those batteries is important to consider. ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting Much of the transparency we are seeing right now in various industries is a result of ESG reporting. Asking questions It is vital that we ask questions to ensure that the products we buy align with our values. We need to know the trade-offs, where the materials used to manufacture the products come from, and whether the materials were resourced in a responsible and sustainable way.  Recycling and reusing It is in our best interest to recycle and reuse electronic components because they are made of hazardous materials- often rare earth, and therefore cannot be placed in landfills. We will have to reuse those materials in the future because we are sure to run into a serious supply chain issue when no internal combustion engines and only EVs are manufactured within the next eight to thirteen years. In Oklahoma City, there is a place for recycling, reconditioning, and repurposing electric vehicle batteries.   Better solutions As a society, we need to look for better solutions for everyone! To get from a fossil fuel-based society to an alternative energy-based society, we will initially have to marry the two together. The percentages will change over time as fossil fuel gets phased out and the infrastructure for alternative energy grows and improves. Mining is not sustainable We will have to recycle electronic materials in the future because mine developments and the mining of many of the necessary minerals are not sustainable. Wicked problems Wicked problems are here to stay, so having these conversations is vital! We hope you will put some of your thoughts and energy into helping to solve some of these problems! Have a great green day!   Resources: What Makes a Green Home Green - Audio Program https://greenhomecoach.ac-page.com/wmaghg-direct Environmental downside of EVs https://fee.org/articles/the-environmental-downside-of-electric-vehicles/ Pros and cons of EVs (based on driving, fuel input, maintenance, etc) https://earth911.com/eco-tech/pros-cons-electric-vehicles/ EVs are not "zero emissions"  https://youmatter.world/en/are-electric-cars-eco-friendly-and-zero-emission-vehicles-26440/ Battery remanufacturing, reuse, and recycling - company here in OKC Spiers Technology https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/economy/okc-based-spiers-new-technologies-keeps-electric-vehicles-on-road-with-pioneering-battery-remanufacturing-services/  and https://www.spiersnewtechnologies.com/ EV myths https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths Fuels Institute weighs in on life cycle analysis https://www.fuelsinstitute.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=8e633fd7-0153-43ad-b9a5-7cb795b22f93 A research overview of life-cycle assessments for gas-powered and electric vehicles https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/awalker.pdf  

What is wellness real estate? We hear a lot about wellness real estate lately. Sheila Alston knew nothing about it until she started thinking of ways to bring health and home together. After doing some research, she discovered that wellness real estate had already become a 134-billion dollar industry two years earlier! The very first wellness lifestyle community was built near Atlanta, Georgia. It has been a great success, and people love living there!  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! I am super excited to introduce you to my guest, Sheila Alston, the creator of WellnessRE Magazine! She is joining me today to talk about wellness real estate and how to make the connection between a healthy home and a healthy life. Stay tuned for more! Wellness real estate Forward-thinking developers are building wellness-based communities and creating neighborhoods that support a healthy lifestyle. Rather than just building a suburban area with a community pool, they have been thinking more about the design. Wellness neighborhoods include green features and amenities centered around a community farm or some other aspect of wellness to benefit those living there and bring them together.  Growing in leaps and bounds Wellness real estate has grown in leaps and bounds over the last two years. Last November, it was said to be worth 275 billion dollars!  How Sheila got into wellness real estate When her kids went off to college Sheila became a real estate agent. She also got a health coaching certification, but being a health coach did not feel like her calling. She wanted to find a way to bring health and home together, so she researched wellness real estate and found that it sparked her interest. WellnessRE Magazine When Sheila got her real estate license, she wanted to stand out from the other real estate agents and provide value. She also wanted to educate people on creating a healthier home environment. So, she started a podcast to interview experts in the field. She met wellness architects, home biologists, and other businesspeople doing amazing things in the industry. After a few months, she decided to create a digital magazine as a tool to position herself differently within real estate, forge deeper connections with people, and help people live better in their homes.  Green homes versus wellness Green homes have been around for some time, but many think that they focus only on energy efficiency. (note from Marla - This is a common misconception, yet certified green homes are built or remodeled holistically with many health and wellness benefits in addition to efficiencies.) Sheila understands that wellness is more than just green. It is about people living well and thriving in their homes. Making the connection Sheila went to the Integrated Institute of Nutrition (IIN) and learned that health and wellness are more than just diet and exercise. Toxins in your home environment could be detrimental to your health and manifest as chronic pain or discomfort. Yet many people fail to make the connection between their health and their homes. Driving change People- professionals, in particular, need to understand the “why”, the value, and the benefits of people living better in their homes. Both Sheila and I want to help people with solutions and drive change. Real estate professionals are in a perfect position to be change agents because they are at the intersection between people and their homes. Helping people Many real estate agents want to help people, but they end up sharing and educating on the transaction rather than sharing information about the home environment. Or helping people love their homes and feel more comfortable in them. Surrounding themselves with green and healthy home experts, and having a toolkit of healthy resources, is a good way for agents to help people live better and more comfortably in their homes. Mindset Real estate agents need to educate people about the benefits of homes because most people don’t really care about the features of a home, but they do care about the benefits. It will help if agents adopt a mindset of guiding people rather than trying to sell to them.  Healthy homes Most people want healthier homes that are easier to maintain. Since Covid, more people are starting to understand that health and homes go hand-in-hand. Home town or home base Suzanne Shelton of the Shelton Group said homes had become hometowns instead of home bases during the pandemic. A hometown is where you find schools, stores, work, and play. During the lockdowns, all of that happened within our homes.  