Resource Conservation

Instead of consuming resources and producing waste, a green home can preserve and regenerate resources. In addition to conserving energy, here are some other ways to conserve resources.

Water conservation

• Low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets
• Dual-flush toilets
• Efficient dishwashers and washing machines
• Drought tolerant landscaping

Sustainable landscaping

• Use organic lawn care methods
• Landscape to conserve energy and water
• Create a pesticide free lawn
• Use green mowing methods and reduce grass areas
• Incorporate Stormwater management
• Install Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens

Choosing sustainable materials

• Materials with recycled content, and materials that can be recycled
• Materials that do not have high levels of embodied energy ­ energy that is used in the making of the product.
• Materials that are rapidly renewable, such as straw or bamboo
• Consider the life-cycle impacts of the material used to make the products you buy on the environment ­ meaning, the extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal.
• Chose materials that have longer lifetimes so less waste is produced
• Choose technologies that utilize materials efficiently, such as advanced framing during construction to reduce extra cuts and wood waste.

Material reuse

• Construction waste recycling
• Deconstruction - taking down a building in a way that enables maximum reuse of the materials in the building

Resources

• Fun support and competition to reduce your carbon footprint
• The Ohio State Extension provides a useful fact sheet on organic lawn care
• Resources from National Coalition for Pesticide Free Lawns
• Rain garden manual from Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District
• Shaker Lakes Nature Center “Is your lawn green?”
• Chagrin River Watershed Partners rain barrel page
• Cuyahoga Solid Waste District recycling information