In our modern world, many of us have succumbed to the excesses of capitalism. Giant warehouse stores allow us to buy in bulk; massive chain department stores allow for incredible bargain prices. We drive giant vehicles to haul the stuff around and super-size meals to fuel our shopping frenzy.
As consumers we have expanded the idea of basic needs well beyond necessity. Needs are things that we cannot survive without such as food and shelter. For whatever reason, many of our desires have become needs and the result is too much stuff. In a society where shopping has become a recreational sport, and the acquisition of things a daily ritual, we must be cautious not to acquire too much to clutter up our homes.
While those of us who live in cluttered environments may have developed some numbness, meaning that we no longer consciously notice or see the chaos of clutter, we are still affected at some level. Lack of energy, motivation and low self-esteem are often characteristics that accompany the daunting task of making sense of, or separating from, our clutter.
From the prospective homebuyer’s view, clutter translates into an undesirable home. Cluttered homes often appear smaller. They look darker, and tend to smell from the excess dust. The excess stimuli can be an immediate turn-off because the combined effect suggests that all of the home’s other features will be rundown, decayed and in need of much repair. The converse is also true: homes devoid of clutter and kept clean give the impression of being well maintained and not requiring much work.
As sellers, it is important to understand that when prospective buyers view a home they do so through various lenses. Some will look at a property in terms of its resale value, others will view it as a starter home, and others will view it as their potential home for life.
For those looking at property strictly for investment, clutter can be a good thing. Clutter means that the property doesn’t show well and as such the potential buyer stands a good chance of acquiring it below value. For those looking at a property as a starter home, the clutter only serves to widen the gap between the desired home and the home they must settle for. People looking at a property as their potential permanent home will imagine themselves occupying it. Clutter compromises the ideal image and prospective buyers view the home in terms of cleaning and maintenance.
Properties with clutter translate into increased time on the market and lower values, not only because the clutter decreases the perception of size, air and light, but also because of the perceived level of work involved in maintaining the property. It might behoove sellers to spend a little upfront and hire a professional clutter clearer and/or home stager. This initial cost will be recouped by way of a higher selling price and faster sale.
By: Karin Beuerlein If you live in the Northeast, here are maintenance jobs you should complete in spring and summer to prevent costly repairs and keep your home in top condition.
After a long, cold Northeastern winter, spring is an excellent time to get outside and perform a fresh inspection of the whole house, says Steve Gladstone of Stonehollow Home Inspections in Stamford, Conn. Give all your major exterior systems—roof, siding, gutters, drainage—a close examination to make sure they’re working properly and are in good shape.
Key maintenance tasks to perform
• Monitor your gutters and drainage. If debris has accumulated over the winter, you’ll find out when the snow melts and spring rains arrive. Remove any blockages and look for signs of bending, damage, and areas where water has been diverted onto the roof or siding. You can usually make minor gutter repairs yourself for under $50 by adjusting or reattaching brackets, gently hammering out bent areas, and replacing damaged sections of gutter if necessary. This is also a good time to walk around the house and make sure the soil slopes away from the foundation at a rate of at least 6 vertical inches over the first 10 feet. If you have standing water or mushy areas, consider re-grading, adding berms (raised areas), swales (contoured drainage ditches), or installing a French drain (a shallow trench that diverts water away from the house). Try to identify whether your problem is improper sloping or gutter overflow. A home inspector can help you if you’re stumped; inspection services run about $80–$100 per hour. • Inspect your roof and chimney for winter damage. Shingles may need repair after a rough winter. Look for loose chimney bricks and mortar, rotting boards if you have a wooden chimney box, or rust if you have a chimney with metal parts and flashing. Inside the house, check your skylights to make sure there are no stains that indicate water leakage. If you suspect a problem, call a roofing contractor or a chimney sweep certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America for an estimate for repairs. Minor roof repairs run from $100 to $350. • Examine siding for signs of winter damage. Check for loose or rotting boards and replace; inspect the areas where siding meets windows and doors and caulk any gaps. Give your siding an annual cleaning using soap and water, a brush, and a garden hose. Also, make sure your house number hasn’t been damaged or obscured by dirt and is easily visible to emergency personnel. • Schedule your spring air conditioning service. Get ready for the air conditioning season with your spring tune-up. If your system wasn’t running well last season, be sure to tell your contractor, and make sure he performs