HouseLogic sat down with author and architect Sarah Susanka to talk about remodeling that builds value and saves money. (see link to original article at bottom)

For Sarah Susanka, architect and author of the Not So Big House series of books, remodeling is an opportunity—not just for realizing your improvement and decor dreams, but for making your home comfortable, right-sized, and energy efficient.

In this Q&A, Susanka helps homeowners make smart decisions about that next big project.
HouseLogic: What are your top three pieces of advice for homeowners considering a remodel?

Sarah Susanka: 1. While you’re remodeling, take the opportunity to upgrade the energy systems in your house. It will make the house more comfortable and more valuable in the long haul. Today’s buyers will ask to see utility bills, and may not consider homes that aren’t energy efficient.

2. You can remodel without having to add on. We tend to assume we have to add space. But many spaces in a home are underused. Consider how to repurpose that space to do double duty.

3. The way we live in our homes today is different than before the 1970s. Formal dining rooms may not get a lot of use, for instance. Open a view from the kitchen to the dining or living room. People will start using those rooms and the house will feel a lot bigger, which is also a sales point.

HL: Where do you get the biggest return for your remodeling investment?

SS: Kitchens and bathrooms. But often people spend more money on their kitchen than they think they will, which can affect the return. Work within the existing footprint of the kitchen to stay reasonably priced.

People often assume that if they buy more expensive materials, that equates to higher value. But it’s the quality of design that sells and equates to more value.

HL: How can the budget-minded homeowner conserve funds?

SS: Consider materials. Opt for a plastic laminate countertop with bullnose (fully rounded edges in which the laminate wraps under the countertop) rather than a granite countertop. It’s a great look, but less expensive than granite. You can’t tell that it isn’t a solid material.

For tile backsplashes, make an impact by spending a little more to add some drama tile above the cook top.  But spend less on surrounding tiles. That can save one-sixth of the price than doing the whole backsplash in expensive material.

HL: Where should you splurge?

SS: On the kitchen island. It’s a focal point. Here you could invest in granite, since the island requires a rectangular chunk of material without a lot of cutouts, which is where the labor and expense come in. And then you can say, “I have granite.”

Flooring is another place to invest. Get a designer to help you select a product that gives the room a sense of permanence and solidity. Also, people often pick too light a color, which makes it look cheap.

HL: What about green materials—do they have to be expensive?

SS: People are scared about green materials being expensive. But they don’t need to be. Many IKEA products, for instance, are green certified. More products, like cost-effective bamboo, will begin appearing at home improvement stores, too.

HL: Why is retrofitting an existing home more cost efficient than building new?

SS: For each $5,000 in energy improvements you spend on a new house, you only get small, incremental gains in energy efficiency. A California energy consulting company study found that retrofitting existing homes with energy-efficient features is four to eight times more carbon and cost efficient than adding energy-efficient features to new housing.

HL: You believe beauty is sustainable. Why?

SS: Beauty is one of the greenest things you can do. If a home is beautiful, it will be looked after by the current homeowner and all those who follow. It’s good to create beauty and energy efficiency as you go. If your home is beautiful and comfortable, you’ll save money and enjoy it. If it’s not beautiful—even if it’s energy efficient—someone will tear it down, and that’s not green.

———————————————————————————–
If you are thinking of selling and what to do some updating, be sure to contact a Real Texas Agents Realtor first to discuss what options will be most financially sound based on your goals. Austin: 512.535.3590 San Antonio: 210.363.8647

———————————————————————————–

http://www.houselogic.com/articles/QA-author-sarah-susanka-talks-budget-smart-remodeling/

RISMEDIA, May 12, 2010—As Americans continue to put an emphasis on creating as green a lifestyle as possible, real estate professionals across the country are doing their part to explore the benefits of building a green home with their clients. While many homeowners have begun to fill their homes with energy-efficient products, building green homes from the ground up is becoming a more prominent trend.

Carl Seville, Owner, Seville Consulting in Atlanta, Georgia believes that the four main precepts behind the process of building green include that homes be energy efficient, healthy for the occupant, durable and resource efficient. “All of these concepts interrelate, as a lot of things that make a home energy efficient will make it healthy and resource efficient as well,” says Seville. “While green building is only going to become more mainstream as the years go on, it is crucial for real estate agents to be aware of the possibilities of green building in order to help their clients understand the ease of reducing their carbon footprint,” he adds.

