Don't be depressed by global warming this Earth Day. There are lots

of simple, affordable ways to reduce carbon emissions guilt.

By Jenna Portnoy
The Intelligence

From the outside, the home at 17 East Hill Drive in Doylestown looks like any other.
But inside, architect David Hartke has made every effort to put energy efficiency first and reliance on fossil fuels last. After all, he once planned to move in his own environmentally conscious family.

Specially designed walls and a gravel foundation saved concrete, which gobbles up precious fuels during manufacturing. At 4,000 square feet, the home is double the size of the average abode, yet fits into a compact footprint. Native plants suck up rain water, and the geothermal heat pump, heat recovery generator and solar panel-ready wiring add to its certification as the first home in Bucks County to meet national green standards. Plus, the bamboo flooring not only looks great, the renewable plant grows back in no time. "Within the realm of building a new home," said Hartke, who finally opted not to pull up roots in Havertown, Delaware County, "this is the most green you can get."

The home, which has been on the market for five months, will hit up the eventual owner for just half of what a regular residence would cost to heat, cool and power. Still, it will take 12 years to break even on $33,000 in extras in the $1 million home.

But even if you don't plan to build green from the ground up, it's easy — and affordable — to give your life an eco-makeover in celebration of Earth Day.

Alternative energy sources
It was winter 2005 when Lisa Rohrbach caught a glimpse of a $500 oil bill racked up for just a few weeks of toasty indoor temps and took drastic action.

"Not only is this giving money to the oil companies," the California native said, "but we're also polluting. I just said, 'Enough, let's see if we can do this.'"

That meant dialing back the ther­mostat and relying almost exclusively on a wood-burning stove to keep her Bedminster family warm. Burning wood releases harmful particles so to counter the pollution they bought logs from a Quakertown farmer who plants seven oxygen-renewing trees for every one he chops down.

Stoves like theirs cost $1,500 to $2,500 installed and last 15 years. A $300 investment in wool-lined slippers, fleece blankets, long underwear and thicker socks has already paid off.

In the first year, the Rohrbachs saved more than $2,000 and used the $3,000 they saved this winter to travel to Rome. Bill Rohrbach, a chemist, figured they reduced their carbon dioxide emissions, or global warming pollution, by 75 percent.

Even 10-year-old Teddy Rohrbach, who is home-schooled and used the family experiment for his science fair project, learned people must be responsible for emissions "because it's killing a lot of creatures and, like, Antarctica."
Another option for reducing reliance on fossil fuels is solar energy

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captured by panels such as the ones Dr. Martin Getzow installed on the roof of his Doylestown Township home almost two years ago. The panels deliver direct current to a box, which converts the electricity into alternating current for household use; Peco Energy Co. pays him for the extra power the panels send to the utility's power grid.

The panels cost about $1,000 each. But fortunately for Get­zow, the Sustainable Develop­ment Fund, a program estab­lished when two electricity companies merged, paid for 80 percent of the startup costs.

Now that the fund is depleted, the out-of-pocket costs are prohibitive for most. But Charles Reichner, whose Revere company Head Shed Inc. put panels on Getzow's home and three others in Doylestown as well as Peace Valley Nature Center, encouraged residents to lobby lawmakers to approve tax incentives and grants.

Compost
Ready to take recycling to the next level? Kitchen scraps, leaves, yard waste. It's all perfect for the compost heap.

"The amount we create in backyards is not a huge amount," said Scott Guiser, a Penn State Cooperative Exten­sion educator, "but it gets people tuned into the fact that "rather than throw away good organic material, they can put it to use. It's a good thing that everyone can do easily."
All that's needed is a place to make a pile at least 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

Composting bins range from $10 buckets to con­traptions costing hundreds that turn the material and accelerate the decomposition process.

The recipe is as follows: Mix some quickly decomposing green stuff (potato peels, bread crusts, coffee grounds) with equal parts slowly decompos­ing brown stuff (wood chips, saw dust, tree leaves) and a handful of microorganism-rich black stuff (garden soil or finished compost).
Guiser said the compost is ready when it's unclear what it started out as. That usually takes six months to a year but could happen in as little as a month.
"In suburban situations where we generate a lot of organic waste it really is easy to set aside a spot in the yard to make compost," he said. "But

it's not for everybody."

