Over the past months residents have repeatedly expressed interest to the HOA in a joint initiative to evolve Southern Village into an even more sustainable neighborhood. In response the HOA has commissioned a 'Going Green in Southern Village' committee to set goals, plan and execute initiatives, and encourage SV residents to become responsible stewards of the environment.

Our goal is to educate, encourage, and challenge SV residents to reduce consumption of natural resources through conservation – primarily fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas), trees and water - avoiding some common misconceptions. Big differences can be made with simple, inexpensive changes which improve our standard of living without impact to daily comfort or convenience. 
In fact there are a variety of incentives to go green and save money. 
 

Last year SV produced an average of 39.7 tons of landfill waste per month Oct 08 to Oct 09 of which ~30% would have been recyclable and a further 9-10% compostable. 

UPDATE ! Data from Nov 09 to April 2010 was added. It's appearent that there is a spike around the Holidays each year. We are trending at roughly the same levels as last year. 

Let's focus on reducing landfill waste for the remainder of the year to achieve our self imposed goals folks !!

Let's continue the positive downward trend.

Note: Cardboard waste was taken out in Dec

Most of our waste includes plastic products which require [foreign] crude oil and electrical energy from coal for its production. On average, for every dollar spent, the energy equivalent of half a liter of oil is burned to produce what that dollar buys. In additoin disposable paper products significantly contribute to deforestation worldwide.

UPDATE ! A recycling center has been been installed at Central Park and weekly trash service is being provided:

               

How can you participate?

• Reduce by considering how much packaging you need. Buy bulk products or products in less packaging

• Freecycle things that may still have value to others

• Recycle everything possible, curbside, and at drop-off sites 

•  Eliminate shopping bags by reusing a bag or a foldable basket you bring with you.

•   Reuse shopping bags you can't avoid by using them as trash bags, avoiding the purchase of more plastic bags

•  Buydisposable paper products produced 100% from recycled paper – e.g. from Seventh Generation or 365 brands at Weaver Street and Wholefoods,Trader Joe's and even atWalmart . Tests with harsh sceptics have proven they are as soft or softer as those that destroy rain forest every day

•   Compost. There are a wide range of indoor and outdoor composters available.Orange County Recycling offers products and education. If you don't want to compost yourself, put compostable material in the yard bin versus the garbage bin.

•   Dispose of used cooking oil in the black barrel behind Pazzos for collection by Piedmont Biofuels.

There is huge potential for energy conservation we can all contribute to. Reduction in power consumption can make the difference between the need to build a new power plant in the future or not, thus helping avoid rate increases in addition to savings by the reduction itself.

Southern Village already has the first LEED certified Subway restaurant in North Carolina and only the 3rd nationwide.

UPDATE ! In June 2010 additional solar power lights have be installed in Edgewater Park and Highgrove Park in partnership with Solar Tech South:

These solar lighting systems are operating in the following manner: A 20-watt solar panel is mounted to a 3” steel pole. The solar panel charges a sealed lead acid battery, which provides power for a motion sensor security fixture with two LED spotlights, also mounted on the pole. The motion detection range is 30 meters at a 120-degree angle. It has a self-resetting adjustable time base from 6 seconds to 12 minutes and a day/night mode. These lighting systems operate automatically, and the solar panels and batteries are sized to provide up to ½ hour of light per night for up to 5 days of cloudy weather. The assumption is that the lights will come on for 30-second intervals when activated.

How can you participate?

•    Conduct anEnergy Audit for your home.

•    Many residents keep their outside lights on overnight for safety. That's good. Over 90% of the night nobody walks the alleys. Consider installingmotion detectors to combine safety with energy conservation.

•   Install aprogrammable thermostat to control the temperature according to your schedule. Heat or cool the house to the fully comfortable temperature only during times someone is home. Allow 5-10 degrees difference for times the house is empty and during the night to reduce unnecessary heating and cooling.

•   Change furnace filters frequently and get regularcheckups to allow the HVAC to operate more efficiently.