How well your home takes care of you  It is vital to consider how well your home takes care of you.  A Wellness Kitchen Many couples enjoy cooking together. A Wellness Kitchen is laid out and set up to have enough space for two people to cook comfortably together.  Where to start with making your home healthier  Sheila recommends that people start by de-cluttering their homes. Clutter is overwhelming for the brain and nervous system. When a home is clean and tidy, it is a lot less stressful when walking into it or waking up in it. Another thing would be to regularly change the air filters on the ventilation system because clean air is vital in any home. It would also be helpful to install a water filtration system, so you always have good clean water to drink.  Color Color is like medicine. Many people don’t realize how important it is to surround themselves with colors they enjoy. Use calming colors in calm spaces. Ask a color specialist if you need some help. Remember to use only use low or no VOC paint. Sheila’s book Sheila recently wrote a book to inspire real estate professionals to learn about wellness real estate. Her book will also help real estate professionals talk about wellness real estate more easily, and deepen their relationships with their clients. The book is intentionally short, so it is a quick read.    Upgrade You can upgrade to a wellness house by adding spa amenities like an exercise room, an infrared sauna, a pool, or sports courts. Those amenities will help you lead a healthier lifestyle.  Have a great green day!   Links: Join WellnessRE Pro WellnessRE Magazine Sheila's Book The Wellness Real Estate Podcast Sheila's podcast Blooming - A Healthy Home by Design, and I got to be on! Wellness Agents on Instagram WellnessRE Magazine on Instagram

We face so many challenges in our world today! That is why we need to connect the dots between our homes, and the health of our communities.  Many of us don’t make the connection between our health, our homes, and the health of the world at large. Yet sometimes, without us even knowing it, the products in our homes make us sick. Or they impact our safety and comfort.  It all starts with us. Even though it might feel overwhelming, we need to understand that each one of us holds the world in our hands, and it is OUR challenge to take care of it.  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and my co-host and partner in podcasting, Tony Pratte, aka The Green Guy, from The Sound Room, is with me! We are kicking off a new series today called Wicked Problems! Stay tuned for more! What is a wicked problem? Wicked problems are social or cultural problems that are difficult or almost impossible to solve. They are deeply complex problems that are broad in scope and large in scale. Most people have a hard time wrapping their heads around wicked problems.  The characteristics of wicked problems They are all unique They have multiple uncertain root causes There is a vast and open-ended source of possible solutions They involve numerous and varied stakeholders They can be improved but never really solved Solving wicked problems  All solutions for wicked problems involve large-scale changes in behavior, structure, and technology. Those solutions will probably create new problems and have unintended consequences. The deal There are many wicked problems in our world today. We are all about creating better health for people and society. But we understand that that could bring about even more wicked problems.  Super-wicked problems There is a sub-category of wicked problems called Super-Wicked Problems. They are characterized by time running out, having no decision-maker in charge, and those seeking to solve the problem also causing problems. Many of the complex problems we face today fit this description. And the tough part is that we all likely contribute to the wicked problems, and we all have the power to be part of the solution.  Trade-offs There are trade-offs for everything we do in our everyday lives. Personal health Although there is a lot of emphasis on personal health right now, people don’t understand all the factors that may impact their health. There are also many different stakeholders in personal health, and they all many have competing viewpoints. Trust  We are reaching a point where people are starting to tune out of all the information because they don’t know who to trust. A disconnected world I am all about the connectedness we feel inside us because even with all the technology available today, we still live in a disconnected world. A growing number of people are anesthetized today and tend to separate their feelings from whatever is happening in the world around them. Connectedness People need to understand that there is a connectedness between the various parts of where we function as humans and our health. Covid has helped with that understanding because it changed our appreciation for our personal space, relationships, and daily routines.  Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Since the start of the pandemic, survival mode (in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) has become more prevalent in most people’s lives, and health has come to the fore for most of us. The global economy Many of our daily habits (like drinking coffee or sending our plastic waste overseas for developing countries to deal with) involve the global economy. During Covid, many things became unobtainable. Since then, we have become more accepting of everything available to us.  Thinking differently about our homes Spending all our time at home during Covid made us think about our homes differently, and we started noticing things that we were too busy to see before.  Healthier habits Many of us adopted healthier habits during the lockdown period. We started walking regularly or gardening because we had the time to do so. Doing those things also helped us connect with nature. Connecting our health to the world health Knowing how to connect our health to world health could be classified as a wicked problem. A statement made by John Holdren, a Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Harvard during the Obama administration, helps us put that into perspective. He said we have three choices: mitigation, adaptation, and suffering. We will do some of each, but the question is what the next will be. The more mitigation we do, the less adaptation will be needed and the less suffering there will be. Addressing wicked problems When addressing wicked problems, we need to define what success looks like for that problem. Usually, success becomes improved outcomes, acceptable behavior, and reduced risk.  