Features and tRends

(July 25, 2007)

EMBRACING LITE GREEN ASPECTS IN
YOUR LUXURIOUS HOME
Small Steps You Can Take for a Sustainable Future
By Steve Kleber

The emerging environmental awareness throughout America is something of a recent phenomenon. From daily news headlines, to luxury resorts, to the biggest names in retail, offering environmentally friendly products is the latest craze. Finding ways to sustain the quality of life for the future has spurred an interest in green products for the home that has expanded beyond the basics to exclusive products and services.

Not Just For Tree-Huggers Anymore – Green is Now Hip!
Anyone can be involved in the green movement. From die-hard environmentalists to dabblers, the proponents of a lasting future vary as much as their ideas on how this will be achieved. One hot, trendy movement for those who want to take part but are not environmental junkies, is known as “lite” green. Lite green is a sort of “walk before you run” approach to being concerned about the environment.

With the rising threat of global warming, soaring gas prices, and the concern over energy, those who want to be “in” have taken to the trend of being green, or at least “lite” green, as a way to do something good and be chic about it. With the lite green movement, grassroots activism and progressive politics are not the mainstay. They are an emerging market of savvy buyers of green products.

How to be Lite Green
The lite green movement can be adopted by anyone. It basically calls for a simple approach to an environmentally-sound living while taking baby steps toward embracing the green movement. These could include owning a hybrid car, recycling, purchasing organic foods and coffee, supporting companies who use environmentally safe practices, or installing energy efficient appliances.

Fortunately, more and more U.S. companies now understand the importance of the environment. This is a crucial thing for high-end consumers who wish to add luxury amenities to their homes while doing it in an ecologically sound way. There also exists a plethora of media outlets that elite consumers can turn to for information on how to be green. Web sites and blogs are one place to consult. Even those media outlets geared to the most exclusive consumers are offering products and information about green products and the environment.

Some Simple Green Steps for the Upscale Home

Implementing a few lite green standards can lead to a healthier lifestyle including:

  • Use products/furnishings and flooring materials that don’t release pollutants into the air and are non-damaging to the ozone layer, including non-toxic cleaners, and natural fiber carpeting and fabric
  • Conserve energy by shutting off lights when a room is vacant, installing automatic lighting controls or using renewable energy including solar panels, energy saving fixtures and appliances
  • Install roof ventilation to assist in home and office cooling

More Detail to Help the Move Toward Being Green
Water conserving fixtures and appliances are a great way to save water and be a part of the hip green trend emerging in the luxury home. These can include low flow toilets and faucets, which are readily available through a number of manufacturers.

The leader in environmentally friendly residential toilets is the dual flush technology system with a 1.6-gallon toilet containing dual handles for flushing liquid and solid waste. A dual flush toilet saves 45 percent more water annually than a standard toilet. Some of the main companies producing dual flush toilets are VitrA USA, Toto and American Standard.

Every step you take in your home helps to sustain the environment for the future. Whether you take a lite green approach or follow a more comprehensive green strategy, each person’s efforts, large or small, makes a world of difference.


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