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Traveling?  Heading to the Office?  Simple Steps to Easily Promote GreenLiving For those who live a green life, practicing eco-friendly habits can be challenging outside of the home.  For individuals who like to be more prepared, compiling a Green Kit can be a great way to enjoy eco-friendly practices when on-the-go for work, trips, hobbies, and beyond. What are five items to pack in a Green Kit?  Read more here: 1) A durable water bottle: Purchasing plastic water bottles are fine as long as they are recycled afterwards.  But, sometimes, when traveling, it is not always easy to find a recycling bin nearby.  Pack a reusable water bottle in the green kit to refill with water whenever needed. 2) A fork, knife, and spoon: Plastic cutlery is not green and is designed to be thrown away after single, individual, use.  Try to pack one set of durable silverware in the Green Kit that can be used for on-the-go snacks.  This way, it won't be necessary to wast...

Don't be Fooled By Some Eco-Friendly Myths Trying to live a green life?  It is often easy to find green and eco-friendly advice online and on social media apps and websites.  But is all the green advice correct? Below are five common greenliving tips that can become misconceptions or are simply incorrect: 1) Pet adoption helps the local animal population: The reality is that pet adoption is a GREAT way to help the local animal population if the new pet owner has time to care for a four-legged friend.  Oftentimes, people adopt new pets without realizing how much time and energy it takes to care for an animal (especially a puppy and/ or a kitten that requires training).  Unwanted or older animals are sometimes returned to shelters or, even worse, abandoned outdoors.  Only adopt a pet if absolutely sure the pet will be cared for for years to come. 2) Plastic water bottles are a great option if the bottles are recycled afterwards:  Plastic water bottles are rec...

Green Crafts for this Season Last year, Grady's GreenLiving tips shared information on how to create a bottle garden: an ecosystem in a bottle or series of bottles that is the perfect size for an apartment patio or balcony.  Read below for a reminder, step by step guide on how to create bottle garden this summer: Select an appropriate container : This really depends on the size of the plant desired.  For small plants, like basil or a small flower, a two liter bottle should suffice.  Bigger plants in turn would require a bigger container, like an old laundry detergent bin. Cut holes for drainage : Any flower pot has a hole cut on the bottom for drainage.  Do not forget to do this for your bottle garden or the plant will quickly deteriorate due to improper drainage. Decide the type of garden:   Bottle gardens can be a hanging upright, or placed on a vertical or horizontal orientation.  Determining the type of garden you want is necessary so all containers mat...

What Are Some Recycling Facts? Recycling is one of the easiest ways to live a green and eco-friendly life! The knowledge of what happens to many of the products that become waste instead of recyclable materials might be the cause to recycle even more.  Read the following aluminum recycling facts and make some New Year resolutions about  recycling. Aluminum Recycling Facts It takes only 60 days for a used aluminum can to be recycled, re-purposed, and back on a grocery store shelf. Any aluminum object, not just cans, can be recycled.  This includes: car parts, gutters, lawn furniture, etc. An aluminum can will still be in tact 500 years from now if it is thrown away or tossed on the ground instead of recycled. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours--- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline. There is no limit to the amount of times an aluminum can can be recycled. Therefore, a can that was once recycled can be recycled when it be...

A Global Day of Giving Can Encompass an Eco-Friendly Spin Are you planning on participating in #GivingTuesday today?  In its fourth year, this global day of giving celebrates a time of year to give back.  Instead of buying presents and gifts for the holidays like on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, participants instead donate to a cause or charity organization. If you are planning to participate in #GivingTuesday and live a green life, try donating to some green organizations!  Here are just a few: 1) National Geographic Society : Created in 1888, the National Geographic Society "is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, and the promotion of environmental and historical conservation," according to the official website .  There are many ways to get involved, whether by donating or signing up for the online newsletter. 2) Wildlife Conservation Society : Stylized a...

