Spend Less Green to Go More Green in San Francisco

Good news my earth loving, tree hugging, composting, recycling, reusing San Franciscans! 

From the San Francisco Association of Realtors:

San Francisco Homeowners Have New Way to Pay for Going Green

San Francisco homeowners have a new way of paying for solar panels, energy-efficient appliances and low-flow toilets.

A new city-run program, GreenFinanceSF, will give San Franciscans the money to pay for such projects up front and let them pay it back through installments on their property tax bills. Berkeley pioneered the idea in 2007, and since then, hundreds of cities, counties and states have adopted their own versions.

For more details, visit https://greenfinancesf.org/systems/energy.

That’s great news for you, your pocket, your carbon footprint, global warming and all that.  If you’ve been thinking of making some environmentally friendly upgrades to your home, you may have just run out of excuses.

Newsom Facebook’s his Press Release about Treasure Island Transfer from Navy to SF

According to a Facebook update (yes, I’m Gavin’s FB friend, I’d like to think we’re actually really close and he reads my status updates and laughs. ):

[Mayor Newsom] just announced an agreement with the Navy to transfer Treasure Island (TI) to San Francisco. The development of TI will create thousands of jobs and one of the most environmentally sustainable developments in US history.

Um, pretty cool! 

In fact, if you haven’t heard about the plans for Treasure Island, Inhabitat.com had some good details about the path to a green and sustainable mini City.  It could be one of SF’s new awesome AND green neighborhoods in the near future!

So if you’re a real estate developer planning on, say, selling any awesome new green developments in the next 50 years in that area and need an awesome San Francisco realtor, give me a holler so that I can fit you into my business plan.

You can read the press release (I found the link in the FB post) HERE.

From the San Francisco Zoo: 6 Ways to Have a Greener Holiday

I love the San Francisco Zoo.  In fact, I love it SOOOOO much that every time I help someone buy or sell San Francisco real estate, I donate a part of my professional fees directly to the Zoo. 

Prior to my career in the SF real estate biz, I actually used to work at the Zoo, and I strongly believe in their mission of education AND their mission of conservation, not only on a big scale (like when they were a part of the program that brought Bald Eagles back from the brink of extinction) but on a small scale as well, by hosting e-waste recycling events, and teaching people the importance of living a greener lifestyle. 

So, on that note, the SF Zoo has shared a few tips for a greener holiday season in their latest Animail:

1.  GIVE THE GIFT OF A ZOO MEMBERSHIP – THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING ALL YEAR LONG! Cross an entire family off your shopping list at once with the click of a mouse!

There are many Membership Levels for you to choose from for your gift – all of which pay for themselves in only two visits.

HURRY – ONLINE ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY DECEMBER 16 TO BE FULFILLED. PURCHASE HERE. Also, come visit us during our gift Membership drive at Stonestown Mall on December 5 & 6. Gift Memberships can also be purchased at the Zoo.

Your friends and family will be surprised to receive such a unique, thoughtful and useful gift. Plus, you have the added satisfaction of supporting a good cause as our Members are a critical source of support for the care of our animals and our conservation and education programs.

Recipients will be thrilled that they can skip the ticket line and visit as often as they like for an entire year. No more pressure to get their admission tickets’ worth by making a fussy toddler stay past his nap time. They can even drop by this urban escape by the ocean on their lunch break to see what’s blooming in the gardens and take a few photos. No two visits are ever the same – they can watch our Zoo babies grow up and build priceless memorable experiences that will last a lifetime. Their family will become closer with each visit to ours.

Thank you for supporting this historic Bay Area family institution that serves to connect people with wildlife, inspire caring for nature and advance conservation action.

 

 

2. SEND CARDS AND INVITATIONS ONLINE. The holidays don’t just have to be about buying trees – they can be about saving them, too! There are many Web sites that offer electronic greeting cards and invitations to your holiday events.

3. MAKE YOUR OWN WRAPPING PAPER. Most mass-produced wrapping paper you find in stores is not recyclable and ends up in landfills. Instead, here’s a great chance to get creative! Wrap presents with old maps, the comics section of a newspaper, or children’s artwork. If every family wrapped just three gifts this way, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

4. BUY ENERGY-SAVING “LED” HOLIDAY LIGHTS. Now you can decorate your house with LED lights that use 90 percent less energy than conventional holiday lights, and can save your family up to $50 on your energy bills during the holiday season! LED lights are available at many major retailers, including Target, Costco, and Ace Hardware.

