Your Green New Deal

in Albany, CA

Many ways to reduce your environmental impact

presented in ascending order by cost

Reduce Your Consumption ($0)

• Reusable shopping bags
• Shop farmers markets, buy local, buy Made in U.S.A.
• Buy used stuff
• Share Stuff�With �Your�Neighbors
• Use �public �transportation

Using Compostable Bags

• Plastic bags are killing the oceans
• Tell your grocer to provide them
• Buy your own until they do

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Ride a Bike ($0-6K)

• My 29-lb Cannondale just turned 27 and goin’ strong

Cut Down on Red Meat

($0)

• Replacing the carbon-heavy beef on your plate with carbon-light chicken will cut your dietary carbon footprint in half�https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/06/choosing-chicken-over-beef-cuts-carbon-footprint-surprising-amount/

Green Cleaning Supplies ($0)

• Not more expensive than environmental poisons
• https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/products
• Buy green cleansers or make your own�https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2016-5-september-october/green-life/it-s-wash
• Microfiber cloths
• Cloth napkins
• Dust mop instead of vacuuming every time

Clothesline ($20)

• Saves energy
• Clothes smell fresh
• Clothes last longer
• You don’t have to listen to your dryer. Or smell it.

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Energy-efficient appliances, light bulbs ($200-2,500)

• Turn stuff off when not in use.�($0)
• Replace all incandescent with LED light bulbs. LEDs cost more than fluorescents, but are easier to recycle (no mercury).�($200)
• Replace the frig, washer and dryer, dish washer�($2,300)
• www.energystar.gov

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Plant Trees �and Drought-Resistant Plants

• We never water our yard and it is green year-round
• Some cities like the City of Albany will sell you a tree and provide planting and pruning for free

Compost Bin/Tumbler�($10-200)

• Turns your yard clippings and food scraps into fertile soil for you garden
• No need for green barrels and the trucks that service them
• See DIY tumblers at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfi-bSs6EQ0
• DIY plans at http://dixiegrilling.com/tumbler.htm

Honeybees ($200)

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HoneyBee Benefits

• Provides habitat outside of mono-culture
• Local honey is vaccine for local allergies
• Bees are really fun to watch and study
• Beekeepers are really nice people
• Beehives are fun to build: www.beesource.com/files/10frlang.pdf

Insulate your Attic ($350/1,000 ft²)

• Owens Corning EcoTouch R-30 Unfaced 9 in. x 15 in. x 25 ft. Continuous Roll Insulation @ $10/roll
• made from at least 50% recycled glass
• You’ll need to wear a special mask, googles and jumpsuit if you do it yourself.

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Rain barrels�($300-600 for 8)

• Captures free water
• Emergency water in case of earthquake
• Can be used for irrigation
• Some restaurants give 50 gallon food-grade barrels away
• Urban Farmer, Pastime Hardware, Ashby Lumber, have the parts

Use Scraps for Stone Paths (600)

The stone won’t cost much so you just pay for labor to motar the scraps together

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Get a Wood Pellet BBQ�($800)

Instead of burning coal briquettes, burn sustainable wood pellets instead https://www.traegergrills.com/

Use Reclaimed Lumber (1000)

• Our garage door was resurfaced using reclaimed wall studs�
• Had to pull nails out of lumber,�
• use a table saw to rip the 2x4s into 1x4s and then notch them with dado blades�
• and use a surface planer to true-up the ripped 1x4s

Solatubes �($500 for parts + $1,000 installation each)

• 25% the price of a skylight because no rafters are cut
• Beautiful, spirit-lifting sunlight inside your home
• No need to run the lights during the day

Rent Your Second Car

• Why waste resources on a car that does nothing most of the time when you can share one?
• Pay as you go via Uber or Lift

Tankless Water Heater�($3.5K installed)

• Only burns gas when you need hot water.
• 95% efficient
• Never runs out of hot water

Gas Fireplace Insert ($5K)

• Had to remove chimney to increase sun on roof for solar
• Burns 75% less gas than central heat
• No smoke fouling the air
• Just click a button to start a fire
• Great ambience

98% Efficient Central Heat�($11K installed with new ducts after rebate)

• 98% efficient
• Consistent temperature management
• Variable-speed blower

Replace Old Single-Pane Windows

($400-1000 each)

• New double-pane windows reduce heat-transfer
• and look a lot better inside and out

Solar Panels ($10-18K after rebates)

Upgrade Your Solar System

• Solar tech efficiency keeps improving and the prices keep dropping�
• now 400+ watts per panel @ $8K for 20 solar panels�
• but you’ll probably need to upgrade your inverters to support 400+ watts�
• this is a photo of an enPhase IQ7 microinverter that can support up to 440 watt panels

Solar Panel Benefits

• Convert your electric bill into home equity and break even after 8 years
• Pay only $170/year for electric connectivity

• Our 20-235W panels offset 51+ tons of carbon in 10 years = 5 tons/year

Buy an Electric Car (<= $44K)

• Your car is probably your worst environmental offense. Our electric car offsets 6 tons carbon/year.�
• It charges at night when there is unused power plant capacity
• If you can’t afford electric, there are many gas cars that get high-thirties mileage.
• The best electric cars in the world �are made by Tesla
• Tesla has promised a�$25K model by 2022

Have One Less Child

• Having one less child is the most effective way an individual can combat climate change�https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/12/want-to-fight-climate-change-have-fewer-children�
• Each US child = 58.6 tons of CO2 per year�
• If you still want another child, adopt one. If you love them enough, they’ll make you proud

Our Very Own Green New Deal

• Trees and drought-resistant plants
• Green cleaning supplies
• Compostable Bags
• No red meat
• Clothesline
• LED light bulbs
• Attic insulation
• Solatubes
• Gas Fireplace Insert

• Replaced old windows�
• Rain barrels
• Compost Tumblers
• Honeybees
• Wood Pellet BBQ
• Tankless Water Heater
• 98% Efficient Furnace
• Solar Panels
• Electric Car
• Adopted Children

What Else Could We Do?

• Vegetable garden�
• Chickens/ducks for eggs and garden pest control
• Use grey water from showers for irrigation
• Insulate our exterior walls
• What am I missing?

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