Our Environment

Having spent the last year in living in the south in a home with a wood heater and no central heat or air I discovered that air conditioning is a wonderful thing. One of the few breaks I got from the heat was driving to and from work. Since I worked in customer service I couldn’t show up for work hot and sweaty so I would drive with the A/C on full blast! It felt great.

Toward the end of the summer I noticed that my air conditioner wasn’t as cold as it used to be. When I called around to see what needed to be done to recharge the A/C unit it was definitely a learning experience. I decided to do a little investigating on the internet to see what I could learn. While searching I came across a link for Enviro-safe refrigerant. There are several reasons why I would recommend it, but a few are to follow:

Safer on the environment than Freon (zero ozone depleting)
Available with leak detection
Extends the life of your compressor and other A/C parts
Colder than other refrigerants
Does not require retrofitting

Enviro-safe refrigerant is even endorsed by GreenPeace and is an organic, non-toxic, non-ozone depleting hydrocarbon compound. Not only is Enviro-safe better for the environment but it is also less expensive to use. One 6 ounce can of it is equivalent to 18 ounces of Freon or 16 ounces of 134a. And since it is extends the life of my automobile’s air conditioning without using a retrofit I can save some money and help save the planet.

A new report released by the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice (CHEJ), warns that PVC shower curtains could be releasing hazardous chemicals that contaminate the air and endanger public health. PVC or polyvinyl chloride is the material of choice for many of the shower curtains on the market today.

A PVC shower curtain can be recognized by the strong chemical odor or "new shower curtain smell" that it gives off. Personally I have always liked that smell, but apparently that is the smell of 108 volatile organic compounds (VOC's) being released into the air. The CHEJ is pushing for an out right ban of these type of curtains and our providing individual retailers and distributors with copies of their report in the hope that they may decide to voluntarily pull the products from shelves.

In addition to shower curtains other household products made with PVC include table cloths, back packs, and plastic covers. Most products are not adequately labeled so it is up to the consumer to be aware of the dangers of possible exposure to PVC.

The CHEJ report titled: "Volatile Vinyl: The New Shower Curtain's Chemical Smell" can be read in its entirety at the CHEJ website.

With each passing year, the number of environmental liability lawsuits continues to increase. Regulations in most industrialized countries continue to place more and more responsibility for environmental hazards on the actual property owners, even if they were the direct result of actions taken by the renter. It is now more important than ever that landlords require extensive

Possible environmental problems that can be attributed to negligent tenants include mold, improperly stored fuel or containers, and the burning of toxic materials. None of these hazards are covered by standard landlord insurance policies.

The importance of tenant referencing is especially relevant when considering the risk of renting to those who engage in illegal activities, such as the production of methamphetamine's. These activities can lead to enormous hazardous waste and immense clean up cost. Most all jurisdictions will hold the property owners liable.

If you are considering becoming a landlord, be sure to invest in the proper background checks. It may save you thousands of dollars and it could prevent damage to your local environment.