5. GET A PESTICIDE-FREE TREE. Demand is on the rise for Christmas trees that are not covered in chemicals; some growers use 40 different pesticides, as well as chemical colorants. The good news is that there are now a number of tree-farms that sell pesticide-free trees, so ask your local Christmas tree seller, or search for an organic tree farm near you.

6. RECYCLE OR COMPOST YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE. Ninety-eight percent of Christmas trees were grown on farms, not in forests, so at least it’s not as if you’re cutting down an ancient tree. Each year, 10 million Christmas trees end up in the landfill. Many cities offer programs to turn your tree to mulch or wood chips. Call (800) CLEANUP or visit www.earth911.org to find the tree-recycling program near you. If you live in a city like San Francisco that has a compost program, you can cut up your tree and put the pieces in your compost bin.

Some items courtesy of the Sierra Club.

Got Bags? Get Them From the Friendliest San Francisco Realtor

A while ago I noted that San Francisco had put a ban on plastic grocery bags. Since then, many cities have followed suit, or at least have contemplated following suit.

The problem is that stores aren’t using the biodegradable starch based bags and instead are using paper bags – a big problem for tree lovers and trees alike. The problem is that while a paper bag won’t sit in landfill for thousands of years like a plastic bag will, it actually takes more energy to make a paper bag than a plastic bag.

My suggestion, although probably controversial, is stop using paper bags too.

Stores can then charge anywhere from $0.10 to $0.25 a bag for the starch based bags. It’s what they do in Europre and people just accept it!!!

People will learn that you either need to pay up or bring your own bag. And stores can stop bitching that the starch based bags are too expensive and cut into their profits.

In Europe, everywhere I went I wasn’t handed a bag unless I asked for it, AND paid for it. And no one complained.

My suggestion – bring your own grocery bags to the store with you.

What? You say you don’t have any reusable grocery bags? Give me a holler - I’ll hook you up with a free canvas grocery bag while I’ve got ‘em.

I apologize, but I am no longer shipping the bags outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. In fact, I actually no longer ship the bags at all. I either drop them off locally, or leave them at my office for people to pick up.

The bags are to help people “go green” but the amount of energy it takes to ship something as small as a canvas bag across the country is very wasteful, as is the packaging required to ship it.

I hope you understand and I apologize for any inconvenience.

Is Asbestos as Spooky as it Sounds?

There’s all sorts of hazards that a home might contain.  You might be in earthquake territory (which is pretty much all of San Francisco), you might be in a high radon area, and you might have two of the MOST common hazards we see here in the City – lead and asbestos.

The folks from www.asbestos.com contacted me to see if I’d be willing to share their advice on asbestos with you… and since it sounds spooky and scary, and it IS almost Halloween, I couldn’t think of a better time to post this.

From the writers at www.asbestos.com:

Living in the 21^st century, many cities are adapting to the new green paradigm, updating old homes and buildings to suit the needs of a healthier environment and home. With a growing amount of education and technology in eco-sustainable resources, the state of California is leading the way towards a green paradigm of building and construction. It is important to take note of the consequences of improper building materials and environmental degradation.

Many homes, buildings and public facilities built prior to 1980 may still contain asbestos and other hazardous materials. The mineral’s flame resistant and durable qualities once made it an ideal choice for insulation, piping and roofing by manufacturers. Asbestos exposure can be easily prevented by taking simple precautions. This obsolete building material can easily be replaced with green methods of insulation that can even reduce annual energy costs!

Asbestos Tips and Info

If any asbestos is suspected or located in the home, the best advice is to leave it un-disturbed and un-touched until a professional can determine the proper course of action.  Many times the simplest and easiest way of dealing with asbestos IS leaving it undisturbed, and better yet, encapsulated. Disturbing asbestos in good condition may cause its fibers to be released into the air. Prolonged exposure to airborne asbestos fibers can potentially lead to the development of related lung ailments such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of asbestos cancer that accounts for three percent of cancer diagnoses in the United States. Due to the fact many mesothelioma symptoms are similar to less serious ailments, Diagnosis of mesothelioma is one of the more difficult tasks physicians encounter.

If asbestos should be removed, it is recommended homeowners have licensed abatement contractors perform the removal. They are licensed and trained in handling hazardous materials.

