Fantastic! At long last San Mateo County communities will have single stream recycling available!
Great news! Recology will be the new service provider for garbage, recycling and compost pick up for San Mateo County residents. Under the current service, pick up of recyclables happens bi-monthly which means multiple bins fill up & sit at the side of our house. Residents also have to sort paper from metals/plastics and pick up of compostable food waste is not a provided service.
As a former San Francisco resident up until 2004, I’ve been sorely missing this type of compost/recycling program which SF has had in place for several years.
Full details here on Recology’s program including use of their bins. If you want to reduce your garbage bin size & save a little money each month, go to: http://www.recologysanmateocounty.com/single_family.htm by July 9th.
The new service will start January 3rd, 2011.
Eco-Friendly Driveway
Considering a new driveway? There are lots of options available ranging from stamped concrete, to brick, to pavers, to permeable.
We went the route of a pebble driveway to replace the concrete driveway for a few reasons. It was economical, fast to install and permeable thereby reducing runoff & pollutants entering our storm drains.
My understanding is that storm runoff is one of biggest pollutants of our waterways. I’m in full support of making choices which will offset our impact on the environment.
Our initial thought was to install porous concrete pavers which have openings that can be filled with gravel or grass. We then decided on decomposed granite for the ease of installation and maintenance. It is also available in a few colors.
It’s been two plus years and we’ve been really happy with the result. There is no worry about future cracking and settling as there is with a concrete driveway. No worries about staining either since we can move around or rake the gravel.
The drawback is the occasional required sweeping of stray pieces that end up on the path way or sidewalk and the difficulty in walking to the car in heels. Stray pieces can end up in the house on our wood floors if shoes aren’t properly wiped at the door, but our floors have been getting a fair amount of abuse from two active dogs. It’s a house well cared for and well lived in!
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The Paperless Real Estate Transaction is Possible!
In my constant quest to be eco-friendly both personally and professionally, I’ve been implementing a few environmentally friendly business practices.
Currently, I’m in the process of reducing the number of direct marketing pieces to a quarterly schedule, instead staying in touch monthly with friends and clients via electronic newsletters.
I’ve also successfully been working with electronic systems since 2007, creating a paperless transaction for clients who are buying or selling real estate. The response has been overwhelmingly positive from clients who appreciate being able to review documents online as well as securely sign the dozens of disclosures and reports electronically through Docusign.
Gone are the days of having to kill a forest to buy or sell a home. It is technology which hopefully more of the real estate industry will embrace, especially considering that a typical transaction consumes 250-300 sheets of paper and can top 600 sheets with condo transactions. Additionally, the quality of electronic files is far superior to hard copies which lose print detail with each printing and faxing.
Clients, at their leisure, can go online to review & sign reports and disclosures after we’ve reviewed them together. With their busy schedules of juggling work & family, they appreciate the convenience & efficiency of an electronic system. Clients receive all their transaction paperwork on a CD rather than a hard copy; a format which is more convenient to store rather then a two to three inch paper file as well as it being easier to locate specific documents on disk. Clients also appreciate being able to contribute to being eco-friendly.
Title companies and lenders are also slowly moving towards the paperless transaction.
At the conclusion of a transaction, I also purchase carbon credits to further offset my carbon footprint.
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