BEING GREEN
Written By Kyle Johnson,
Operations Manager-NW Arkansas

It's all the buzz. The new key word! Everyone is trying to do it. It's great for the environment, and a lot of it has to do with former vice president and presidential candidate Al Gore bringing it to the forefront of our society. From eco-friendly cars to carpet, it is all about "going green".

We all know and have known about the Energy Star appliances for our homes. These items range from the dishwashers to clothes dryers.  The purpose of these appliances is to reduce the amount of electricity being used. Too bad they do not make these for televisions, as the new flat screen and LCD television can use as much electricity as your kitchen refrigerator!

We are all trying to do our part to help reduce the damaging affects to our planet. Some are using the florescent light bulbs instead of the conventional light bulbs. I did, and it will save you money in the long run on your electric bills, that is if you can stomach the initial cost of buying all of those lights for your home. The one drawback is it contains mercury and must be disposed of properly.
     
Our industry had been pushing for a greener environment as well. The industry is trying to do our part to reduce our impact on the environment before we are forced into any type of compliance. When it comes to mold removal and/or reduction, some feel soap and water are some of the best alternatives to using harsh chemicals. Using soap as a preventive is even a better idea. Just after water damage on carpet, why not just clean the carpet with soap and water? Think about it, what happens when you wash your hands. The soap encapsulates the dirt and “germs”. Then by rinsing you are removing all of it off your hands. Don't get me wrong, you can't use soap and water on ALL mold jobs, BUT it is a thought. 

My dad often reminds me, “if you borrow something from someone, make sure to give it back a little nicer than when you got it.” Maybe if we all tried to do a little “green”, it would save us all a "little green" and we would all be a little better off in the end.

I saw something which gave me a little hope out of all of the flooding the last couple of weeks. Our crew was in Mountain View helping insureds with their homes that were destroyed by the endless flooding. As we were tearing out flooring, cabinets, removing insulation, duct work there were six children doing something no one else was doing, they were saving. These kids were no older than 10 years old, covered in mud and carrying buckets and nets. They were saving the rainbow trout from the ditches around their homes and running as fast as they could to the banks of the White River and releasing them. It was great to see out of all of the “throw away” there was truly throwing back.  These children were doing their part in Earth conservation. It reminds me of how much we can learn from children.