actual repairs if necessary rather than simply adding refrigerant. Follow your contractor as he works to get an idea of the maintenance checklist he uses and ask questions about what he’s doing. Your contractor’s checklist should include inspecting thermostats and controls, checking the refrigerant level, tightening connections, lubricating moving parts, checking the condensate drain, and cleaning the coils and blower. Expect to pay $50–$100 for a tune-up. Meanwhile, make sure your air filters are changed and vacuum out your floor registers. If duct cleaning is part of your scheduled service, make sure you aren’t charged extra for it. Some contractors may try to convince you to let them apply antifungal/antibacterial chemicals to the interior surfaces of the ducts; this isn’t usually necessary and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says research has not yet confirmed its effectiveness or potential to be harmful. Any chemicals you add to your ducts will likely become airborne, so exercise caution. • Check kids’ outdoor play areas. “Swingsets tend to get funky over the winter,” Gladstone says. “Tighten bolts and make sure things are still properly put together and safe to use.” Make sure no sharp edges or splinters are sticking up, and clean off any mold growth with a household-strength 1:9 solution of bleach and water. • Check your GFCIs. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protects you from deadly electrical shocks by shutting off the power anytime even a minimal disturbance in current is detected. They’re the electrical outlets with two buttons in the middle (“test” and “reset”) that should be present anywhere water and electricity can mix: kitchens, bathrooms, basements, garages, and the exterior of the house. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends monthly testing, which you’re likely to remember if you incorporate it into your spring routine. To test a GFCI, plug a small appliance (a radio, for example) into each of your GFCIs. Press the test button, which should click and shut off the radio. The reset button should pop out; when you press reset, the radio should come back on. If the radio doesn’t go off when you press the test button, either the GFCI itself has failed and should be replaced, or the outlet is wired incorrectly and should be repaired. If the reset button doesn’t pop out, or if pressing it doesn’t restore power to the radio, the GFCI has failed and should be replaced. These distinctions can help you tell an electrician what the problem is—neither job is one you should attempt yourself if you don’t have ample experience with electrical repair. • Pay a visit to the attic. During a spring rain, check for visible leaks, water stains, discolored insulation, and rotting or moldy joists and roof decking. If detected, call a handyman or roofing contractor for an estimate for repairs. If you have areas of rot or mold exceeding 10 sq. ft., call an indoor air quality inspector or mold remediation company for advice. If you have an attic fan, make sure it’s running properly and that the protective screen hasn’t been blocked by bird nests or debris. • Clean dirty windows. This is a good task for the end of summer, when it’s still nice outside. Clean windows allow more solar energy into the house in the cooler months to come, which will help you save on your heating bill. For streak-free glass, use an eco-friendly solution of one part vinegar to eight parts water, with a few squirts of dish soap; apply to window with a sponge or soft mitt, scrubbing any tough spots. Rinse with clean water and then squeegee the surface dry. Along with these important maintenance tasks, be sure to check out the others cited in the to-do lists following this article. Spending a weekend or two on maintenance can prevent costly repairs and alert you to developing problems. Visit the links listed below for more detailed information on completing tasks or repairs. Karin Beuerlein has covered home improvement and green living topics extensively for HGTV.com, FineLiving.com, and FrontDoor.com. In more than a decade of freelancing, she’s also written for dozens of national and regional publications, including Better Homes & Gardens, The History Channel Magazine, Eating Well, and Chicago Tribune. She and her husband started married life by remodeling the house they were living in. They still have both the marriage and the house, no small feat.
Article By: Les Shu Advanced programmable thermostats give you precise control over your heating and cooling, helping to reduce wasted energy.
High-def, high-tech settings
You wouldn’t think of spending much time in front of your thermostat, but the newest advanced models--with their colorful touchscreen displays--are an engaging, interactive experience. They offer separate programs for each day of the week, and can even alert you if service is required. With its high-definition screen display, Honeywell’s Prestige Comfort System resembles a mini-computer more than a traditional thermostat. In addition to indoor temperature, the Prestige’s graphical user interface can display outdoor conditions and humidity with an add-on sensor. An onscreen wizard interviews you about your usage based on simple questions, and then sets a program accordingly. A portable controller lets you adjust settings from any room in the house. The Prestige is priced from $250 and up. If you can live without a fancy display, an advanced programmable thermostat from HAI costs around $300 to $400, while a simpler seven-day programmable model from Hunter costs $99.