Green building is a fairly well-established building principle that anyone can employ with the proper training, and almost any home can be made green. “The key thing to remember is that green building is not about products and materials, instead it is a process,” says Seville. “While there are very few materials that can’t be part of a green home, it is crucial that the home is built correctly before green products are implemented,” he adds. While green building is still considered to be in its early stage, agents who take the time now to learn about green features and their advantages will have the upper hand when working with clients who are interested in energy efficient homes. “Being aware of the green features within a home will enable agents to market homes effectively to clients looking for energy efficient features,” adds Seville.

Not only should real estate agents be experienced with marketing green homes, they should also be aware as to the advantages of living in an energy efficient home. “Living in a green home has many advantages over living in a traditional home,” says Seville. Not only are green homes very healthy, they are also comfortable, quiet, cleaner than traditional homes, don’t get hot and cold spots and they use a lot less electricity and gas. “The advantages to living in a green home are quite evident and while most homeowners understand the benefits of being friendly to the environment, it is crucial that real estate agents take this one step further,” says Seville.

“As the environment continues to be on the forefront of everyone’s mind, green building is going to become the way of the future.” As the entire concept becomes more understood, people will realize they don’t have to spend more money in order to take advantage of green features and it will become clear that there is no downside to building green.

Angela Sparks is EcoBroker Certified

View our current client incentives: www.LiveGreenInAustin.com

According to the HomeGain survey, the top five home improvements that Realtors recommend to home sellers based on cost and return on investment (from highest to lowest ROI) are:

1. Cleaning and de-cluttering ($200 cost / $1,700 price increase / 872% ROI)
2. Home staging ($300 cost / $1,780 price increase / 586% ROI)
3. Lightening and brightening ($230 cost / $1,300 price increase / 572% ROI)
4. Landscaping ($320 cost / $1,500 price increase / 473% ROI)
5. Repairing plumbing ($385 cost / $1,250 price increase / 327% ROI)

Ready to put your home on the market? Ask us about our successful marketing plan that gets your home sold!

Austin Real Estate Services: Call Angela at 512.762.0923
San Antonio Real Estate Services: Call Lloyd at 512.363.8647

It’s about smart, sustainable actions (call it “S-squared”) that each of us can accomplish in our daily lives. Actions that, when multiplied by our social networks, and the cross-section of people that make up Team Earth, will have a huge impact on the health of the planet we call home.

We are setting out to tackle the big challenges of our planet and to our lives – climate change, clean water, healthy food, the ways we are using our resources, and more. Each of us can make a difference, and by working as a team, we will all live better, healthier lives.

Excerpt taken from www.TeamEarth.com.  Check it out and pledge to make a difference today!

With winter over and spring officially here, our thoughts turn to the outdoors- gardening, camping, and just the pure indulgence of enjoying the sunshine.  However, with all of these sunny delights, also come the dreaded intruder- the mosquito.  There are over 200 species of this pest in the U.S. alone with a new species just having been discovered in 2001 in the Florida Keys.  Besides being highly annoying at family picnics, this little insect also has the well-known status of being a disease carrier – especially of the dangerous West Nile Virus.  In an effort to rid us of this nuisance, we run out and get every pesticide on the market and apply it to our yards and ourselves.  Maybe, though, by using all of these chemicals we are actually doing more harm to ourselves than the mosquito ever would.

Most commercial topical agents such as OFF ?, contain the chemical DEET (N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) which has been around since the Army patented it in the 1940s.  It is proven to be the most effective mosquito repellant.  However, using DEET comes with a price.  There has been a long debate of the safety associated with using DEET.  One of the more recent and telling studies was done in 2001 there was a study done with showed that using DEET caused behavioral problems and brain cell damage in rats. Researchers came to the conclusion that heavy exposure to DEET and other insecticides in the human population can lead to such conditions as: headaches, memory loss, weakness, fatigue, behavioral problems, muscle and joint pain, tremors, and shortness of breath (Exp Neurol. 2001 Nov; 172(1):153-71.)

Pregnant women, their unborn children, and children have the most risk of developing complications using DEET.  In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against using repellents or insecticides containing more than 10% DEET on children under the age of 6.  Children’s skin more readily absorbs chemicals such as DEET and their nervous system is still developing, so chemicals pose a greater risk to them.  If you must use DEET containing products, the EPA suggests that you can reduce your risk by reading and following the product labels, which are included on all products with DEET in them.

