Get Started with GYR
Your home is the best place to get started greening your routine. At home, you control the temperature, whether lights are on or off, and when to use the water. You make the purchasing decisions, and you toss things into the trash. You clean and fix and update. YOU are the key.
Whether you rent or own, stay here year-round or just part-time, live in an apartment or house, you can do a lot to make your home more energy and water efficient, emit fewer greenhouse gases, preserve local resources and prevent pollution. Get started by learning as much as possible through this website and the hundreds of other great websites that we link. You'll find information, examples, checklists, tools and even rebates for making changes inside and outside of your home.
Before you get started exploring, three easy steps can jump start your green routine.
#1 - Find Out How Green Your Home Is Right Now
One of the first things that people like to do is get a sense of how well they are doing so far. We've assembled a list of our favorite green rating tools. Some cover a wide range of topics, while others focus in on a single aspect. We recommend that you use one of the general tools to get started, and then choose a focus area to learn more. Click to access Carbon Calculators and Green Rating tools.
#2 - Take the Energy Star Pledge
Sometimes all it takes to make a difference is making that first commitment. Like many cities around the nation, we are joining with the federal government to promote awareness of smart energy use and consumption. When you take the Energy Star pledge, and then follow its simple guidelines, you know that the changes you make will make a real difference to our environmental health and economic prosperity.