The common good There is great value in making the common good equal to our own. We need to understand that everything we buy, or use in our homes and daily lives, has an impact. Changing some of those can be a way of mitigating the health effects on ourselves, our communities, and the planet. Natural products No chemicals or synthetic fertilizers are used in the production of organic food. That benefits us, the farmers, and those manufacturing organic or more natural products. Using more natural products in our homes will have a similar benefit for us, those involved in producing the products, and the planet. Dealing with wicked problems To succeed when dealing with wicked problems, it helps to start small and get to a place where you have adapted and mitigated, and you are dealing with less suffering. Remember that small wins will breed momentum. Three ways to get started with dealing with the wicked problem of connecting our health, home, and world: Swap out two or three products you use every day for better (healthier and more natural/ethical) products. Only support companies that make products and offer services in line with your values and make concerted efforts to improve the world and people’s lives. Speak up. Have conversations with people about using healthier products, developing their values, and forming better habits. Taking action These are not always easy things to think about, but taking small steps is easy, and that is where it starts! Remember, you don’t have to solve the problem- you only need to make an impact! Earth Day Most people, women, in particular, tend to wear many different hats! Having a home that works for you rather than against you can make a critical difference in your day-to-day living. As women, we play a vital role in connecting the dots between our homes, our health, and the health of those for whom we care. As mothers, we like to stand up for our families, friends, and communities because we want our children, grandchildren, and future generations to have a good, safe, and healthy life.  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach. Join me on Earth Day for a micro workshop where you will discover the connection between your home, your health, and the health of the larger world! You will have the chance to do a Dream Your Home exercise to uncover how you want your home to feel and perform for everyone living there! We will wrap up with some simple steps to improve your well-being via the connection between your home and your health.  Find us on Facebook Live on the Green Home Coach page at 11 am central time, on Friday, April 22nd, 2022. RSVP on the Green Home page to get your Dream Your Home worksheet! See you there on Earth Day! Links: Earth Day Webinar (complimentary) https://www.facebook.com/events/723921088968810?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22page%22%7D]%7D EGH Podcast Your Comfort, Health and Safety: Start Where You Live https://greenhomecoach.com/your-comfort-health-and-safety-start-where-you-live/ EGH Podcast Just for the Health of It https://greenhomecoach.com/maintaining-a-healthy-home/ https://porch.com/resource/climate-change-home-ownership IAQ is the next Big Deal, Shelton Group https://sheltongrp.com/IAQ-Is-the-Next-Big-Deal Two Things Maslow Can Teach Us About What is Happening Right Now, Shelton Group https://sheltongrp.com/two-things-maslow-can-teach-us-about-whats-happening-right-now/

You know what they say, “ Reduce, reuse and recycle.” Well, there are now four Rs. The first is REFUSE, which gives us the power to stop things from happening by simply refusing them. If we follow the 4 Rs to a T, then our world will be better for all those who come after us. Even though I’m sure you can think of plenty of examples of how society bearded itself over time with excessive production rates (I'm looking at YOU plastic bag!) and disposable containers, all hope is not lost! There is always a little room to improve our mindsets to be more cognizant of the 4 Rs, including minimizing what we purchase. Tony’s bio Tony is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri, where he is responsible for building relationships between home builders and The Sound Room System designers to help create the ultimate home experience. Tony has been working in the construction industry for more than eighteen years. During that time, he has been building relationships, and he has become a valued part of the construction team, assisting his builder clients with delivering their customers’ dreams. He is currently a member of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri, where he also served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2007 to 2011. His specialties are builder development, industry networking, and interior design. Is buying disposable worth it? In our current world, the general mindset is one of a “disposable society.” And as such, people believe everything should be replaced when it gets old or worn out - even if this means they're constantly spending money to keep up appearances or to save themselves a bit of time. Another important R The fourth R stands for Refuse. You can simply all-out refuse to buy or use things that you don't need, like straws, plastic water bottles, plastic bags; it’s an easy way of reducing your environmental footprint without compromising on convenience! For example, if you buy a new appliance, you must do something with the old one. Look for someone who is in need of it, or try selling it to help recover part of the costs of the new one. Repairability; yet another R Repairability is very important because it conserves resources, and extends the reusability of items. We don’t need to make more piles in landfills with items that could be repaired and used. Plastics The plastic problem has been around for a long time, but it’s only recently that we have started to truly comprehend just how bad of an impact it is having. We constantly hear about the harm done by single-use plastics and what needs to happen in order to resolve these problems once and for all - yet nothing seems to be taken seriously enough! Refuse! The solution may lie within us though. Can you imagine your life without coffee cups or straws? Refuse to buy things you don’t need. It seems like a small price to pay for the greater good.   Links and resources: The Sound Room Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic Bags from Everday Green Home Single-Use Plastics 101 Electronics Donation and Recycling  Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products Earth 911 - living/well-being Earth 911 - garden/air conditioning

What if you could run your business in such a way that it was actually good for society? A Force For Good! That's what Gail Garey, founder of Impact 360 Strategies says she wants to do. Her love of the outdoors and corporate background set up this work with B Corporations- those companies who are pledging themselves as forces against social isolation through innovation or environmentalism or some other positive cause -and not just making money off people’s needs.   Gail's mission is to guide and empower business professionals around the world with her expertise in environmentally friendly, socially responsible sustainable practices. She provides tips for individuals looking at greening their company while also sharing information about how we can all make an impact on this important issue ourselves!   Gail’s bio Gail is the founder of Impact 360 Strategies. Her mission is to guide and empower business professionals to accelerate environmentally friendly and socially responsible sustainable business practices that improve the bottom line and create positive social change.   Gail’s background Gail's background is in corporate work. She left her job a few years ago to pursue an exciting new opportunity that’s better aligned with what she loves.   Natural therapy Nature has always been a source of therapy for Gail. Whether it's running outside or going hiking with her dogs, skiing cross-country in winter, and garden work during summer - the natural world provides peace that she can't find anywhere else.   Interview When Gail interviewed Marla some time back for a video series that she was hosting, the idea for sending a  bi-monthly email newsletter emerged. The email contains tips about what all individuals can do as part of individual efforts to empower themselves while also protecting our planet.   