Control from afar
What if you’re on your way to a long vacation, and you suddenly realized you’d forgotten to turn down your home’s thermostat? If your home is equipped with the Smart Thermostat from ecobee, you can tap into the system through a personalized web portal anywhere there’s Internet access. Log in to check on your HVAC’s performance and make adjustments on the fly. The unit sells for $469. Manage your home’s HVAC via a home automation app from Control 4. The sophisticated system allows you to change thermostat settings from your smartphone, pad, and PC. In addition, you can control the lighting, music, window treatment motors, and a wide range of Control 4 devices.
Know the price before you turn it on
Pilot programs for installing smart thermostats that display “time of use” pricing information are underway in regions like Florida and California. These thermostats receive a wireless signal from the utility company, and adjust the temperature according to the price of electricity during different times of the day. With costs for air conditioning at about 70 cents to $1.20 per hour, reducing AC usage only an hour per day would yield a savings of $65 to $110 over the course of a summer. Check with your utility company to find out if such a program is available in your area. A writer covering the latest technologies and trends for a variety of national publications, Les Shu is currently automating his home with the newest doodads to make it smarter than he is. Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
During the week of March 14-20, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is promoting conservation of household water throughout the state as part of the national Fix a Leak Week campaign. Did you know that an American home may waste, on the average, more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks? That is enough to fill a backyard swimming pool. Statewide, more than 5 billion gallons of water leak from New Hampshire homes each year, enough water to supply the City of Manchester for an entire year. This is why DES is teaming up with the WaterSense program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remind citizens to check their plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems each year during Fix a Leak Week. One method to check if your home has leaks is to check your water meter. Do not use any water in the home for about two hours. Read your water meter at the beginning and end of this period. If the meter readings are not exactly the same, then you probably have a leak. The next step is to find any leaks. Walk through your house, listen closely for running toilets and look for drips at shower heads and faucets, including any outside spigots and hoses. Hoses attached to open spigots may have leaks along them or at their ends. Often leaks in toilets may not be audible. A good way to find this type of leak is to put food coloring in the reservoir tank and checking about 15 minutes later to see if any color appears in the bowl. Most leaks can be fixed easily and inexpensively. Fixing a leaking faucet, spigot, or hose connection is usually just a matter of replacing a washer or gasket. Shower-head leaks can easily be stopped using pipe tape and/or tightening the screw-on connection. Running toilets are usually the result of a worn or poorly fitting flapper valve or a faulty valve assembly. As a do-it-yourself project, most of these leaks can be easily repaired with inexpensive stock replacement parts available at home improvement and hardware stores. Be sure to bring old parts to the dealer so that the replacement parts can be properly matched. Remember, most leaks are slow, but over time the volume of wasted water can be appreciable. It is estimated that 10 percent of homes have water leaks that waste 90 or more gallons per day. Finding and repairing leaks will save considerably on water bills. Additionally, if your home is on a municipal sewage line, it is likely that the billing amount for sewage is proportionally tied to water use and thereby your total bill will be even more impacted by any leaks. Posted 3/14/11 by the NH Department of Environmental Services, Concord, NH http://www.des.nh.gov For additional information about household water conservation in New Hampshire, please contact Ernst H. Kastning at (603) 271-0659 or via email at ernst.kastning@des.nh.gov. Information for homeowners, as well as resource materials for teachers and students are available at http://m1e.net/c?82384231-wTZE.eMs4vfvQ%406266861-yo7WIwsVqYnFM
A large percentage of home buyers decide whether or not to look inside a house or take it seriously based on its curb appeal—the view they see when they drive by or arrive for a showing. You can help make sure they want to come inside your house by spending some time working on its exterior appearance. It's difficult to look at our own house in the same way that potential home buyers do. When we become accustomed to the way something looks and functions, we can't see its faults. Decide right now to stop thinking of your property as a home. It's a house—a commodity you want to sell for the highest possible dollar.
Curb Appeal Exercise
The next time you come home, stop across the street or far enough down the driveway to get a good view of the house and its surroundings.