If we choose to not apply excess chemicals to our skin, we are not, however, doomed to be carried away by swarms of mosquitoes and spend our whole spring and summer with itchy, red bumps all over our bodies.  There are many things we can do to prevent these bloodsuckers from destroying our fun.  First and foremost is to prevent them from taking a hold on our yards.  Destroy their breeding grounds- stagnant water.  Empty all pots, buckets, old swimming pools (those little plastic toddler pools are infamous for holding stagnant water), or use a mosquito dunk which will kill off the mosquito larvae before they hatch.  Mosquito dunks are contain no toxic chemicals and are fairly environmentally sound.

Most health food stores and websites such as www.Mercola.com carry non-DEET-containing products that can be safely used on even pregnant women and children. In fact, there are even some products I use on my own children that are both an insect repellant and sunscreen all in one bottle.  While they may have to be re-applied more often than DEET containing products, they are less toxic and so are worth it in my book.  Here are some other natural alternatives to using commercial insecticides taken from www.Mercola.com:

-    Bounce Fabric Sheets can be wiped on the skin before exposure to insects.  This is even safe on babies.
-    Avoid eating bananas during times when you will be exposed to the outdoors for long periods of time (i.e. a camping trip).  Our bodies process bananas in such a way that attracts mosquitoes.
-    Plant marigolds around the yard – especially your garden.  The insects don’t like the fragrance these flowers let off and so make a great repellant.
-    Mix equal parts of Avon Skin-So-Soft ? bath oil with rubbing alcohol and apply to skin (make sure to read that warnings associated with using rubbing alcohol).
-    Spread a little of the clear liquid vanilla that is sold in Mexico with some olive oil on your skin to help repel insects.  A side bonus is that you will smell great!
-    Citronella candles and soaps work great.  (Be mindful of using candles especially during the dry season).

There is obviously the fact that you can stay inside altogether this sunny season and entirely avoid mosquitoes, but who wants that?  After the long hard winter, it is a welcome respite to go outside and get a good dose of Vitamin D.  Now we can enjoy the great outdoors without overexposing ourselves to chemicals or donating to the mosquito blood bank -save it for your local blood drive.

Appliances account for approximately 45% of a home’s energy costs. Here are some factors to consider for higher energy efficiency and cost savings:

-Unplug appliances when they are not in use. Appliances continue to draw power even after they have been turned off. This is called a phantom load. The United States uses about 43 billion kWh of electricity per year as a result of this.

-Top-freezer refrigerators can use as much as 10-25% less energy than side-by-side models.

-Gas ovens use less energy than electric ones. Self-cleaning ovens are more insulated and will save even more on utility bills.

-Front-loading clothes washing machines use approximately one-third of the water that conventional machines use to wash the same size load of clothing. Horizontal axis models also spin clothes faster which results in less drying time.

-Overall, dishwashers are a better and more efficient way to clean dishes than hand washing.

-Buy appliances with a better Energy Star Rating. Energy Star® labeled appliances typically exceed federal minimum efficiency standards by 15-20%.

-Home owners should consider replacing major home appliances that are 10 to 15 years old.
The Energy Guide Label

Federal law requires a bright yellow Energy Guide label to be placed on many types of home appliances. The label compares the most and least energy used by comparable models of the same appliance type, and helps estimate the cost to operate the appliance. Energy Star® labeled appliances typically exceed federal minimum efficiency standards by 15-20%.

The Energy Guide label gives you two important pieces of information you can use for comparison of different brands and models:
1.Estimated energy consumption on a scale showing a range for similar models.
2.Estimated yearly operating cost based on the national average cost of electricity.

For a more accurate assessment of operating cost, multiply the estimated energy use (from the label) by your local utility rates.

by Jerry Naiser of Real Green Lawns

There are many ways to conserve significant amounts of water inside and outside the home, and doing so makes sense because it lowers water and sewer bills, extends the water supply and helps the environment. Homeowners can take many simple steps to help preserve this precious renewal resource.

Effective water conservation requires awareness, involvement and education.

Indoor water conservation

* Repair all water leaks immediately and be especially alert for leaks in toilets and faucets.
* Install and maintain ultra-low flow toilets. Alternatively, convert existing toilets to low-flow units with a tank dam or even bricks.
* Install and maintain flow restricters (aerators) on faucets.
* Install and maintain low-flow showerheads.
* Limit showering time to 5 minutes.
* Do not use toilets as waste baskets or ashtrays.
* Turn off water when shaving and brushing teeth.
* Scrape food off dishes without water prior to rinsing.
* Operate dishwasher only when it is fully loaded.
* Operate clothes washer only when it is loaded to maximum
* capacity.
* Rather than run the tap for cool drinking water, keep a filled container in the refrigerator.
* While waiting for running water to warm or cool for use on plants or in cleaning, capture flow for other uses.