Important work taking place There are a lot of really great things happening in environmental space these days, from fighting climate change to researching new solutions and taking actions on the corporate level, and especially at the individual level!   Consulting business Gail, a seasoned management professional, and environmentalist, is excited to launch her consulting business, Impact 360. Strategies shared will provide guidance in taking environmentally-friendly practices from concept through implementation with the goal of improving bottom lines as well creating positive social change.   Health We all have the opportunity to make a difference in our health and in that of the planet. By making mindful choices, we can improve what it means for us now as well as influence future generations.   B corporations One of the reasons Gail loves the B Corporation movement is because it allows us, as consumers and investors, to make informed decisions about which companies we support.   B corporation awareness Part of what Gail’s consulting firm focuses on is increasing the awareness of people about the B Corporation movement and working with purpose-driven companies that want to become certified as B Corporations.    What is a b corporation? B Corporation is the certification of a company. B Corporations are companies that marry profits with purpose. They are committed to working for environmental and social benefits, as well as making a profit.  A rigorous, independent, third-party verification process with the non-profit entity, B Lab ensures that those companies meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, legal accountability, and transparency. The successful companies get a logo to inform people that they are, indeed, B Corporations.   Links and resources: Gail’s Website Impact 360 Strategies - Gail's Company B Corporation - A New Kind of Business That Balances Purpose and Profit B The Change - The Stories of People Using Business as a Force for Good Find a B Corp Everyday Green Home Shop Everyday Green Home’s Products From B Corp 

Today’s show topic is very exciting to me. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for improving eco-friendly living spaces.  Everything varies according to your needs, style, and budget!. Today, Tony Pratte joins us and discusses how we can “green up” our homes! He reminds us of exciting opportunities we all have to reuse or reconstruct previously discarded materials and incorporate them into useful things for our homes; while feeling good about keeping discarded items out of the landfills! Incremental green This is incremental green! As you care for, maintain and upgrade your home one step at a time - like painting or replacing do-hickeys with Volatile Organic Compound free paints & products--you’ll be providing an enhanced experience for everyone living in the house by making it healthier, safer (and more comfortable). Marla’s point-of-view There are many parts to a home, and lots of things inside every house, so breaking everything down into five different categories is a helpful way to avoid feeling overwhelmed when you’re thinking about all you need to do, to green your home. The five different categories are: The place where your home sits on the land. All the materials and the different products that are brought into the house to make it a home. Energy Water Breathing Everything that happens outside of your home fits category 1, like windows and natural light, trees for shade, rain barrels, and garden plants and flowers. Category 2 could be as simple as using reused, recycled, bio-based or wood-based materials in your home, and sourcing your materials locally. For category 3, make sure that any new appliance you buy has Energy Star, repair whatever you can, upgrade your lighting to LEDs, and buy the kind of plugs that you can turn on and off remotely. For category 4, you need to do whatever you can to conserve water. Don’t leave the water running when you’re brushing your teeth, shaving, or doing the dishes. Breathing, in category 5, is all about the indoor air quality in your home. This category is most closely tied to your health and wellness. A good place to start is with the air filters in your heating and cooling units.   Marla’s top 3 green tips: Use LED lightbulbs Use only green cleaning products Use only recycled or non-tree toilet paper so that you don’t end up flushing a forest down the toilet.   Links and resources: Go to the Green Home Coach website and click on the “consult with me” link for a 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home. Go to the Green Home Coach website and click on the “consult with me” link for a 20-minute consult with Marla about the product swaps you can do in your home. Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products (link words "Everyday Green Home Shop") Incremental Green article, County Living Magazine Green As You Go - Paint by Numbers  

What does it mean to buy green? There are no standard definitions for the words used to describe green products, so we sometimes tend to confuse products that sound green or claim to be green with those that truly are sustainable and environmentally friendly.  Some companies intentionally use words like natural or eco-friendly as a marketing ploy to imply that their products are better for you and the environment than they may actually be. That is known as greenwashing. Unfortunately, many companies that greenwash their products spend a lot more time and money on marketing than on becoming more sustainable and ecologically friendly.  I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I am pulling a podcast out of the archives in which Tony Pratte, my regular co-host, and I dive into the concept of greenwashing. In our conversation, we explain what you can do get above and beyond greenwashing, take action, and do better. We focus on green labels for the home and explain how they can work for you. Green labels for the home cover everything from energy efficiency to water efficiency to resource efficiency to toxin-free products and recycled materials. Stay tuned for more! Green Guides Greenwashing has been going on for a couple of decades now. Lately, people have been getting more concerned about it. Due to the current uncertainty surrounding the environmental and eco-friendly claims that companies have been making, the Federal Trade Commission has created green guides to help ensure that marketing claims regarding the environmental attributes of products are substantiated and truthful.  Wise up to greenwashing We all need to wise up to greenwashing and realize that we vote with our dollars. Many of us base our purchasing decisions on the performance, sustainability, and culture of the companies we buy from. So we are usually willing to pay a moderate premium for products made by people and companies authentically committed to being better environmental and health stewards. Green labels A lot of research goes into figuring out if products are what they claim to be. Green labels prove that research has been done on products by a green label-certified independent third party. Green labels give us guidelines to ensure that the products we buy will protect us, our families, and our fellow human beings. If the third party did not exist, anyone would be able to do or say whatever they wanted about any product. Green labels give us the peace of mind that comes from knowing we are using something better. Greenwashing The term greenwashing got coined about ten years ago. It gets used when someone thinks or hopes, rather than knows, that a product is green. It is nothing more than marketing hype or the misdirection of consumers because, although something gets claimed to be good for the environment, in reality, that may or may not be so.   