Wednesday is Earth Day, but these days, just about everywhere you turn there’s talk about going “green.” The Obama administration is pushing green jobs, auto makers are developing more fuel efficient cars, and TV ads show how you can use stimulus money to buy green windows. Even still, just the thought of becoming a bit more environmentally friendly is overwhelming for some. WUWM’s LaToya Dennis has this story about a local small business owner who wants to make “greening,” at least in your home, a lot easier.
When most people think about greening their homes thoughts probably hearken back to words made famous by Kermit the Frog.
“It’s not easy being green…”
While it’s not easy for Kermit, Adam Borut says he’s found a way to make the process a lot less daunting and less expensive for everyone.
“Most people, when they’re thinking about green immediately think about $30,000 or $40,000 solar ray installations," Borut says.
Borut says people need to know greening their homes doesn’t have to cost a lot. He’s founder and part owner of Eco Hatchery. The Milwaukee based company sells kits designed to make homes more environmentally friendly for around $100.
“We include a series of sustainable living products. Everything from a basic water test, we provide a stainless steel water bottle because they are good for the environment reducing landfill,” Borut says.
Borut says if cutting back on trash isn’t enough to get bottled water lovers to at least think about converting, maybe this will…
“Every time you use a 16 ounce disposable water bottle it has taken approximately four ounces of oil to make it, fill it and transport it,” Borut says.
The kit also includes faucet aerators that maintain water pressure while reducing the flow, along with insulation materials for pipes and wall outlets, and a coil brush to make your refrigerator run more efficiently.
“All I’m doing is removing the base on the refrigerator and then we can see the coils and we just insert the brush and clean them off,” Borut says.
Now, I should mention, Borut is demonstrating the tools in the kit at his neighbor’s home in Shorewood, because as you might expect, his is already “green.
”The first time I did this on my refrigerator it took half an hour to vacuum up all the dust. It was unbelievable,” Borut says.
Borut says after cleaning the coils, the temperature in his refrigerator dropped 10 degrees. That’s because the dust buildup did not allow for free air flow. Since the coils were cleaned, the refrigerator runs more efficiently, saving him money. Borut says the small financial gains that come along with using each tool in the kit add up.
“We think about them both within a single year by doing 10 activities that save you $5 each, you’re going to save $50 a year. But even more importantly, by doing that activity once, let’s take the water pipe insulation, you’re going to save for 10 to 15 years. So in that single activity, you for having spent $2.60 on insulation are going to save anywhere from $50 to $100 over the time that you have your home,” Borut says.
Borut says those who put everything in the kit to use stand to save up to $260. But saving money isn’t the only benefit. Borut says another thing he’s concerned about is the carbon dioxide people produce. He has a tool on his website to calculate household and individual carbon footprints. So back at the studio, I decided to give it a try.
“Alright, let’s see. How many people live in your home? That would be one…”
Once I finished calculating my carbon footprint, I called Adam to share the news.
“ Adam Borut, Eco Hatchery,” Borut says.
“Hey Adam, LaToya.”
“Hi,” Borut says.
“Hey. So I wanted to give you the results. I just used the carbon footprint calculator and apparently I produce around 9.4 tons a year. It says the average American produces 11.9. So I’m feeling pretty good over here.”
“Yeah, relative to the overall average it sounds like you’re doing quite well. There are a number of factors to look at within that, and you can see in the carbon calculator,” Borut says.
Borut says your carbon footprint is impacted by a number of things. The type of home you live in, your diet, and your travel habits, to name a few. He says if you’re below the national average, that’s great. But he says you should always be looking for ways to stay that way, because after all, it’s about sustaining a healthy environment for generations to come.
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