6 Internet Resources You Need to Live Green in San Francisco

In San Francisco, living green isn’t just an option, you’re pretty much going to be tarred and feathered if you DON’T think about your carbon footprint on a daily basis and do something proactive about it.  And frankly, tarring and feathering is exactly what you deserve if you can’t make a little change to positively impact our amazing City, and our fragile planet.

Fortunately for you, you can avoid the whole tar and feather process with a few clicks of a mouse… or at least that’s where it starts.

Here’s a few sites that will help you to live life a little greener.

RECYCLE

You’ve made a commitment to a greener lifestyle.  But somewhere deep in your closet you still have all these toxic and hazardous items just waiting to be disposed of, if you only knew where to go!  Never fear dear blog reader! You can visit SF Recycling’s Hazardous Waste page, and while you’re there, you can go ahead and order your green compost bin for San Francisco’s new mandatory composting program.

GET PAID FOR YOUR E-WASTE

OK, so you won’t get paid for ALL of your E-waste (remember, what you can’t get paid for, you can dump safely at the SF Recycling’s Hazardous Waste center.) If you’ve got an old collection of cell phones, laptops, desktops, computer monitors and other electronic gadgets, www.Gazelle.com will actually PAY you, YES! Pay YOU! for your used electronics.  Good for your pocket, good for the world.

LEARN ABOUT THE IMPACT OF FOOD, TOYS AND MORE

Do you ever look at your shampoo bottle and wonder just how socially responsible it is?  You better if you’re a San Franciscan! (Lest I remind you that you WILL be tarred and feathered!) Well, you can check out www.GoodGuide.com to get information on over 70,000 food, toys, personal care, & household products to see just what kind of an impact the products you use are having on our environment, from the San Francisco sewage system to the ozone in general. AND find alternatives that ARE good for you and for the environment in general!

BUY LOCAL PRODUCE

We all know that eating locally is good for you, but we don’t always know where to go to get local products.  If you don’t have the route to your SF neighborhood’s farmer’s market memorized by heart, along with days and hours of operation, you can find the closest ones by going to www.LocalHarvest.org.  From farmer’s markets to personal beekeeping services, you WILL find what you need to eat local.

LEAVE A SMALLER FOOTPRINT

I’ve hit on a few ideas here that can get you started on a low impact lifestyle, but there’s always more you can do.  www.LowImpactLiving.com tells you how.  According to their site:

At Low Impact Living, we want to help you lower the environmental impact of your home and your daily life. To do that, we help you find the best green products, practices and service providers to help you achieve your environmental goals. And we will also help you understand the environmental benefits and economic trade-offs of your choices. Our primary goal is to make the path from inspiration to implementation as short and as smooth as possible. Only by taking action will we collectively reduce the damage to our planet and ecosystems.

LUBA’S SAN FRANCISCO REAL ESTATE BLOG

OK  – I’m cheating and throwing in a bit of self-promotion here, but it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want!   For a limited time, I’ll be providing FREE, yes FREE, reusable canvas grocery bags for San Francisco residents.  To keep MY carbon footprint low, I won’t be mailing them, packaging them or whatnot.  They’re available for local pick-up or delivery – limit 2 per San Francisco household while supplies last.  The first 30 people also get a free reusable water bottle!

Want YOUR free canvas grocery bags (and potentially free water bottle if you act fast)??? Email me at luba@zephyrsf.com.  And don’t worry about your information – you won’t be signed up for any annoying SPAM or mailing lists – unless you want to!

Have a green day, San Francisco!

OH! And P.S – if you have more green resources for SF residents, drop a note in the comments or email me!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in Noe Valley

I got stuck parking a litle further from my Zephyr Real Estate office than usual today.  But I guess it was one of those serendipitous sorts of things.

I’ve been trying to go “green” just like everyone else is (or should be) doing.  So I was pretty excited to stumble on green11.

Located at 3980 24th St at Noe, green11 has all sorts of organic beauty products AND biodegradable cleaning supplies.

Big whoop, right?  Even Target sells those, right???

Well, green11 lets you bring in your OWN container, that’s right, ANY container and they fill it up for you from their big bottles full of organic and biodegrable goodness.  So that Tide detergent bottle you have?  Bring it on down, fill it up with some eco-friendly detergent, feel good about being green and then go home and do some laundry. 

My favorite part???

Their “business cards” are scraps of brown paper bags that have been cut down and their business info is stamped with a rubber stamp. 

Anyhow – it’s just one more EASY way that you can reduce your footprint on our precious planet. 

It’s About Sea Life 2009!