The FCC and greenwashing The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has put out rules about what you may say and claims you may make about a product. There is also a standard code of ethics for marketers, and the American Marketing Association has specific rules that forbid marketers from making any unsubstantiated claims. Using 'green' terms Many people- even those in the home-building industry, do not understand fully what green terms mean. Nor do they understand their value. And they often do not even know how to use the terms correctly. So they tend to throw them around loosely, without understanding the consequences or the ramifications that are sure to follow. For example, a home that has Energy Star-certified, energy-efficient windows cannot be described as an energy-efficient home simply because it has an energy-efficient feature in it. No real meaning Some terms have no real meaning to the FCC, like natural, which is often used to describe food and personal care products.  Specific rules There are some specific rules for using the word 'organic' to describe products.  The goal of green labels  Green labels exist to give people something tangible, and reliable parameters around a particular characteristic. They help us to understand more about what we are buying.  Having peace-of-mind around energy-efficiency  Lately, many companies are doing things that are more sustainably-minded. There are multiple levels on which we can choose to engage with the companies that are doing things better.  Guidelines Green labels give us all the necessary guidelines to ensure that we are doing something impactful that will protect our families, ourselves, and fellow human beings without doing all the research.  Everyday Green Home Shop To help you, I have started putting a lot of products in my Everyday Green Home shop that have green labels. For the products that do not have green labels, I go through the vetting process I learned from the Green Building Standard to ensure that they meet the requirements needed for a Green Home Certification. For the personal care products in my shop, I refer to the Environmental Working Group. Taking small steps You can green your entire home, taking one small step at a time. Some steps to take in that direction are: Energy Star - It covers 1000s of quality products including complete home certification. Choose these products when you decide to upgrade or change anything electrical in your home. Water Sense - It covers, for water, much the same as Energy Star does for energy. Choose these products when it is time to upgrade or replace your washing machine, dishwasher, faucets, showerheads, or plumbing fixtures. Green Guard - This certification tells you that a product, usually for woodwork or cleaning, has fewer toxins in it, and it meets California's requirements for air quality. Start taking control of the quality of the air you let into the house.  Cradle To Cradle is a new energy-saving concept for both products and processes. It is an efficient way to use resources.    How green labels apply in other parts of our life and for homes The US Green Building Council has LEED (Leadership, Energy, and Environmental Design). It is available for homes. There is also the National Green Building Standard, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and local and regional green building standards, like Green Build Texas, Green Build Washington, and Earthcraft Homes in the South-East. There are also energy-efficient only certifications, like Energy Star, for homes and new homes. Home Energy Ratings Score (HERS) is a home energy ratings score index or a scale of energy efficiency which assesses the energy usage and relates it to an existing home.  Sustainability is about more than just the products Sustainability is about society and living standards. It is about how people get treated and the wages they are paid.    Referral links: My website Green Home Coach 1-https://greenhomecoach.com/shop/  Everyday Green Home shop for curated better and green products (link words "Everyday Green Home Shop") 2-Green Guard products on Amazon (needs my affiliate added in) https://www.amazon.com/s?k=greenguard&rh=p_n_cpf_eligible%3A21512497011&dc&crid=DO9J421RCZB3&qid=1644108145&rnid=21512496011&sprefix=green+guard%2Caps%2C257&ref=a9_sc_1 3-Signposts for Better Product Choices with Green Labels https://greenhomecoach.com/the-truth-about-green-product-labels/ 4-The Truth About Green Product Labels https://greenhomecoach.com/the-truth-about-green-product-labels/ 5-EPA Buying Green for Consumers https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/buying-green-consumers 6-A Guide to Greenwashing and How to Spot it from EcoWatch https://www.ecowatch.com/greenwashing-guide-2655331542.html 7-FTC Green Guides https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/federal_register_notices/guides-use-environmental-marketing-claims-green-guides/greenguidesfrn.pdf 8- Energy Star  www.energystar.gov  9-The Environmental Working Group - https://www.ewg.org/   "This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

Can business be a force for good?  There is a huge transition taking place within our culture and society right now. We are seeing some fascinating changes, many of which are being integrated from the younger generations up to the older generations. Whether we realize it or not, most of us vote with our pocketbooks. Today's younger generations only support the companies that uphold the values they want to encourage. My generation tends to buy from companies we believe in. Those companies share our values and do things that we feel are important. We also like to get involved and make things happen.  I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. I am pulling an episode out of the archives today with Suzanne Shelton of the Shelton Group. In our conversation, Suzanne and I dive into the notion of companies being a force for good.  Suzanne is an optimistic and inspiring individual with a wealth of relevant information! She founded The Shelton Group, which has done a lot of research and focuses on sustainability, social justice, and the emerging idea of ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) within the mainstream. Suzanne is a huge believer in business! She understands that when companies benefit from their actions, it inspires them to do more. She and I agree that businesses can be an agent of change and help us wrestle with some of the big immoral problems that exist out there today. Stay tuned for more! The Shelton Group The Shelton Group is the country’s leading marketing communications firm that focuses exclusively on the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) space. It is there to help companies gain a market advantage as a result of what they do to create a sustainable and socially just world. Suzanne founded the company twenty-nine years ago, and they have focused on the ESG space for the last fifteen years. How The Shelton Group achieves its aim The Shelton Group achieves its aim by creating ongoing insights gatherings to discuss the thinking and the expectations of the market and how people’s thoughts and expectations translate into the brands they prefer and the products they buy.  