# Home Resolutions for a Greener Office Space

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2016/09/home-resolutions-for-a-greener-office-space/
- Published: 2016-09-30T19:20:52-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

## Installing solar panels can help generate renewable energy.

Let’s really talk about our green home resolutions.  When the ball dropped at midnight
on New Year’s Eve, many Americans began their New Year home resolutions. Some resolved
to lose weight, while others vowed to quit smoking, travel more or pay off their
bills.

Marybeth Cale’s New Year resolution was to help the environment and save a few trees
by going “green” and turning her paper-filled home office to a paperless work area.

[⌊First of all i am in this article   for respect i will post the article in full
with some minor edits so that wordpress seo says i can post it Lisa iannucci for
the poughkeepsie journal installing solar panels can help generate renewable energy
When the ball dropped at midnight on new years eve many americans began their new
years resolutions Some resolved to lose weight while others vowed to quit smoking
travel more or pay off their bills Marybeth cales new years resolution was to help
the environment and save a few trees by going green and turning her paper filled
home office to a paperless work area⌉⌊First of all i am in this article   for respect
i will post the article in full with some minor edits so that wordpress seo says
i can post it Lisa iannucci for the poughkeepsie journal installing solar panels
can help generate renewable energy When the ball dropped at midnight on new years
eve many americans began their new years resolutions Some resolved to lose weight
while others vowed to quit smoking travel more or pay off their bills Marybeth cales
new years resolution was to help the environment and save a few trees by going green
and turning her paper filled home office to a paperless work area⌉[

Installing solar panels can help generate renewable energy Getty Images

Getty Images/iStockphoto

### Buying organic vegetables or growing your own can help the environment.

> _“When I was cleaning out the stacks of paperwork in my office over winter break,
> which was a completely overwhelming task.  So I decided it was time to move my
> business into the 21st century.  i mean start going as paperless as possible,”
> said Cale, whose office is in Rhinebeck. “So my green resolution for 2016 is to
> store files primarily in the digital space.  That’s instead of printing out every
> single assignment or set of meeting notes.”_

She was only week one into her home resolutions commitment when Cale was interviewed
for this story and, she said, “It’s already liberating to have less paper on my 
desk. Less clutter makes me feel like I am more organized and on top of my game 
and, of course, it feels really gratifying to know that, while very, very small,
I am doing something positive for the environment, is more socially responsible,
and it sends a positive lesson to our children.”

Robin Weiss of Wallkill doesn’t want to call her new behaviors this year a “resolution,”
but she wants to fix the environmental issues she has going on in her own home resolutions.

“I noticed that once the last of three kids moved out of our home, we still had 
way too many bags of trash leaving our kitchen,” she said. “So, I am trying to plan
ways to reduce our footprint. I just figured there has to be a bad reason for this
and I want to figure it out and do what I can to fix this problem. I think we’ve
been careless and we must be more vigilant.”

According to Harris Interactive, approximately 45 percent of Americans make New 
Year’s resolutions. Peter Di Natale, president of Peter Di Natale & Associates Inc.,
a full-service construction firm based in Cold Spring, said that over the years,
he’s had customers saying they want to start the new year by changing out old materials
and doing upgrades to their homes and other property.

### Recycle for Home Resolutions

Reclaimed materials, such as weathered barn siding with its various patinas and 
textures, can be [recycled for home](https://greenlivingguy.com/2025/10/home-depot-fluorescent-recycling-made-easy/)
renovations.

“This year, we’ve actually been working on some new green ideas.  All that might
appeal to a lot of people along these lines,” Di Natale said. “Something to consider
is installing solar panels on rooftops. It saves money especially when it can be
used to create power for your property.  So of course, many folks look at it as 
better for the environment.”

To do her part to help the environment, Emma Grace Rogers Carillo of Middletown 
resolved to stop throwing things away. Instead, she joined a “buy nothing” Facebook
[group](https://greenlivingguy.com/2011/03/los-angeles-group-buys-start-up-gathergreen-com/).

### Donate for Home Resolutions

“I donate what I have and don’t need anymore,” she said. “And someone else is happy
because they have something they wanted, but couldn’t buy for themselves.”

Pawling resident Ellie Savoy has also been working hard for the last three years
to buy very little and reduce waste for their home resolutions.

“I recycle everything I possibly can and I even give the pulp from our juices to
a local guy to compost,” she said. “I don’t believe in new year resolutions anymore
because they don’t last. Every day I am conscious of my carbon footprint. It’s been
a gradual process over several years.”

### Recycle Everything

At the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater office in Beacon, all of the staff members 
work hard at being more environmentally conscious. This year, Shameika Hanson, the
volunteer and events coordinator, said she is resolving to live a healthier life,
starting with getting organic local fruits and vegetables.

“It helps our local economy,” Hanson said. “Buying organic directly places my money
in the hands of those not polluting the environment.  That’s with harsh chemicals
from pesticides, herbicides, etc..  Then and by making my purchases locally, I cut
down on auto emissions in the air, oil and gas out of the ground.”

Di Nitale advises homeowners to start making environmental changes this year at 
home by using reclaimed materials in projects.

### Reclaimed Materials

“Reclaimed materials are getting popular,” he said. “We once worked on a home that
turned logs recovered from the bottom of a lake into flooring. And we’re just putting
the finishing touches on a project.  For that’s where we’re using petrified forest
wood to cover one interior wall of a home being renovated. In the [Hudson Valley](https://greenlivingguy.com/2016/10/upcoming-drive-electric-hudson-valley-events/),
there are opportunities to get reclaimed wood-siding from old barns. The barn’s 
insides in particular offer great material to work with. They can have beautiful
patinas.  So using them gives a rebirth to what otherwise would be discarded material.”

He also said homeowners do not have to look far to save the environment for their
green home resolutions!

“Sometimes you don’t have to look beyond your own yard or acreage,” he said. “If
there are stones and big rocks on your property then you can craft them into stone
walls and patios, and cut down or even avoid the cost of going to a quarry. If you
have stone laying around, or even old concrete, depending what it was made from,
that might be easily collected and reused.”

Seth Leitman, of the Green Living Guy ([https://greenlivingguy.com](https://greenlivingguy.com)),
said good home resolutions would be to save energy.

“Start with LED bulbs (not CFL) and insulation,” he said. “Most homes are 100 percent
under insulated. Once added, it starts saving energy immediately. Vow to never again
leave your electronic devices in standby mode.”

[Source: Poughkeepsie Journal](https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/tech/science/environment/2016/01/14/environment-valley-resolutions-green/78805988/?from=new-cookie)

Lisa Iannucci, For the [Poughkeepsie Journal](https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/tech/science/environment/2016/01/14/environment-valley-resolutions-green/78805988/?from=new-cookie)

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 greenlivingguy

 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
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