- What is your first impression of the house and yard area?
- What are the best exterior features of the house or lot? How can you enhance them?
- What are the worst exterior features of the house or lot? How can you minimize or improve them?
Park where a potential buyer would and walk towards the house, looking around you as if it were your first visit. Is the approach neat and tidy? What could you do to make it more attractive? Make a list of the problem areas you discovered. Tackle clean up and repair chores first, then put some time into projects that make the grounds more attractive
- Stow away unnecessary garden implements and tools.
- Clean windows and gutters.
- Pressure wash dirty siding and dingy decks.
- Edge sidewalks and remove vegetation growing between concrete or bricks.
- Mow the lawn. Get rid of weeds.
- Rake and dispose of leaves, even if your lot is wooded.
- Trim tree limbs that are near or touching the home's roof.
Don't Forget the Rear View
Buyers doing a drive by will try their best to see your back yard. If it's visible from another street or from someone's driveway, include it in your curb appeal efforts.
Evening Curb Appeal
Do your curb appeal exercise again at dusk, because it isn't unusual for potential buyers to drive by houses in the evening. One quick way to improve evening curb appeal is with lighting:
- String low voltage lighting along your driveway, sidewalks, and near important landscaping elements.
- Add a decorative street lamp or an attractive light fixture to a front porch.
- Make sure lighting that's visible through front doors and windows enhances the home's appearance.
If you brainstorm, you'll find that there's a solution to most problems—one that lets you stay within your budget. The trick is to find the areas where improvements are needed, then work on them as best you can.
Here are some tips for under $100. Tip 1: Spend an hour with a pro. Invite your realtor or an interior designer over to check out your home. Our office is happy to do this, but you will probably have to pay a consultation fee to a designer. Check with several designers in your area; a standard hourly fee is normally less than $100, and in an hour they can give you lots of ideas for needed improvements. Even small suggested improvements, such as paint colors or furniture placement, can go a long way toward improving the look and feel of your home. Tip 2: Inspect it! Not every home improvement is cosmetic. Deteriorating roofs, termite infestation or outdated electrical systems — you can't fix it if you don't know it's broken. Hire an inspector to check out the areas of your home that you don't normally see. They may discover hidden problems that could negatively impact your home's value. Small problems (such as a hidden water leak) can become big, expensive problems quickly; the longer you put off repairs, the more expensive those repairs will be. Tip 3: Paint , paint, paint. One of the simplest, most cost-effective improvements of all is paint! Freshly painted rooms look clean and updated — and that spells value. When selecting paint colors, keep in mind that neutrals appeal to the greatest number of people, therefore making your home more desirable. On average, a gallon of paint costs around $25, leaving you plenty of money to buy rollers, painter's tape, drop cloths and brushes. So buy a few gallons and get busy! Tip 4: Find inspiration. An alternative to hiring a designer is to search for remodeling and decorating inspiration in design-oriented magazines, books, TV shows and websites. Tip 5: Cut energy costs. The amount of money you spend each month on energy costs may seem like a fixed amount, but many local utility companies provide free energy audits of their customers' homes. They can show you how to maximize the energy efficiency of your home. An energy-efficient home will save you money now, which can be applied to other updates, and is a more valuable and marketable asset in the long run.