A Focus on the Beauty of Nature The majority of past GreenLiving blog posts describes practices anyone can do to save the environment and live a more eco-friendly life.  This post, we want to highlught several natural wonders that serve as prime examples of how beautiful the world is and why our natural resources and scenery should be protected. The Paria Canyon located in Arizona, United States. The Verdon Gorge in Provence, France. Skaftafell National Park in Iceland. Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Mount Bromo in East Java, Indonesia. This blog was compiled from the article "50 natural wonders: The ultimate list of scenic splendor" posted on CN N Travel.  Read the other 45 areas spotlighted in the original article by reading the website here . Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.    L...

An example of an ecosystem. Learning Indirect Environmental Impacts After reading our blog last week, you should have learned some direct environmental impacts of garbage and waste in the eco-system. This week, learn about two "Indirect Environmental Impacts" of debris on the eco-system: Ecosystem Alteration : Anytime garbage or waste finds its way into the ocean or any landscape, the surrounding eco-system is altered.  Animal and plant life are harmed an displaced as a result, but the effects don't end there.  Even the effort to REMOVE debris can cause indirect negative impacts.  The process of "beach raking" uses heavy machinery to remove garbage from beaches which in turn negatively harms the ecosystem.   Invasive Species : Clearly, garbage and waste in the ecosystem is harmful.  But not only is the actual garbage dangerous, but often this debris contains thousands of micro-organisms and invasive species.  In a marine eco-system, the invasive species act...

The Importance of Living an Eco-Friendly Life If you are interested in living a green life, you are most likely aware of the dangerous effects of trash and waste on the environment. Learn about some "Direct Environmental Impacts" of debris on the eco-system below: Ingestion : A dangerous impact of waste in the environment is that animals might mistake the trash for food.  Clearly, ingesting any waste is dangerous and can cause adverse health effects, infertilization, and death to the animals.   Entanglement : This is often cited as the most-recognized  Environmental Impact of waste and debris in the marine ecosystem.  With so much waste in the ocean, fish, turtles, and other animals can become entangled in rope, plastic bags, netting, etc.  Not only can this physically exhaust and distress the animal, but they can develop wounds and infections from entanglement. Ecosystem Alteration : Debris and waste not only impacts animals: the surrounding eco-system suffers....

Green Tips for the Fall As the weather turns colder and the days become shorter, try to practice some particular, fall-friendly, green tips perfect for the season: Compost: This time of year is wonderful for collecting compost (also known as "organic matter") because there is an abundance of grass and leaves around before natural elements like snow and rain cover everything and there are also should be plenty of food left over from holidays.  Remember to unload your compost often- find compost drop-off sites online to act as a guide! Local Focus: Instead of buying foods full of preservatives, try to buy food from local farmers markets.  Not only will you be supporting local business, but you can rest assured you are getting fresh produce and food! Leftovers: During this time of year, you can expect holiday meals and dinners.  Don't throw any of the food away that is not eaten!  Instead, save the leftovers and eat those for subsequent meals.  There is no excuse f...

A Recycling Trivia Game Not all paper, cardboard, and plastic products can be recycled!  Examine the photos below and determine why the following products CANNOT be recycled. Plastic Bags Plastic baggies can never be recycled, despite having the word "plastic" in the title.  Interestingly, plastic products are sometimes re-purposed into bags. Paint Cans Though made from aluminum, paint cans are not recyclable material.  This is because the paint inside stains the can which disrupts the recycling process. Paper Towels/ Toilet Paper Any paper product contaminated with food residue or fluid cannot be recycled because the oils from the residue saturates the material. Read a full list of recycling do's and don'ts on the University of Buffalo's website, titled The Ultimate Recycling List . Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropoli...

How To Properly Organize Your Recycling The best way to facilitate recycling is to properly organize your recycling bin.  Don't just gather your recyclables and throw all of the supplies in your plastic bin.  If you are looking for a way to recycle more effectively, try this method: 1) Newspapers are the first items you should load into your recycling bin.  If you have a stack of newspapers, put the entire contents on the bottom of the bin.  Not only will this help with organization, but it will weight down the bin and create a stable place for the rest of your recyclables. 2) Junk mail and light pamphlets should go in your recycling bin next, on top of the newspaper.  This loose paper should take up very little space in your bin. 3) Aluminum cans, such as soup and soda cans, are the perfect size and weight to be placed right on top of the stack of paper products. 4) Glass bottles are fragile and among the most difficult product to properly recycle.  Carefu...