Outdoor Water Conservation

* Cover pools, spas and other water features when not in use to minimize evaporation.
* Clean sidewalks, driveways and patios by sweeping rather than by spraying with a hose.
* Wash car(s) with a bucket of water rather than a running hose.
* If possible, drive your vehicle onto the lawn so that all of the water can be absorbed into the landscape.
* Restrict or eliminate use of hose-end water toys. If possible, combine use of water for play with landscape needs.
* Properly prune or trim trees, shrubs and other woody plants to maximize the plants’ health and minimize invasion by pests.
* Frequently remove dead or dying plants and all weeds that compete for available water.
* Apply fertilizers or pesticides, timed to specific needs of the plants.
* Maintain sharp blades on pruning shears and lawn mowers.
* Aerate lawn and cultivate planting beds periodically to decrease compaction and improve penetration of water, air and nutrients into root zones.
* Mulch flower and garden areas as well as tree and shrub bases as appropriate for each species.
* “Harvest” water from rainfall for landscape irrigation purposes.
* Use recycled or non-potable water to the greatest extent possible, as limited by supply and/or regulation.
* Employ a certified landscape-irrigation auditor at least once every five years to conduct a thorough and comprehensive check for efficiency of water application.
* At least once a year, confirm that all irrigation systems are distributing water uniformly and inspect, repair and/or adjust inground or drip watering systems.
* Use water timers or flow meters for hose-end watering to ensure proper amounts are applied.
* Immediately shut off irrigation system(s) and adjust whenever irrigation water falls or runs onto hard surfaces such as sidewalks, streets or driveways.
* Repair all water leaks as soon as detected. (This includes leaking hose couplings, hose bib leaks and similar connections.)
* When buying plants, select those that have scientifically documented low water requirements.
* Determine specific water requirements for all existing landscapeplants.
* Adjust controllers for in-ground or drip watering systems according to seasonal needs of plants.
* Water landscape plants only when necessary according to needs of each plant type or based on local ET (evapotranspiration) rates.
* Water early in the morning when temperatures and winds are at their lowest levels to reduce evaporation.
* Water all plants deeply but infrequently to encourage deeper, healthier rooting.

www.RealGreenLawns.com

Daylight

Daylight is by far the best option. Open blinds or to take it a step further, install skylights for some beautiful natural light.

CFLs

According to the federal government, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star approved compact fluorescent bulb (CFL), the US would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year, as well as prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.

CFLs use less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. The average CFL lifespan is five years.

CFLs generate 70 percent less heat and draw less electrical current, making them safer to operate, especially in older homes with dated wiring.

One negative aspect of CFLs is that they contain a small amount of mercury, so you cannot just throw them out with the trash. Place used CFLs in a plastic bag and drop them off at Home Depot locations or go to www.Earth911.com to find recycling drop off locations for CFLs and other items. See the Austin and Round Rock hazardous material recycling centers at end of article.

LEDs

While they still cost quite a bit more than CFLs, LEDs (light emitting diodes) use even less energy and last even longer. An LED light bulb can reduce energy consumption by 80-90% and last around 100,000 hours.

Dimmers, Motion Sensors, & Timers

Motion sensors can keep lights turned off when they’re not needed, dimmers can give you just the right amount of light, and timers can be set to turn things on and off at specified times needed.

Turn off the Lights!

Turn off the lights when you leave a room: For standard incandescents, turn off even if you leave the room for just seconds. Compact fluorescents, turn off if you leave the room for 3 minutes. Standard fluorescents, turn off if you leave the room for 15 minutes.

—————————————————————–

City of Austin HHW Collection Facility
Household Hazardous Waste

2514 Business Center Drive
AUSTIN, TX 78744
(512) 974-4343

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws/hhw.htm

Please call for hours of operation. Service limited to residents of Travis County.

City of Round Rock Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility
Household Hazardous Waste

310 Deepwood
ROUND ROCK, TX 78681
(512) 218-5559

http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/

Hours vary, please call ahead.This service is available for City of Round Rock residents only and Round Rock water bill must be presented as proof of residency. Please note, residential Waste is defined as less than 25 gallons. Contractor/Business Waste will not be accepted.