The history of Aromatherapy dates back at least to 4000 BC, although the term "aromatherapy" was first used in the 1920s by the French chemist René Maurice Gattefossé who accidentally discovered that lavender oil relieves pain and assists in the healing of burns. Humans can discern about 10,000 smells. Remember Cleopatra? She placed layers of rose petals on her palace floors to entice Mark Antony. She knew the power of scent and got that part right, but according to recent studies, the scents that most attract men are pumpkin pie and anise. Well, she didn’t have our science or pumpkin pie. Today, Aromatherapy is used in almost every bath and beauty product on the shelf. It is also used by some for healing. "Set the Mood" for a sale in Real Estate. Aromatherapy is especially useful for Open Houses or to assist sellers with pet or cooking odors. Studies have shown that the first thing people notice when they walk into a home is the smell. A strong or unpleasant smell can turn off a buyer immediately. Studies have also shown that a buyer's impression of a home is made in the first 30 seconds upon entering and a buy/no buy decision is not far after. Needless to say, this first impression is critical in the sale of a home, and smell is an important part of the experience. So why not use the buyer's senses to your advantage? It is possible to not only stage a home to be visually appealing and uncluttered but to also stimulate the buyer's other senses - especially their sense of smell. Set the mood for your home by the use of Essential Oils or candles that include essential oils. If the home is small, you may want to limit the scents to one or possibly two. If the home is larger however, you can set the mood for each of the major areas of the home. Some examples include: • Lavender Oil - Has a calming effect and would be ideal to set the mood for a master bathroom or bedroom. • Bergamot - Has a fresh, sweet, citrus scent that is familiar to many as the flavoring in Earl Gray, would help create the ideal mood for a master bedroom or bathroom. • Lemon or Citrus - Has a clean, refreshing scent and would be great for a kitchen, bathroom, or dining area. • Peppermint - Has a clean, cooling scent and would be great on a hot summer day in the kitchen or main areas of the home. • Balsam Fir - Has a soothing effect and would be great around the holidays in the main areas of the home. • Jasmine - Has a warm, exotic floral fragrance that creates a feeling of "romance", ideal for the master bath or bedroom.
Soon Spring cleaning will be on your list of things to do. Avoid those harmful chemicals and clean green this year!
Vinegar
Vinegar naturally cleans like an all-purpose cleaner. Mix a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a new store bought spray bottle and you have a solution that will clean most areas of your home. Vinegar is a great natural cleaning product as well as a disinfectant and deodorizer. Always test on an inconspicuous area. It is safe to use on most surfaces and has the added bonus of being incredibly cheap. Improperly diluted vinegar is acidic and can eat away at tile grout. Never use vinegar on marble surfaces. Don"t worry about your home smelling like vinegar. The smell disappears when it dries. Here are some uses for vinegar in the rooms of your house.
1. Kitchen & Bathroom - Clean the stovetop, appliances, countertops and floor. Clean the bathtub, toilet, sink, and countertops. Use pure vinegar in the toilet bowl to get rid of rings. Flush the toilet to allow the water level to go down. Pour the undiluted vinegar around the inside of the rim. Scrub down the bowl. Mop the floor in the bathroom with a vinegar/water solution. The substance will also eat away the soap scum and hard water stains on your fixtures and tile. Make sure it is safe to use with your tile.
2. Laundry Room - Use vinegar as a natural fabric softener. This can be especially helpful for families who have sensitive skin. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of store bought fabric softener. Vinegar has the added benefit of breaking down laundry detergent more effectively. (A plus when you have a family member whose skin detects every trace of detergent.)
Lemons & Lemon Juice
Lemons & Lemon Juice is another natural substance that can be used to clean your home.
1. Kitchen & Bathroom - Lemon juice can be used taurus love horoscope was the mark of the vernal equinox in the Early Bronze Age and Chalcolithic. to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on the cut section. Use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains. Mix 1 cup olive oil with ½ cup lemon juice and you have a furniture polish for your hardwood furniture. Put a whole lemon peel through the garbage disposal. It freshens the drain and the kitchen. Orange peels can be used with the same results.
2. Laundry Room - Lemon juice acts as a natural bleaching agent. Put lemon juice onto white linens and clothing and allow them to dry in the sun. Stains will be bleached away.
Baking soda
Baking Soda can
be used to scrub surfaces in much the same way as commercial abrasive cleansers. Baking soda is great as a deodorizer. Place a box in the refrigerator and freezer to absorb odors. Put it anywhere you need deodorizing action. Try these three kitchen ingredients as natural cleaning products in your home.
1. Kitchen - Mix a quarter cup of baking soda with a few cups of warm water and wash down the outside of white appliances. Allow it to stand for 15 minutes before rinsing clean and it will help remove yellowing of the appliances and restore the whiteness.