•   Replace incandescent light bulbs withcompact fluorescent (CFL) or LED bulbs. Although initially costing more, CFLs use four times less energy and last an average of eight times longer (about 8,000 hours). Fluorescent tubes last up to 20,000 hours and add further efficiency. Both can be used in dimmable fixtures for a longer lifespan and more comfortable house

•  Reduce phantom power - When not in use, appliances such as televisions, computers and microwaves are still consuming power. Wasted energy can total almost 25 percent of a home’s electricity bill. Choose appliances with low standby energy consumption. A good range is 0.5 to 1 watt/hour or 4 to 8 kWh/year. A power bar can cut your losses if you switch it off when you’re done on the computer.

•  Energy Star appliances consume between 2 and 10 times less electricity. Initial costs can be up to 15% more but will come back in energy savings. Federal programs are being introduced to reduce the incremental cost further. Energy Star appliances are generally higher quality products reducing noise and lasting longer

•  Insulate and Ventilate - Properly done, insulation can reduce home heating and cooling needs by more than 50% of an average residence. Weather stripping and caulking control air leaks, while air exchange keeps your indoor air fresh

•   Insulate electric water heaters and pipes, but not gas water heaters (start with the pipes at six inches away) and install timers to reduce unnecessary heating during times no hot water is used. ConsiderSolar Water heater for replacements

•   If remodelling considerSolaTubes to bring daylight into inner spaces in the house to reduce the need for artificial light

You can easily monitor your energy consumption on the Duke Energy online dashboard and compare your savings to the average Duke Energy customer. To do so log in to Duke Energy click on 'Home Energy Center' under 'Energy Savings' in the menu on the left and follow the link to create your Personalized Energy Report (PER)™

The info below is actual consumption of a Southern Village resident who's implemented some of the suggestions above but is still running the original inefficient 'old screamer' HVAC, windows and doors – aka low cost changes only.

Southern Village already has a great track record in this regard. A UNC study conducted a few years ago concluded that SV residents drive an average 17.4 miles per day less compared to residents in Lake Hogan Farms simply due to the opportunities to go shopping, eat out and visit events in walking and biking distance at Market Street and the Green.

Many employers offer priority parking for registered carpoolers, assistance with vanpool development, discount or free bus passes, and an emergency ride home program.

How can you participate?

•  Walk, bike, take the bus - Anything that reduces the amount of miles you drive lowers the amount of gas you use: 

•  Buy locally - The further a product has to travel before it gets to you, the more energy and gas it has consumed along the way. Local produce is also proven to be healthier and taste much better as it's harvested a lot later when it's actually ripe versus pre-maturely to account for extensive transportation times. Studies show a 'food mileage' a factor of 60x difference between a typical meal prepared from local ingredients versus standard processed food.

• Consider alternative drive trains and fuel efficiency for any upcoming vehicle purchase
• If using lawn care companies to maintain your landscaping consider changing to companies using electrical equipement to reduce air polution and noise.  2 such companies servicing our area are:
• Clean Air Lawn Care
• Green Energy Lawn Care

Continuing to focus on water conservation allows us to save a precious natural resource, reduce costs, and be better prepared should mandatory restrictions be reinstated. 

How can you participate?

•   UseWaterSense labeled faucets and faucet accessories 

  • A low-flow shower head can cut water consumption in half, which reflects greatly on hot water usage.

  • For less than $15 you can exchange your faucet aerators in the entire house from the standard 2.0 gpm (gallons per minute) to 1.0 or even 0.5 gpm which is sufficient for most use like hand washing, brushing teeth, etc.

•  Conserving water whenever possible in the kitchen, restrooms and yard work

•   Installingrain barrels to collect storm water for use in yardwork, irrigation, etc. The town of Chapel Hill sells them at a discount

• Setup your irrigation system to spray only areas that actually need irrigation at most efficient times of day
• Watering walkways and alleys wasts water and money unnecessarily.
• Time it to spray only in the early morning hours or later at night. Irrigation during the day doesn't only waste 20-30% water because ofEvapotranspiration but can damage your plants by water drops causing a similar effect as a magnifying glass in direct sun expose and burning leaves.
• Installinghot water recirculation systems to get hot water in the shower instantly versus letting water run until it gets warm. These systems should be on a timer to run only during those times of the day when typically showering as they drain heat your water heater and would significantly increase energy consumption if run all day. 

With several of the above measurements your water bill could look something like this:


Note: in May & June 2009 there was a leak in the irrigation system