Those insights then get applied as marketing communication strategies and communication platforms which the company then amplifies out, over time, on behalf of their clients. The bias of the Shelton Group The Shelton Group believes in the power of organizations and entrepreneurialism. It fundamentally trusts in the strength and intensity of business and competition. Suzanne thinks she is also wired that way! A force for good Businesses can be a force for good if everything they do benefits the business in terms of money or profit. Solving problems in the world Business can be utilized as a force for good to help with solving some of the many problems in the world. Realistically, however, the only way that any business can work as a force for good is if there is some monetary value in it for that business. A pragmatic approach Suzanne believes that businesses need to explain pragmatically how they can read and measure their market advantage and how they intend to execute against that. An optimistic view Suzanne is an optimist. She is sure that we will weather the storm of the global pandemic and come out stronger and better than before on the other side. She also feels optimistic that businesses will solve some of the world’s greatest challenges. The good news Over the last couple of years, Wall Street has been asking questions that they were not asking five years ago. Investors are also asking questions on investor calls with Fortune 500 companies about diversion and inclusion policies or greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, if a company does not have its environmental and social acts together, it will not be in a position to answer those questions. Corporate America Now that Wall Street has started asking those questions, Suzanne finally feels that financials are a part of the environment and part of the work-streams within our society. She also believes that Corporate America is now motivated in a new way. The best thing that’s happened For Suzanne, the best thing that has ever happened to move everyone towards creating a sustainable future is that Wall Street has started asking some vital questions that they were not asking before. The ESG framework The ESG framework is a framework through which rating agencies measure and rate the performance of companies based on a host of metrics under the environmental, social, and governance categories. Those scores get reported to fund managers and investors on Wall Street. Part of the ESG framework is to obtain metrics on social issues, including gender equity, racial equity, and even pay equity. Where business needs to go to create meaningful solutions Although what has been happening in America over the last couple of years is generally not good for business in the long run, Suzanne points out that there is no business case for global warming or societal unrest either. Suzanne’s advice for business people Suzanne advises business people to embrace stakeholder capital and a triple-bottom-line approach to move forward, make sense of the world, and help create world peace. She believes that that will ultimately be the best approach for businesses, the world, and the planet because they are all connected. Referral Links: My website Green Home Coach Book: Living Green Effortlessly Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home  Instagram & Facebook: @greenhomecoach Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products  The Good Company Report, Shelton Group  Sustainalytics Just Capital  Change the World - Fortune  Pearl Certification "This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

We all care about the health of our family and friends and want them to live in a safe and healthy environment. A few years ago, The US Green Building Council created a movement, campaign, and toolkit called the Living Well Standard, which published a message that still stands true today. It spells out how much it matters that the places we live, work, and play should not hurt us but protect us and enrich our lives in a sustainable way. That should be a standard that we can all expect and enjoy, rather than a luxury or a privilege.  Environmentalism is all about people and living well. But that tends to get lost amid all the advocating, politics, and policies. That is why I am all about action because words do not mean much until we get in there and do something! I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I am pulling a show out of the archives in which I have a great conversation with my co-host, Tony Pratte, and we share a lot more detail about the Living Well Standard and toolkit. We discuss how the Living Well Standard helps people help themselves, each other, and the environment. We also talk about the action we can take, as individuals, to make a difference.  What we do matters, and every little bit adds up! Stay tuned for more! The Living Standard The Living Standard, released by the US Green Building Council, is all about people. It is a dialogue to help people understand more about green living and sustainability.  The Living Standard is a toolkit  The Living Standard is a toolkit designed to help us improve our conversations about what we can do to live a green and sustainable lifestyle. Small things count If you can picture a billion people making small changes, you will see that it ultimately adds up to a billion small changes happening all over the planet. So, if you make even a small and incremental change in your life, you will not have to worry about the big environmental problem. A big conversation Talking about the environment is a big conversation because there is a lot that we need to understand. Unfortunately, many people tend to have problems when they talk about the environment because they become consumed with the big picture. What we need to understand We need to realize that everyone looks at things a little differently, and there are certain things about which we will not always agree. That, however, will make no difference to the kinds of small, common-sense changes that we all can make.   There is always something you can do. There is always something you can do to be part of the solution and change things for the better. Sometimes, we can become overwhelmed with everything we need to do to green our homes. It helps to know that whatever we do on a small scale will ultimately also work on a bigger scale because, even if it is something small, it will still move the needle.  The US Green Building Advocacy Committee A while ago, the Missouri Gateway Chapter of the US Green Building Council asked Tony to be on their advocacy committee. Why the Living Standard was released The Living Standard was created to move the environmental conversation away from jargonized, scientific, builder-speak towards a more common language that can easily be understood by everyone.  A non-confrontational conversation A conversation about sustainability and greening the environment does not have to be confrontational.   The goal of this podcast The goal of this podcast is to have heartfelt conversations and keep politics out of the way.  How to have the right kind of conversation and take it to even more people We need to speak to more people who live outside of our community. We also need to use inclusive language and powerful images to help everyone feel that they can take the action that is needed daily to create a sustainable environment for all.  It’s all about a choice It’s all about the choice you make. You can choose to take a small, incremental step now that will make a big impact later on. The top three things you can do to make meaningful small changes in your home Use only LED lightbulbs Use green cleaning products Use recycled toilet paper Referral Links: My website Green Home Coach Book: Living Green Effortlessly Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home Facebook group Instagram & Facebook: @greenhomecoach Everyday Green Home Shop for curated better and green products The Living Standard Tool Kit The Living Standard Campaign The Standard Issue Report Are you interested in making your next home a healthy, eco-friendly one? We have partnered with RealtySagePros.com to help match you to expert agents who are matched, based on your unique real estate needs. It’s free, has no obligations, and takes less than 5 minutes. "This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

