#GreenLiving: Energy Efficient Light Sources

#GreenLiving is a major tool for families who are choosing to create a sustainable lifestyle to conserve, preserve and save natural resources. Here are two ways in which you can help your budget and the environment in and outside of your homes.

Replace high-use indoor lights with compact fluorescent or LEDS.  Ranging in different sizes for almost any fixture, compact fluorescents have it all! Between the energy savings and their much longer life spans, they pay for themselves in less than two years of installation. By utilizing LED bulbs for non-dimmable circuits, you can optimize the usage in each room. They are also one of the best energy con servers and will last for as long as you live in your home.

Use high-efficiency outdoor lighting.  Whether it's your porch lights or outdoor walkway lights, a typical 100-watt floodlight can consume over $40 in electricity cost over the course of year, which can produce over 400 pounds of carbon dioxide. Making a switch to compact-fluorescent or LED versions can cut energy use by over 80 percent an last more than 10 years. Lastly, installing motion senor lights can reduce the amount of light that is used throughout the day,



Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

Tick Advice For Warm Weather

Spring and Summer Pest Care

The spring and summer are great seasons to spend some time outside and in the fresh air.  But with all this outdoor time means an uptick in bees, bugs, ticks, and other pests.  Trying to find preventive pest maintenance that does not include harsh chemicals?  Tick prevention, in many cases, does not necessitate harsh chemicals.

What are ways to prevent ticks?

An easy, cost effective, and efficient way to prevent ticks is to dress in long clothing before spending a lot of time outdoors.  Exposed skin allows ticks to more easily attach to the skin.  An added precaution includes ticking pant legs into socks so there is no easy opening for ticks to find skin.  Ticks are often found in grassy and wooded areas, so avoiding these spots when outdoors is another way to reduce potential conflict with ticks. 

How do I check for ticks?

After spending a significant amount of time outside, it is recommended to take a shower.  Showering shortly after being outside reduces tick related illnesses and also allows an easy search of the body.  Look on the skin for potential insect bites/ live ticks.  Check clothing for ticks.  It may even be best to use a lint roller on clothes after being outside to capture any stray ticks/ insects.  Make sure to check dogs/ pets too as they can carry ticks inside.

What do I do if I find a tick?

After finding a live tick on the skin, use a clean pair of tweezers to try to remove it.  If it is successfully removed, wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water.  If it is not successfully removed, contact a medical provider.  If you begin to notice a skin rash and/ or fever, contact a medical professional. 

The information in this post, and more information about ticks and tick prevention, is included on the Center for Disease Control website: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html

Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

GreenLiving With The Kids

Eco-Friendly Advice for the Entire Family

Trying to live a green life?  Greenliving is a lifestyle choice and it helps to have the entire family on board.  For some families, it may be easiest to teach greenliving practices early so eco-friendly living becomes a routine.  Some green lifestyle options for children include:

Limit single use plastics, and other waste, in lunches: A lot of waste can occur during school lunches.  When packing lunch, try to limit one-use plastics, such a disposable cutlery and straws.  Instead, pack reusable, durable cutlery and limit straws.  Instead of packing a water bottle, pack a washable bottle which is more eco-friendly.  In fact, encourage school aged children/ teens to pack their own lunch to reduce potential food waste.

Promote recycling early: Recycling is a cornerstone of greenliving.  Promote recycling practices to kids early and often.  This can include recycling both in and out of the home.  This can also include explaining why practices like littering are wasteful.  Visit a recycling plant to learn more about recycling.  There are many ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Encourage greenliving curiosity: Greenliving requires a passion and interest in the environment.  Encourage children and teens to learn more about the environment and sustainability efforts.  Find creative ways to make greenliving an every day occurrence.


Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

A French Toast Recipe That Can Reduce Food Waste: March 2019

A Recipe for A GreenLiving Lifestyle

Trying to reduce reduce food waste?  Combating food waste is one way to live a green lifestyle.  Examples of reducing food waste can include re-organizing the refrigerator and/ or creating lists when shopping at the grocery store.  Another is finding creative ways to utilize leftover food so that food does not need to be thrown away and wasted.

One way to use leftover food in recipes is by utilizing stale or older bread.  Bread that is just a little stale but is in otherwise good condition may not be the ideal choice for sandwiches, but can be used in other dishes.  Instead of throwing it away, this bread can be toasted or turned into a delicious french toast breakfast.  To make french toast, follow the recipe below:

Share a favorite breakfast recipe below!

This recipe is included on the website Canva.com.

Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.