Enter Delaware Valley College. Dry manure from animals on campus as well as food scraps come together in rows turned every day for two months, said crop production manager Larry Queripel. For now, it's sold for $7 a yard mostly to greenhouses that pick out the stones. The price will jump to about $20 a yard once the college receives new screening equipment and starts using windmill power to turn the mixture.

This summer, farm market customers can pay one price for as much compost as they can stuff into a bag.

Carbon offsetting
Virtually all the energy humans use releases some amount of harmful gunk into the air. That's why the experts tell consumers to drive less, use public transportation and weatherize homes.
But all this conservation can only go so far. The only way to compensate for the impact of personal activity is to figure out how much pollution one is responsible for and shell out cash for each ton of carbon generated, according to the carbon offsetting industry.

The money then funds alte­native-energy producers, such as crop and wind farm operators, to maximize their efforts to reduce foreign fuel dependency.

Native Energy is a privately held marketing company hired by farmers to sell "carbon credits" in exchange for using wind turbines, solar energy and other technology. For example, one farm uses an anaerobic digester to capture methane gas from cow manure and produces electricity with a generator while recovering the waste heat to heat the digester and reduce oil-heating needs.

"They are reducing this pollution on our behalf," said George Hoguet, director of mid-Atlantic operations for Native Energy.
And we could use it. The average

American generates about 20 tons of global warming pollution annually, considering things like buildings inhabited, products purchased and air miles logged. That's why a Pennsylvania campaign called Smart Power wants municipalities to commit to 20 percent clean energy by 2010. The idea is that 7 percent of residences and businesses — or about 200 customers — in the community will sign up for clean energy whether with Native Energy, the Energy Cooperative or Peco wind power. Smart Power even sweetens the deal with a solar panel giveaway worth $10,000. Locally, Lower Makefield was the first to commit, followed by Upper Makefield and Doylestown. In Montgomery County, Jenkintown and Chel­tenham signed up along with Upper Dublin, which was the first in the state to agree to go 100 percent clean energy.

Drive less; drive smart
Fewer municipalities have taken bold steps, such as switch­ing their fleets to alternative fuels, because the technology can be pricey — tax incentives don't help tax-exempt agencies — and the infrastructure inadequate. One exception is Warminster, which purchased a gasoline-electric-powered hybrid.

"We need to set an example that we have to get away from fossil fuels for our vehicles," said Supervisor Richard Luce. "We have to go toward an energy that's not dependent on the Middle East and doesn't con­tribute to global warming."

Individuals ready to go hybrid can join the nearly 23,000 drivers who bought them in February. But for motorists not prepared to go that far, there are ways to reduce emissions, save on fuel costs and extend the life of a traditional car.

"In general," Brinda Shetty, of the Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program, said, "ifs important to keep maintenance up and have the proper tire pressure."

Bundle errands and carpool to reduce gas mileage on your car. When it's time to fill up the tank, don't top it off. That could lead to groundwater contamination and should be avoided, she said.

In the summer, it's especially important to refuel early in the morning or in the evening when it's cooler. Escaping gas fumes can create ground-level ozone, she said. Finally, drivers should avoid idling and activities that

lead to idling, such as left turns. Better yet, Shetty advised, take public transportation or bike.

Bright ideas at home
While bundling errands, stop at the hardware store for compact florescent light bulbs, which use 75 percent less energy and last as much as 10 times as long as their incandescent counterparts.

"They are becoming more and more popular," said Jason LaCorte of Chalfont Hardware. "Folks will put them on order and wait for them to come in."

While his store sells a single CFL for about $7, Wendy Reed, spokeswoman for the government's Energy Star program, said consumers can find CFLs for as little as $2 each if bought in a multi-pack. Lighting is about one-fifth the cost of a total electric bill and using CFLs can on average save $30 or more.

"The more light bulbs you replace," she said, "the more you save, and it can be meaningful savings. When you save on ener­gy costs, you're also doing something good for the environment."

Harkte designed light sockets in the Doylestown green house to take CFLs so, he said, "you can't fake it out."

He also opted for doors with transparent panels so natural light can travel between rooms, thus reducing the need for electric lights. The front door also opens into a vestibule, common in older homes, to trap hot air in the summer and chilly drafts in the winter.

Although these and other applications, such as Energy Star-certified windows, insulation and appliances, are common-sense ways to lower bills while inducing a green glow, consumers can turn the tide of global warming only by combining lots of strategies.

Jenna Portnoy can be reached at (215) 345-3060 or jportnoy@phillyBurbs.com.