There seems to be an app for everything right now!  Could you imagine downloading an app for your house? Or even a whole bunch of apps? Well, that is what you need to do if you have a smart home! But how do you go about connecting everything in this time when technology is constantly moving and things keep on changing?   I am Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I am happy to have my co-host and resident expert, Tony Pratte from The Sound Room, joining me to have an in-depth conversation about the latest technological developments for smart homes.  In this episode, Tony and I talk about the intersection between home and tech, and we discuss the digital revolution that we are going through right now. Tony sheds some light on the technology you need for your smart home and explains how to connect and control everything to make your home easier to live in and more comfortable than ever before. We also offer some great tips for having a smarter and more connected home. Things are moving fast Technology is moving so fast right now we can barely keep up! Between the 1960s and the 1910s, technology did not change much. Now, the average homeowner seems to feel like a deer in headlights with all the technological changes happening! A proprietary system Our internet and cable provider also provides systems for security and home automation. So in my home, we have a proprietary app for security and our home automation system. Having a proprietary system means that the provider is the only one who can work on it. Adding a system If you already have a proprietary system and would like to add another DIY system, you will need to have a separate system for that. You will also have to have different apps for each system. Thermostats and HVAC warranties I have to use the thermostat supplied by my service provider, even though I liked the one I had before, better. If I have a problem with the thermostat and bring in an outside party to change it, it would result in the warranty on my HVAC system being voided immediately. Key entry points  There are key entry points for smart homes. The HVAC system is one key entry point, and security is another.  Environmental control Environmental control takes care of your home infrastructure. That includes your security, HVAC system, and door lock.   Entertainment The entertainment side controls the audio and video in your home. It can also control the home security side. Security cameras  Both the environmental controls and the entertainment controls can control security cameras. Video The environmental side might handle some small light audio, but it will not cope with video.  A digital revolution We are now experiencing a digital revolution known as the Fourth Revolution. Although it is a technological and digital revolution, it is how our lives are evolving. It is no different from the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Science fiction Our current technology is like science fiction. Tony points out that science fiction is rooted in what is to come in terms of technology.  Affordable technology Technology is expensive initially. But as it advances, people find ways to make it more accessible and affordable. Smart homes Smart homes have individual components that can be controlled remotely by a third-party device, like an app on a smart device or with voice control. The idea behind smart homes is to make our lives more convenient and comfortable and save time and energy. Connected homes In a connected home, everything is connected to the internet. All the items in the home are also connected via the same app or third-party device. A connected home absorbs and transmits data by working through the internet.  Maintenance In a connected home, the appliances transmit data to the manufacturers to inform them when parts start to fail. That makes home maintenance easier and allows the appliances to last longer. Setting scenes In connected homes, you can set scenes. For example, if you set up a “good morning” scene and turn it on by pushing a single button, the shades will go up, the door will unlock, the security system will disarm, the coffee pot will start making coffee, and music and the TV will switch on.  Systems and apps You can have several systems within a single app. You can also have a few single items, like voice-controlled Delta Faucets, that do not reside inside that app but can be tied into the overall system and controlled with a third-party voice-controlled trigger. Crossing systems Alexa and Google are the primary platforms for voice control. At The Sound Room , they also have more basic environmental systems that will operate well with Alexa and Google. The Sound Room provides a more custom DIY initial install experience and support. A growing awareness There is a growing awareness of the possible impact of having wifi-based electronics in our homes or on our bodies.  Crowded homes The term crowded home was coined because people’s homes are so crowded with technology right now.  Infrastructure In the future, every electric item in our homes will be on wifi, so we will need the proper home infrastructure to support those devices. A hard-wired data jack  Having a hard-wired data jack on your smart TV will ensure that you have a continuous stream of the internet going to the TV, regardless of the number of people using the wifi in your home. Lighting The lighting in smart homes can be controlled remotely by a third-party device. Most lighting controls involve replacing the switches, not the light-bulbs. Lighting is more complicated, especially when it comes to dimmers and LED light-bulbs.    Remodeling When remodeling a home, if you would like to have someone like Tony install a DIY home-control system, rather than having a professional system installed, the people living in the home need to be smart and experienced enough to manage and support their items and equipment.  CEDIA CEDIA is an association to help people find integrator companies, like The Sound Room, in their cities. They handle all the accreditations and certifications and put on an annual show for custom electronics installation companies. Three tips Three tips for having a smarter and more connected home: Put in the best wifi system that your budget and home can handle. (This is vital because it is the backbone of a smart home.) Get a video doorbell. Find one item that would improve your life, like smart light-bulbs, a Sonos music system, or a learning thermostat, install it, and test-drive it.