Last year, I got to be part of the It’s About Sea Life Benefit, an awesome event that my friend, neighbor and client, Milton Fiala of SurfAddict somehow magically pulled together.

The event was so awesome last year, that rather than just sponsoring the event, I decided to join in as an It’s About Sea Life Benefit partner!

And I’m not the only one that thinks that the It’s About Sea Life Benefit will be the bomb this year.

Other partners include FuelTV, Barefoot Wine, the Hilton at SF’s Fisherman’s Wharf, New Belgium Brewing Company,  SF’s Hardrock Cafe, Daniel Castro, the Bay Club, ASR and Marc B.

This year’s event benefits SurfAid International, Save the Waves Coalition, Surfrider Foundation and The Marine Mammal Center.

More on the event from the press release:

IT’S ABOUT SEA LIFE BENEFIT & PADDLE-OUT 2

PRESENTED BY SURF ADDICT, IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA

PROMOTING SEA LIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

EVENT DATE – Friday, November 20th, 2009 from 7:30pm-12am

EVENT LOCATION – Aquarium of the Bay

AFTER-PARTY LOCATION – Hard Rock Cafe at Fisherman’s Wharf from 12am-2am

The benefit will take place in San Francisco – at the Aquarium of the Bay – in the evening of Friday, November 20th, 2009, from 7:30pm – 12am. Attendees will be able to visit the Aquarium tanks/tunnels during the event. Cocktail Reception kicks off at 7:30pm. Live Auction begins at 9:00pm. Silent Auction bids end by 9:00pm. Music and dancing follows.

Celebrity guests, artists, designers and pro-surfers are expected to attend. Daniel Castro Band www.danielcastro.com and Marc B. will www.marcbmusic.com will perform at the Aquarium of the Bay.

After-Party at the Hard Rock Café, at Fisherman’s Wharf, from 12:00am – 2:00am ~ Live Music by “Surprise” Surf-Celebrity & Musician.

Paddle-Out – Saturday, November 21st, 2009.
In the morning of November 21st, at 9:30am, local surfers, ocean conservationists, animal & life lovers will perform a Ceremonial Paddle-Out, led by Rochelle Ballard, Pro-Surfer & Yoga Instructor (“Surf Into Yoga” DVD), at Crissy Field East Beach/Parking Lot. This will be an ocean and land ritual to offer prayers for all ocean creatures and sea-life protection.

The morning Paddle-Out Ceremony will be followed by an opportunity to speak to sea life protection and environmental non-profit organization representatives about their causes and quest to preserve the ocean and sea life. Paddle-out will be free and open to the public.

Yoga-Session – Sunday, November 22nd, 2009.
On Sunday, November 22nd, a Yoga Session will be led by Rochelle Ballard, at the San Francisco Bay Club. RSVP required and $15.00 suggested donation will be reverted back to IASL’s 2009 Fund to be distributed to beneficiaries. Rochelle Ballard’s new “Surf Into Yoga” DVD’s, www.surfintoyoga.com, will be available for sale and proceeds donated back to the cause.

Additional info and tickets available at www.itsaboutsealife.org and www.brownpapertickets.com

Check Out Last Year’s Event Video and Photos.

IASL’s 2009 already confirmed partners and sponsors are Fuel TV, New Belgium Brewery, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Hard Rock Café Fisherman’s Wharf, Hilton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco Bay Club, Dragon Alliance, Luba Muzichenko (Zephyr Real Estate), Wise Surfboards, Jed Noll Surfboards, Jeff Clark Surfboards, Alex Martins Surfboard Repair, Daniel Castro Band, Marc B.’s Band, Giant Reef Limo, Noriega Produce, Rip Curl, Golden Gateway Swim & Tennis Club, Dr. Ana Amaya (D.D.S., M.S.), Vans Off The Wall, Sam Henderson Photography (Benefit), Charlie Zabielskis Photography (Paddle-Out), OCSC Sailing, Fish Restaurant, Thinknicity, Total Performance Health, Golden Gate Cycles, Frank Lew (State Farm), Robert Harris (artist), Ian Ross (artist) and K9 Intel, amongst others yet to be confirmed.

Stay tuned for updates on new Partners, Sponsors and the Auction list!!!

Contact: Milton Fiala, Jr.
Tel: (415) 948 5889
Email: mfiala@surfaddict.com
www.itsaboutsealife.org
www.surfaddict.com

Get “Fresh” in San Francisco

As if you didn’t already hear, San Francisco LOVES it’s food.  And it loves it’s food fresh and good.