Buying green is just the first step in reducing the environmental impacts of automobile use. Your choice of vehicle is most important, but how you drive and how well you maintain your car, van, or light truck will also make a difference.

• Avoid “jack rabbit” starts and aggressive driving. Flooring the gas pedal not only wastes gas, it leads to drastically higher pollution rates. One second of high-powered driving can produce nearly the same volume of carbon monoxide emissions as a half hour of normal driving.
• Think ahead. Try to anticipate stops and let your vehicle coast down as much as possible. Avoid the increased pollution, wasted gas, and wear on your brakes created by accelerating hard and braking hard.
• Follow the speed limit! Driving 75 mph instead of 65 mph will lower your fuel economy by about 10 percent, and can dramatically increase tailpipe pollution in many vehicles.
• When possible, plan your trips to avoid rush hour. Stop-and-go driving burns gas and increases emissions of smog-forming pollutants.
• Combine trips. Warmed-up engines and catalysts generate much less air pollution, so combining several short trips into one can make a big difference.
• Take a load off. Carrying around an extra 100 pounds reduces fuel economy by about 1 percent. Take a few moments to unload your cargo area.
• If your vehicle has it, use overdrive gear at cruising speeds. When driving a manual transmission, shift up as soon as possible. Running in a higher gear decreases the rpm and will decrease fuel use and engine wear.
• Try using the vents and opening windows to cool off before you turn on the air conditioner. Air conditioner use increases fuel consumption, increases NOx emissions in some vehicles, and involves environmentally damaging fluids.
• Unlike many older cars and trucks, modern vehicles don’t need to warm up and they have automatic chokes, so you don’t need to step on the gas pedal before starting the engine.

Maintenance Tips

• Keep your tires properly inflated. Tires should be inflated to the pressure recommended for your vehicle; this information is often printed inside the door frame or in your owner’s manual. For every 3 pounds below recommended pressure, fuel economy goes down by about 1 percent. Tires can lose about 1 pound of pressure in a month, so check the air pressure regularly and always before going on a long trip or carrying heavy loads. Underinflated tires can also detract from handling, safety, and how long the tires will last.
• Buy low-rolling-resistance (LRR) replacement tires. Switching to a typical set of replacement tires lowers a vehicle’s fuel economy as much as 4 percent. LRR tires, on the other hand, are specially designed to improve a vehicle’s fuel economy. Most major tire manufacturers now produce LRR models, so when it comes time to replace your tires, seek out a set of LRRs.
• Check your own fuel economy every few weeks. If you notice it slipping, that could mean you have a minor problem with the engine or your brakes. Using this advance warning, you can fix problems before you have a breakdown on the road.
• Get a tune-up. Whether you do it yourself or go to a mechanic, a tune-up can increase your fuel economy. Follow owner’s manual guidelines. Be sure to check for worn spark plugs, dragging brakes, and low transmission fluid; have your wheels aligned and tires rotated; and replace the air filter if needed. Make sure all used vehicle fluids are recycled or disposed of safely.
• Change the oil. In addition to making your car or truck last longer, replacing the oil and oil filter regularly will also help fuel economy. Check your owner’s manual for specific recommendations about how often to change. Ask the service station if they recycle used oil, or if you do it yourself, take your old oil to someplace that does recycle. Ask for recycled oil as a replacement.
• Have your vehicle’s emission control system checked periodically. Take it in for service if an instrument panel warning light comes on.

Careful Fill-Ups

Americans too often take gasoline for granted, forgetting that it is quite a hazardous substance. Gasoline fumes are toxic and carcinogenic; they cause smog; and spilled gasoline can pollute the water and poison wildlife. And it’s very flammable, too.

• Use regular gasoline unless your owner’s manual says otherwise. Unless your car requires premium, high-octane fuels improve neither fuel economy nor performance and will just waste your money.
• Don’t overfill the gas tank or try to top it off beyond where the automatic nozzle clicks off. Spilled gasoline evaporates to aggravate smog formation and can leak into groundwater.
• Patronize gas stations that have vapor-recovery nozzles (those black, accordion-looking plastic devices attached to the nozzle) whenever you can.