How We Practice Our Green Initiatives Over the past year, our blog has been a platform for apartment residents to learn about the ease of greenliving and eco-friendly lifestyle options. As a company, we strive to do all we can to promote our green initiatives.  During our 50th Anniversary celebration in March, we detailed only a few of our practices in a blog post titled " Grady's Green Initiatives ." For a reminder, some of Grady Management's green initiatives include: Implementing energy efficient LED (light emitting diodes) light fixtures, CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs, common area lighting controls, and more efficient HVAC upgrades to help lower utility costs at some of our communities. Promoting public transportation use at communities close to public transportation such as direct bus or Metro access. Working towards going even "greener": as a company, we strive to look for energy efficient upgrades that can be done on the apartment communities ...

A True or False Recycling Challenge How much do you know about recycling?  Test your knowledge about one of the easiest ways to live a green life by taking our true and false test all about recycling- the answers are revealed at the bottom of the post! True or False : Batteries cannot be recycled. True or False : Styrofoam can be recycled. True or False : All glass can be recycled. True or False : Plastic bags can be recycled. True or False : Over 20 million tons of food waste is disposed of in America per year. The answers are... 1. True!  Batteries can be recycled in specially designated areas.  2. False- Styrofoam cannot be recycled.  3. False- broken glass is actually a recycling hazard.  4. False- plastic bags cannot be recycled.  5. True!  Eating leftovers or composting food is a much better option for food waste. Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm ...

New Tips Posted Every Tuesday It is hard to believe that "Grady's GreenLiving Tips" blog celebrates a one-year anniversary tomorrow.  On September 2, 2014, this blog was created to provide a platform for people to learn about Grady Management's commitment to green initiatives and provide simple suggestions for easy, green, lifestyle changes. For the one-year anniversary of this blog, we wanted to highlight our top three most popular posts from the past year: "Spring is in the Air: Green Resources"- This post was published on February 24 and details many resources you can use any time of the year that makes it very easy to "go green."  Remind yourself of the resources by reading the post again!  This is our most popular post with over 100 total views! "Green Tips For A Clean Car"- Published on March 10, this post describes natural, chemical free, car cleaners to give your vehicle a great shine!  Read it again here . "Get Ahead on You...

Packing School Lunches Is An Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Choice  For many students, the 2015-2016 school year is already well underway. Everyone is heading to school with pencils, notebooks, binders- and a lunch!  Packing your lunch every day is a great way to live a green life. Not only will you pack exactly what you like and want to eat, which will reduce food waste, you are establishing a regular eco-friendly practice.  Here are the top three ways to pack a green lunch: Invest in a sturdy lunchbox and re-usable containers:  The key t packing a green lunch is starting with the right supplies!  Don't use brown paper bags that are just tossed out after one or two uses.  Instead, invest in a solid lunchbox that you can easily transport every day.  Not only that, but remember to buy some plastic containers to hold sandwiches, fruit, snacks, etc. that will be washed out and re-used after every use. Forgo paper napkins and plastic utensils:  There is no ...

There Are Few Drops Of Water To Spare In Your Green Lifestyle Water is a precious resource- and finding new or creative ways to conserve water in your household is the corner stone to living an eco-friendly life!  Learn some  water conservation tips here: 1. Maintain You Dishwasher and Washing Machine Don’t run your washing machine or dishwasher if it is only half-full.  Similarly, try to do less laundry by wearing your clothes more before washing. While this might be different than you are used to, there is no hygienic reason to wash clothes after only one wear.  This process also means less wear and tear on your clothes. 2. Time Your Showers Long, hot showers are great, but shortening yours by a minute or two can save a ton of water. Get in and out of the shower as quickly as possible and sleep in a bit later instead. Baths are even more of a water-waster; try to limit yours to a once-in-awhile treat (it will be all that more relaxing).  3. Turn off The Tap Tu...