<p>In today’s current home building and designing trends, sustainable and economic living are on the forefront of future homes. Home builders and interior designers are finding ways to make your home more economically efficient, renewable, and sustainable. Some of the trends you will find are solar panels, energy star rated appliances, sustainable flooring such as bamboo, rain water collection, and better efficient floor plans which allow for natural heating and cooling. When designing your hill country home, consider these tips and ideas to make your home a greener home.
<p>You have found the most ideal site for your home and are ready to begin designing. Building a home in the hill country allows you the ability to take advantage to the hills countries best resources: nature, fresh air, the warm sun, and rain.  Imagine how you would position your home on your property and ask yourself, how can I increase ventilation and air flow through my home and turn down the air conditioner? According to Rick Burleson, facing the front of your home north and the back south this will minimize solar exposure during the summer and protect your windows from direct sunlight. In the winter time, ideal window and door placement will allow the southern sun to warm the house. Additionally, if you consider wind direction, windows can be placed in locations which allow for natural ventilation allowing your home to stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
<p>Do you ever feel like less is more? In home building, this can apply too with a creative and thoughtful floor plan. In designing a smaller, more economical floor plan you can easily eliminate a lot of heating and cooling costs. Should you decide to design a smaller floor plan consider bringing the outdoors in to maximize your living space. One idea would be to design a living room which opens up into an outdoor patio or courtyard helping to make a room feel larger.
<p>Another way to bring the outdoors in is to have a back up rainwater collection system. Rainwater collection in areas where rain falls abundantly is a feasible alternative to city water and wells. Rain water is clean and free and can function as a backup water source for your home and a water resource for your landscaping. Homes designed with tin roofs make collecting rain water a breeze as well as serving as an additional way to keep your house cool. Did you know that metal roofs will reflect the sun and help to minimize heat collecting in the attic? Another way to use sustainable resources in the construction and design of your home is to use limestone. Limestone is a natural resource and Texas has plenty of it. Limestone is a strong and durable resource and makes for a great looking exterior and interior fireplace. For the insulation of your home, consider spray foam insulation. Spray foam insulation for houses are becoming increasingly popular; the spray foam is made from recycled newspaper making it a renewable resource, easy to insulate with, and an excellent insulator for your home.
<p>Building a green home requires an efficient design, sustainable building materials, and the right construction techniques.  With a few simple changes your home can easily become an energy efficient, sustainable home saving you hundreds of dollars in energy costs. Go green and do something good for the earth

Deborah Allen is a sales counselor at Ranches of Brushy Top, a hill country acreage real estate community. They sell some of the most remarkable, rural, hill country Texas land located near Blanco, TX. For more information please visit http://www.brushytop.com.
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If you’re like many people, you might spend a summer weekend tending to the lawn and garden.  Do you use reusable grocery bags in the grocery store?  How about when you shop for lawn care products?  Many people forget that reusable shopping bags can be used in any store.  Of course, more important than reusable bags is what you put in the bags, and this is definitely true when it comes to lawn maintenance.

Some people think maintaining a green lawn is a bad idea because it uses so much water and space.  However, a healthy lawn (maintained appropriately) is a great addition to the ecosystem.  Grass and gardens work to produce much needed oxygen while eliminating overabundant carbon dioxide.  Additionally, these lawns help to suck up rain water, which would otherwise wash into the sewers.  Lawns and gardens even help replace destroyed habitat by providing refuge to insects and animals.  

Our communities and housing developments replace original ecosystems.  However, we can do our part by creating a healthy replacement to the lost ecosystem.  When shopping for lawn care products, it is what you put into your reusable shopping bags that determines how healthy your lawn is.  

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Many people run to the store to purchase weed killer at the first sign of foreign plants in their otherwise pristine lawn.  However, weed killers are highly toxic to humans and other animals.  They were created to break down and destroy biological life.  Instead of destroying life, it is more prudent to cultivate it.  Indeed, growing an extremely healthy lawn generally eliminates weed problems on its own.  Few weeds can compete with healthy grass for resources.  For this reason, it is better to invest in quality, eco-friendly fertilizers and compost instead of poisons.  Work to create a healthy lawn first, and most weed problems will disappear.

This principle applies equally well to gardens.  Instead of poisoning problem plants, take care to cultivate the plants you want.  By keeping these plants extremely healthy, they will often outcompete the unwanted weeds.  Additionally, cypress mulch is an effective eco-friendly way to reduce weeds.  Mulch naturally suppresses the growth of weeds without damaging the environment.  Additionally, mulch conserves water by reducing evaporation, and keeping soil moist longer.

But what about pests?  Like weeds, pests often send people to the store for poisonous chemicals, but this is definitely not the green choice.  The negative impact of these pesticides should keep you from ever adding them to your reusable shopping bag.  The truth is, most pests can be combatted without toxic chemicals.  For instance, a little mild dish soap and water applied to leaves will stop aphid infestations.  Beetles can easily be handled with bag traps instead of spraying poisons.  These traps can then be disposed of properly.  Additionally, your garden supply store might sell ladybugs, which make short work of most aphid populations.

One more important element to green lawn care involves lawn equipment.  When was the last time you added an oil filter or a few new spark plugs to your reusable shopping bag?  Keeping your mower in good running condition is a great way to reduce emissions.  Doesn’t seem worth the effort?  Think about the impact of millions of mowers running each week around the country.  It does make a difference.

The next time you head to the garden center, think life instead of death.  Purchase items that foster healthy life, not chemicals meant to destroy it.  This is green living.
Eliza Reeder writes articles that deal with environmental concerns and eco-friendly living. She encourages everyone to help protect our planet’s future by doing things like using organic cotton bags. You can find more eco-friendly living tips on her reusable bags site.
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Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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