Prudent Parking

• Park in the shade in summer to keep your car cool and minimize evaporation of fuel.
• If you have a garage, use it as much as possible to keep your car warm in winter and cool in summer.
• If you have to park outdoors, windshield shades can cut down on summer heat and help keep the frost off in the winter.

Take Advantage of “Commuter Choice” Programs

Most Americans commute to work, and now there are special programs that provide incentives for both employees and employers to “Get There With Clean Air.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation are teaming up with businesses and others to set up “Commuter Choice” programs. These employer-sponsored initiatives can make you eligible for cash and other benefits for greener commuting. Examples include:

• One company gives its workers free walking shoes, with the promotion “we’ll even buy your walking shoes if you hoof it to work!”
• Another company offers participating employees monthly drawings for prizes that might include extra time off, mountain bikes, and other goodies.
• A municipality gives its employees an extra hour of time-off for every 5 days they use carpool or vanpool to get to work, plus permission to dress casually at the office.

Companies and communities that make use of Commuter Choice benefits often save money. For example, by cutting down on car commuting, they can avoid the need to build large parking lots that are both expensive and use up green space. These programs take advantage of recent fringe benefits rules, such as offering workers tax-free transit or vanpool benefits of up to $100 per month. Employers can also allow employees to “cash-out” their parking space, receiving additional income of up to $175 per month (taxed like added salary for the employee, but still a deductible business expense for the employer). Employees can use this cash to commute as they wish, including carpooling, telecommuting, bicycling, or walking. Employers benefit through lowered taxes, lowered costs, and new ways to recruit and keep employees.

Commuter Choice cuts pollution, reduces traffic congestion, and conserves energy. Ask your employer if they have a Commuter Choice program. If not, ask them to start one. For more information, check out the Commuter Choice website.

Several cities across the US are noted for their progressive city governments and citizenry in regards to environmental issues. Known as ‘green cities’, they not only initiate and practice policies that promote clean air and water, but often promote other programs and practices such as alternative energy systems and construction methods.

Austin, Texas consistently places among the various lists of the greenest cities in the US and the world. The Green Guide, affiliated with National Geographic, chose Austin as number 2 on its list on Top Green Cities in 2006. Criteria for its choices included air quality, electricity use and production, environmental perspective, environmental policy, green space, transportation and water quality.

A commitment to solar energy and green building is what won Austin its place on the Green Guide list. The city offers some of the most generous rebates in the country for customers who use solar energy. It also buys significant amounts of wind energy from wind farms in West Texas and plans to meet 20 percent of its energy needs with renewable sources by 2020. Austin has established high standards for energy efficiency for its central business district and has initiated progressive policies to preserve water quality, ensure proximity to mass transit, and maintain a pedestrian-friendly urban design.

It’s not just the city government that promotes green urban living. Many of Austin’s citizens are garnering attention around the country and the world for their initiative and success in creating local, community based projects that promote green lifestyles and a more healthy, cleaner urban environment.

The Rhizome Collective was founded in 2000 as a center for community organizing and urban sustainability education. The collective took an old warehouse with an asphalt parking lot and have turned it into gardens, ponds and greenhouses that support tilapia, catfish, turkey, ducks and chickens. They host weekend workshops and seminars to teach people from around the world that they don’t have to wait on governments and corporations to go green, but they can start implementing their own projects with little background in engineering or the sciences.

Austin has permitted a number of private individuals to employ alternative construction methods to build homes inside the city limits, notably straw bale construction. In 2001, there were about a dozen homes in the Austin area that were built from straw, including at least three inside the city limits. In addition to such progressive construction methods, the city has also permitted some people to recycle old buildings, such as warehouses into condos and upscale or innovative commercial properties.

Another citizen-initiated project that has contributed to the eco-quality of the area is the Carshare initiative. This company allows members to pick up a car for a day at various locations around town. In this way, members can save money by not having to pay for their own private car (and consequently not having to pay for insurance, gas, maintenance and parking!). It also helps reduce the amount of air pollution in the city by reducing the amount of automobile traffic in the city.

Finally, there is Good Common Sense, an online store founded by well-known and highly respected Austin musician Chris Searles. Formerly a drummer for such notable artists as Alejandro Escovedo and Shawn Colvin, Searles founded Good Common Sense in an effort to help consumers make the kinds of choices that will help make the world a greener, safer place to live and work. His store offers products that are environmentally friendlier than many products consumers might find in regular stores and shops. Consumers can find home weatherizing products, compostable dinnerware, fuel enhancer devices, and all kinds of recycled products.