Most of us do not realize how often our beliefs, values, and traditions play out in our lives because they are so deeply entrenched.  Working with sustainability and green over the years has taught me a lot about people. I have learned how much our beliefs, values, and even our traditions impact the way we live our lives and how the way we live connects with climate change and sustainability.  I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, I will be focusing on beliefs, values, and the traditions we tend to adopt. I will offer you some alternative perspectives for looking at your home and living in it. I will also explain how the way you think impacts the way you live.  Thinking is changing Mainstream thinking is changing. Ideas around what people consider green, eco-friendly, and environmentally friendly have advanced over the last decade. Raising awareness Climate change, social injustice, and wastage affect all of us. Chemicals, toxicity, and polluted air impact our health, and when things in our homes are off-gassing, that can make us sick. That is why I have become more and more committed, over the years, to raising awareness around those issues. Writing about what matters Over the last ten or twelve years, I have written many articles about what matters to me, like committing to using sustainable building practices and making sure we have comfortable and healthy homes in which to live. Recently, I felt honored when the National Association of Home Builders asked me to write a piece for their blog.  Living green Living green involves our common sense, making mindful choices, and using whatever we have wisely. We need to remember that our choices influence everyone around us and the environment in which we live.  Getting your beliefs and values to work for you Getting your beliefs and values to work for you starts with a personal evaluation. For your home, the first step is to understand that your home influences not only you but your entire community.  Give yourself some grace You cannot do everything right all the time, and none of us are perfect. So learn to be okay with doing whatever you can as much as you can. I do my best to follow how I want to do things 80% of the time and give myself grace for the other 20%. Remember that you also need to give grace to others. A good example I strive to be a good example. I have worked hard to be an example to my children and others in my family. Get to know what you believe in and value Get to know your beliefs and your three most important values. Then, take action and do whatever you can to live up to what you believe and value. Helping people  Helping people has always been part of my life. Part of the reason I became the Green Home Coach was to help people like you learn how to help yourself so that you can help others do the same.  Sharing your superpowers Sharing your superpowers is helpful to others and very rewarding!  A better way Become aware of better ways to do things so that you can live a healthier and more comfortable life in your home. Waste I have worked hard to come up with ways to reduce the amount of waste in my home. I am still working towards finding out how to waste less time, however! My book A few years ago, I wrote a book called Living Green Effortlessly: Simple Choices for a Better Home. I loved having the opportunity to put my beliefs into action! None of the basic concepts in the book have changed since I wrote it. You can ask to join my Facebook group to see a video synopsis of each chapter. Things you bring into your home Everything you bring into your home should be made from natural, sustainable (renewable), or responsible materials. Start small When you decide to take action, start small. Pick three things that you can do better, and stick with them. (I chose to use only LED lightbulbs, green cleaning products, and tree-free toilet paper in my home.) Stay in line with what you believe    Make sure that every decision you make for your home stays in line with what you believe and value.  Referral Links: My website Green Home Coach Book: Living Green Effortlessly Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home  Instagram & Facebook: @greenhomecoach Does Greener Living Support Your Values?  Women Want Sustainable & Healthy Homes — How 4 Female Members Deliver  What does it mean to “be green” anymore?  "This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."      

Did you know that reusing stuff is back in vogue again?  People reuse things for many different reasons. When they do, it always reminds me of my grandmother because that is her legacy. She was one of the biggest motivators for me getting involved in the green and sustainable world. I am Marla, the Green Home Coach. Today, my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte, The Green Guy, is joining me to have a conversation about my grandmother’s legacy of reusing almost everything.  In this episode, Tony and I discuss how different generations relate to the notion of reusing things, and we also talk about what we can learn from how our grandparents and great-grandparents did things.   My grandmother My grandmother was born in 1909 in a small town in South Texas. She was a young woman during the Depression. Back then, most communities were small, rural, and self-sustaining. So things were scarce and had to be reused. I remember her telling my sisters and me when we were little to use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.  My mother’s generation My mother grew up simply and frugally. Even though she learned to do without many things during World War 2, it was her generation that brought in the mass manufacturing of convenience and luxury items.  The next generation People from each generation usually want to ensure that those in the next generation will be in a better position than they were. Most parents are willing to work hard so that their children do not have to work as hard. They want to know that their children are well provided for, well-educated, and in a position to make more money than they did.  Resources We need to learn to use all our resources wisely if we want them to be available for the next generation to use. Creating a culture of reducing, reusing, recycling, and refusing The culture of reducing, reusing, recycling, and refusing is becoming more fashionable lately. Especially amongst the younger people. Tony’s family Tony grew up in a working-class family. They lived comfortably but not ostentatiously. They budgeted, planned, and only spent money on necessary things.  Education My parents sacrificed a lot to give my sisters and me a private school education. They saw a good education as a foundation for us to be in a position to do whatever we wanted for the rest of our lives. My sisters and I are very grateful for their sacrifice! Reusing things My grandmother used to reuse things like foil, rubber bands, paper clips, and nails. Some of that rubbed off on me. So when I get a plastic take-out container, I either reuse it or throw it away in the recycling bin. I do not buy zip-lock bags anymore. But if I get one, I wash it out and reuse it. I also save and reuse glass jars.  The younger generation Some younger people do not think they will have the opportunity to live the same lifestyle as their parents did, or to retire, because they have high college debts and do not have high-paying jobs. Prices also keep rising, and they do not budget, so they struggle to put any money aside.  Easing the financial burden There are things they can do to ease their financial burden. Many of them are learning to hold onto things and reuse them. They are also learning to stretch their budgets more. Buying used items I buy as many used items as I can. Used furniture is safer because it has already off-gassed.  Changing our lifestyle My husband had brain surgery a few years ago, and that changed everything for us. Although we live comfortably, we have a simpler lifestyle now and use fewer resources than ever before. Apart from saving money, we now also save time and energy. A fine line There is a fine line between hoarding and keeping everything and being wise about keeping the things you will need.  Neighborhood swaps  Neighborhood swaps are a great way to get what you need when you need it, without having to buy things you only use once in a while, like trailers and gardening equipment. Follow the four Rs Refuse: If you do not need something, do not get it. Reduce: You will use a lot less if you take only what you need. (Like unnecessary packaging.) Reuse: Wash and reuse items like plastic or glass containers. We reuse straw bales that people have used for Christmas decorations in our garden. Recycle: Recycling something will change its form. (Newspapers can be recycled into writing paper.) Packaging has changed Many people have changed their attitudes about reuse because packaging materials have changed so much over the years. Learning to refuse unnecessary packaging, and reusing whatever you can to store things in, is a great way to tackle two problems at once in a sustainable way. Getting only what you need Focus on getting only what you need. Then, when you occasionally splurge on something you want it will feel so much more special!   Referral Links: My website Green Home Coach Book: Living Green Effortlessly Learn how to make your home healthier for you and our world in my Love Your Everyday Green Home  My fav reusable bags...for everything! (and search "bags") Uncluttering Life "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” Has a New Sibling…Refuse! with Tony Pratte Recycled Crafts: Crafts Made Using Recycled Materials "This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."