And because I’ve got SF pulsing through my veins, when I’m not thinking about San Francisco Real Estate, I’m probably thinking about food… and where to get the good stuff. These days, as I’m getting older, and my body is reminding me to eat healthy, the good stuff tends to include lots of good produce, preferably straight from the farm. But since I don’t get out of the City that often to drive some some of the Bay Area’s farm rich towns filled with roadside produce stands, I need to find my produce a little closer to home.

You might be surprised to find farm fresh produce within San Francisco city limits. Remarkably, for a rather urban city, San Francisco has a wide array of farmers markets where you can experience food at its finest. While some of the markets feel more like a small, mom-and-pop stand, others are large, organized markets with multiple vendors and extensive selections. When it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables, your local farmers market is the perfect place to locate some fabulous food finds whether you’re a gourmet chef, or just looking for some fresh greens to add to tonight’s dinner salad!

The fruits and vegetables are grown locally and picked when perfectly ripened. This enhances the taste, texture, and aroma of the produce. Often, market prices are lower than at grocery stores. The way transportation and distribution of food occurs today wastes huge amount of resources and energy.

Our existing system of food transportation and distribution requires enormous amounts of energy and resources. The Going Green Painlessly Blog points out that:

When you buy locally, you prevent food from travelling long distances, and therefore reduce the use of fuel. I’ve recently read, “before reaching your table, the average food item in the United States will travel 1,300 miles! In fact, only about 10% of the fossil fuel energy used in the world’s food system is used for production. The other 90% goes into packaging, transportation, and marketing of the food. All this inefficiency creates many environmental problems.” Shopping at the Farmers’ Market benefits the local farmer.

Not to mention, when food is picked at the peak of the season, nutrients, and phytochemicals will be more abundant. And it just TASTES better too!

Below you’ll find a link where you can find which San Francisco’s farmers markets are closest to you. If you go, bring your own bags and lots of small bills and loose change since vendors don’t always have a large amount of cash on them. And don’t be afraid to ask the vendors questions about their products… you might even leave with a recipe or two!

SEARCH FARMER’S MARKETS

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Get to Know Your San Francisco Trash

I made the mistake once of putting a pizza box into my recycling.  It was an accident, but I got a nasty note from the trashman complete with a threat that they’ll never pick up my trash again if I dare make that mistake again. 

 

Coming soon though, you’ll get more than a nasty note.  San Francisco is making it law that you will have to seperate your trash starting October 21^st.

 

The idea is for SF to reduce it’s waste drastically, and I’m honestly all over it. 

 

The San Francisco Accosiation of Realtors was kind enough to share the details of the new law with us and explain the responsibility of homeowners and businesses.

 

In June, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved, and Mayor Gavin Newsom signed into law, legislation that requires all persons and businesses located in San Francisco to separate recyclables, compostables and landfill trash and participate in recycling and composting programs. The new law takes effect on October 21.

The new law contains the following mandate:

“All persons in San Francisco shall source separate their refuse into recyclables, compostables and trash, and place each type of refuse in a separate container designated for disposal of that type of refuse. No person may mix recyclables, compostables or trash, or deposit refuse in a collection container designated for another type of refuse, except as otherwise provided….”

The legislation was proposed by Mayor Gavin Newson who cited the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 which requires cities and counties to reduce, reuse and recycle (including composting) solid waste generated in the State to the maximum extent feasible before any incineration or landfill disposal of waste, to conserve water, energy and other natural resources. The Act mandates that each local jurisdiction in the State divert 50 percent of discarded materials from landfill.

Owners or managers of multi-family or commercial properties will be required to provide information and/or training for new tenants, employees and contractors, including janitors, on how to source separate recyclables, compostables and trash, and will be required to re-educate tenants, employees and contractors at least once a year.

The fine for any violation at a dwelling or commercial property that generates less than one cubic yard of refuse per week may not initially exceed $100.

If the Director of Public Health causes a dwelling or commercial property to be inspected to determine whether the owner has complied with the ordinance, the owner of the dwelling or commercial property will be required to pay an inspection fee equal to $167 per hour of staff time spent during the inspection.

Both Sunset Scavenger and Golden Gate Disposal and Recycling will deliver a larger recycling cart, a composting cart or a kitchen pail at no additional cost. Call Sunset at 415-330-1300 or Golden Gate at 415-626-4000.

 

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