“Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520 – 570. In the subtractive color system, it’s not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue or yellow and cyan.”
— Wikipedia
With all this buzz surrounding sustainable living and eco-friendly practices, I bet some of you had forgotten: green is actually a color. NBC devoted a whole week to going green, Al Gore mysteriously pops up in front of every camera on Earth and Angie’s List magazine just printed our “Green Issue,” exploring everything from LEED-certified houses to green products for the home.
It seems everywhere you turn, green’s a buzz word that’s being used. And there’s a reason. While many promote green as a way to save the environment, it seems the true catalyst in this current movement is economics. People are moving towards sustainable living to save the most important green element: cash.
It may be noble to be green, but it can also be frugal. This is the case despite the fact that it initially costs more to build a green home. According to a recent study by Capital-E, a Washington D.C.-based firm, green houses on average cost 2% more to build – roughly $3 to $5 extra per square foot – than the conventional home. They also found that the earlier green elements like radiant floor heating and rooftop gardens are incorporated into the designs of a home, the less you will likely pay. Is it frugal to spend more to build a home? Of course not, unless you’re going to save money in the long run.
CFL light bulbs, tankless water heaters, solar panels, the list goes on and on (kind of like Angie’s List of home contractors.) All of these green products are designed to conserve energy in order to save money for you, the consumer.
Take the local LEED home featured in the Sacramento edition of Angie’s List magazine, for example. It’s owned by Larry Brittain of Carsten Crossing, a subdivision in Rocklin, Calif. When buying his home, Brittain didn’t even realize it was a LEED-certified home (meaning his home has been certified “green” by the United States Green Building Council, a nonprofit group started in Washington D.C.) While it’s nice to be certified green, Larry simply likes solar panels and saving money.
“The home I lived in before had gas and electric bills that were between $200 and $250 more per month,” Brittain says. “The first full year (in this home) I paid a total of $477 for gas and electricity.”
You read correctly: $477 for a full year of gas and electricity.
While I never knew (or cared) about the subtractive color system, I do know how it feels to pay over $3.25 for a gallon of gas. (Unless you’re Bill Gates or Donald Trump, you know the feeling.) Going green in cars and homes seems to be one of the only positive things to happen regarding the current energy crisis, even if it is making some people forget that green is an actual color.
A wise frog once said: “It ain’t easy being green.”
Not anymore. Check out Angie’s List magazine for more information.
“I do know how it feels to pay over $3.25 for a gallon of gas. (Unless you’re Bill Gates or Donald Trump, you know the feeling.)”
— or President Bush! I’d like to see him pumping his own gas.
His gas comes directly from Iraq.