2. Laundry Room - Add a 1/2 cup of baking soda to the wash when you add your regular liquid detergent. The baking soda has been known to give you
February and April are traditionally school vacation months and times when many families plan an out-of-town escape. If you are concerned about how your empty house will fare while you’re gone, here are some good ideas to implement. 1. Don’t turn your heat off, as the weather is likely to be at the freezing or lower level while you’re gone. This could cause burst water pipes and flooding inside. But, do lower your thermostats to around 55. This is a safe temperature to keep things from freezing and cut down on fuel costs while you’re gone. 2. Be sure that someone will be taking care of snow removal while you’re gone. Some states even have laws which require residents to clear their own sidewalks and walkways with a specific period of time. This will also make it much easier for you on your return, should there be a storm or two. 3. Either have a friend empty your mail and newspaper boxes, or have both deliveries held while you’re gone. Piling up mail is a dead giveaway to a potential thief who might be canvassing your neighborhood for easy targets. 4. Just to be safe, leave a key with a friend or neighbor and ask them to keep an eye on the house while you’re away. It would be great if they would also go in the house once or twice, to be sure the heat is still on, and nothing else is awry. You can offer to do the same for them sometime. 5. Unplug all the electronics that won’t be in use during your absence. 6. This is also a good time to also lower the temperature on your water heater. 7. It’s not a bad idea to leave a car in the driveway if possible. This is also a perfect time to use timers to turn on indoor and outdoor lights. However, don’t leave an outside light on the whole time you’re gone. Again, that’s like advertising your empty house. 8. While it’s fun to share vacation pictures and events on all the social media options we have, remember, it’s always possible that the information will get into the wrong hands and prompt some unwanted interest in your house. 9. It’s a great idea to place all your valuables in a safe or safe deposit box, if you have one. 10. If your house is on the market, consider asking your REALTOR® to stop by and check in. These simple steps will go a long way to keeping your house safe while you’re gone, and also insure your peace of mind while vacationing. Based on an article written by Kelly O’Ryan, the office manager at Coldwell Banker Lexington, MA, which appeared in RISMEDIA, February 11, 2011.
Some Ideas about Changing our Daily Lives
to Help Protect the Environment
Are you and your Valentine on the same page when it comes to the environment? It’s not surprising to learn that many couples have different opinions on “being green.” This is especially true given the number of daily go green messages we all hear about the car we drive, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the weather outside. Disputes and frustrations can arise from differences of opinion on how green to be. So if it is one of your goals to “green your Valentine,” take it slow. Just remember that any type of change is hard for people to accept and darn near impossible for some. Perhaps you can start with some simple things. Keep in mind that, no matter what changes you are implementing, it helps to explain how these efforts will not only benefit the environment, but also your lives, either by saving money or even eliminating real health risks. Below are a few ideas that may help couples to be green together. Recycle: To many, recycling is second nature, but to others it’s a hassle. They may not have grown up recycling so they just don’t do it. The key is to make recycling in your home as convenient as possible. Take responsibility for rinsing the containers or emptying the bins until it becomes a part of the normal routine. Your partner will see that it’s not difficult or too time consuming. Besides, with many towns adopting pay-as-you-throw policies, recycling will clearly save your family money by reducing the trash you throw away. Eat Local: Beware that the subject of food can be a very personal one and possibly one of the most difficult things to change about your loved one. So don’t expect them to become a vegetarian overnight. Try taking in a local farmer’s market (yes, even in the winter!) as a fun event together. This supports your neighboring farmers and reduces energy consumption required by the global transport of goods. Food from your farmer’s market is healthier and fresher because it hasn’t traveled thousands of miles to reach your dinner table. For a list of New Hampshire farmers’ markets visit http://m1e.net/c?82384231-CAspwxJlO7J32%406164077-sBVHwwV/tl3ck Green Clean: Housework can be a sore subject for any couple regardless of how green the products you use. Again, many people have preferences for certain products because that’s what their mom used, end of story. But if your partner is feeling nostalgic, introducing some old school (non-toxic) household cleaners like baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice could be the answer. Don’t forget to explain that many cleaners contain harmful toxins that are not only bad for the environment, but bad for your family to be breathing or touching. Greening your Valentine may take some time. All of us can make changes to our daily lives that would be beneficial to the environment, so don’t place any unfair expectations that your loved one is going to suddenly wake up one morning and decide it’s time to save the planet. But maybe they could start with your Valentines Day gift of organically raised roses, fair trade chocolates and a homemade card from recycled paper – it can’t hurt to suggest, right? # # # The February, 2011, issue of “GREENWorks:Ideas for a Cleaner Environment”Published by the NH Department of Environmental Services,Concord, NH (603) 271-371029 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03302.