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Early Winter Tips for the Cold(er) Months It's hard to believe that it is almost December!  With winter only a few weeks away, there are several eco-friendly steps people can take to ensure their homes are both "green" and ready for the upcoming winter temperatures and weather. 1) Set the thermostat : Remember, an easy way to live a green life is to stop wasting energy.  In the wintertime, it can be enticing to turn on the heat full blast all day long.  However, leaving the heat to run all day, even when outside the home, wastes energy.  Try to reset the thermostat before leaving for long periods of time, such as heading to work or visiting family, so the heat doesn't run constantly indoors. 2) Remember seasonal decor : Hanging holiday lights outside or assembling a holiday tree?  Though staples of the holiday season, it can be easy to forget to turn off or unplug holiday decorations at the end of the day.  To save energy, try to unplug seasonal decor when ...

GreenLiving Ways to Celebrate Turkey Day Thanksgiving is this Thursday!  Planning to host a Thanksgiving dinner or family and/ or friend get-together?  If so, try to put in place some green and eco-freindly practices to the holiday celebrations. Though it can be a challenge, the holidays can be a good time to practice several GreenLiving skills.  Several ways to stay "green" during Thanksgiving include: 1) Manage food waste : A big component in many Thanksgiving celebrations is a meal shared by family and/ or friends.  If hosting this year, try to set up a buffet style meal so that everyone can get the portion of food they would like, instead of being served too much (or too little!) and wasting excess food.  If attending a Thanksgiving celebration: try to wait between courses before getting more food, to avoid getting too much food and wasting excess. 2) Compost when possible : After the Thanksgiving meal, some of the food scraps can be composted.  Remembe...

#BeRecycled for a Green End to the Year Recycling is an easy and efficient way to live a green life.  Sorting recyclables, such as plastic soda bottles, aluminum cans, and newspaper, from waste, re-using products, and re-purposing goods and supplies are all ways to recycle that will have a positive impact on the environment.   Tomorrow, November 15, is America Recycles Day , an annual, green, holiday that celebrates the positive impact of recycling.  Three ways to celebrate America Recycles Day includes: Take the #BeRecycled Pledge : Located on the official America Recycles Day website, the digital pledge allows people to commit to recycling and even narrow down on a particular product or products to recycle more of throughout the year.  Signing the online pledge also allows individuals to opt in to receiving recycling tips via email. Attend a Recycling Event : Multiple recycling and GreenLiving themed events are taking place this week in honor of America Recyc...

Since September 2014, Grady's GreenLiving Tips blog has published one post a week, every Tuesday, about green and eco-friendly advice, news, and more. The Grady's GreenLiving Tips team wanted to keep our blog readers updated because, beginning in 2018, this blog will change from an every week posting schedule to a twice a month schedule.  All blog readers will still be able to read two GreenLiving posts per month. This change is because the team is currently developing a new blog that will also post on select Tuesdays.  More information about this new blog will be announced in November and December. Please let us know if you have any questions by commenting below! Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc.  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.  Learn more from our  website  or...

Three Easy Ways to be "Green" for Halloween It's Halloween!  A time for many that includes costumes, candy, and, most of all, fun!  This year, remember that Halloween can provide an opportunity to practice some green and eco-friendly tips.  Below are three ways to be "green" for Halloween: 1) Prepare a flashlight : Preparing a flashlight for trick or treating or passing out candy is not only a smart way to celebrate Halloween, but a chance to practice eco-friendly living.  Remember to pick out an LED flashlight, as these light sources last longer and save energy.  In addition, another great way to save energy is by using glow sticks.  Glow sticks are long lasting, are often cheaper than flashlights, and come in a variety of colors (perfect for this spooky holiday). 2) Trick or treat the "green" way : If collecting candy this year, or even just handing out candy, remember some green tips.  Watch out for litter, such as candy wrappers, that can accidenta...

How and Why to Stop Wasting Energy With Halloween one week away, it is easier than ever to find vampire costumes or decorations in stores and outside neighborhoods and homes.  But a certain type of vampire can lurk inside the home without anyone knowing: energy vampires!  While not the scary character featured in books or movies, "energy vampires" is a term used to describe appliances or devices that use small amounts of energy even when the appliance is turned off and not used for hours or days at a time.  But what exactly are energy vampires and why and how can they be prevented?  Learn more here: What exactly are energy vampires? An "energy vampire" is any device or appliance that plugs into a wall outlet for an extended period of time when turned off.  Many people believe that appliances only use energy when turned on and in use.  However, small amounts of energy are used when devices are turned off but remain plugged into outlets.  Common energy v...

Seasonal Crafts Perfect for the Entire Family! This autumn, try to turn some common natural resources into beautiful crafts or creative projects the whole family will enjoy.  In an earlier October blog post, Grady's GreenLiving Tips detailed how to use excess pumpkins for crafts or DIY projects .  This week, learn how to utilize another natural, autumn staple, fallen leaves, in art projects.  Below are three different type of craft ideas for autumn leaves: 1) Wall Decor : Once collected, leaves can be added to photo frames to create seasonal decor inside any home.  Additionally, leaves can act as a stencil for paintings or an addition to drawings to create a more realistic look for any autumnal scene.  Leaves can also be painted, dipped in wax, or brushed with glitter and then hung on walls and/ or doorways as another type of seasonal decor. 2) Unique Centerpieces : Leaves can be used to decorate seasonal paper lanterns (perfect for Halloween or harvest festivit...