Fremont Real Estate Blog

Here are some alternative ideas: Home Maintenance Tips Keep Chemicals Out of Water and More Money in Your Pocket When most people think about water pollution, images of leaking oil tankers, factories spilling toxic wastes into waterways, or garbage strewn along the beach come to mind. The fact is the problem is a lot closer to home. In fact, it's in your home. One of the major sources of water pollution is area residents, not industries. Commonly used products like paint, motor oil, pesticides, and many cleansers contain toxic chemicals which, when poured down drains, pass through wastewater treatment plants and end up in local creeks, lakes and the ocean, harming fish and wildlife. Wastewater treatment plants are designed to treat biological wastes and cannot remove all the metals, solvents, and chemicals contained in many household products. Use these tips to help keep pollutants out of our water. Many of these tips will also save you money because they are less expensive than co...

This could be a fun event to celebrate Earth day and figure out what’s happening in government. -sunil ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear Friends & Colleagues: Join Senator Corbett to celebrate the 40 th anniversary of Earth Day! The Senator is proud to be hosting her annual “walking town hall” again this year on Saturday, April 10 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont. An event she does each year, this will be an opportunity for community members to talk about important issues while enjoying the natural habitat that surrounds us. The park will be waiving its parking fee for the whole day, so we hope you will join us and/or spread the word! A flyer with details is attached. As always, please contact me with any questions! Best, Jason Overman District Representative Office of Senator Ellen M. Corbett 1057 MacArthur Boulevard, Suite 206 San Leandro, CA 94577 o (510) 577-2310 x110 f (510) 577-2308

This was the 2nd time I've been to the Natural Food Expo, held annually at the Anaheim convention center. Last year, we were researching the raw vegan ice cream market, this time it was just for fun. At the show I ran into Mary Lou Henner. She was the only celebrity I spotted there. That's my sister and son in the picture.

C.A.R. GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK: MORE ON RECYCLING PLASTIC BOTTLE CAPS Because plastic bottle caps are made from a different grade of plastic (one that requires more heat to melt) than the actual bottles they seal, they should be removed before being placed in a recycling bin. Otherwise, someone at the recycling center will have to manually remove the caps. For this reason, many municipalities do not collect the caps. Check with your municipality and, if it doesn't accept the caps, contact earth911.org to find a location that does.

CAR posted the following Green tip, C.A.R. GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK: PLASTIC LININGS IN CANSBisphenol-A, the hormone-disrupting chemical found in plastic bottles, is present in the majority of canned foods. The thin plastic lining found in canned goods contains traces of BPA that can migrate into food. One way to avoid BPA-lined cans is to purchase foods packaged in Tetra Paks, aseptic cartons made from layers of paper, aluminum, and polyethylene. I'd recommend a simpler solution - DON'T EAT CANNED FOOD. Choose the obvious solutions, be Green and be Health Conscious.

Next time you clean your fridge also pull it out and clean the coils behind it, you could use 25 percent less energy than a fridge dirty clean coils.

I was checking out, Toyota's September vehicle sales and it just pisses me off that there still are people in America with no regard to the environment or our energy crisis. Why are people still buying any luxury gas-guzzling, air polluting vehicles. Why doesn’t Congress do the right thing and say no more luxury gas-guzzling, air polluting vehicles? 10/01/2008 - Toyota Reports September Sales

This came to me from CAR, and I always wondered about what to do with dirty paper. C.A.R. GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK: RECYCLING NO-NOS Here are five things that, according to http://www.earth911.org/ , will contaminate or thwart paper mills' attempts to recycle paper and cardboard: - Oil and water don't mix. That large pizza box with the oil imprint will become recycled paper with an oil stain. - Did your napkin or paper towel blot up a water spill or nail polish remover ? It could have been the latter, and, for this reason, napkins and paper towels are not recyclable. - Plastic linings added to paper products ; a perfect example is paper cups. - Wet newspapers . - Pressure-sensitive adhesives , such as sticky notes, postage stamps, and address labels.

highlights are: AMT Patch. Currently, a taxpayer receives an exemption of $33,750 (individuals) and $45,000 (married filing jointly) under the AMT. Current law also does not allow personal credits against the AMT. At the end of last year, H.R. 3996 increased the exemptions to $44,350 and $66,250, respectively, and allowed the personal credits against the AMT to hold the number of taxpayers subject to the AMT at bay. The provision expired December 31, 2007. The proposal increases the exemption amounts to $46,200 (individuals) and $69,950 (married filing jointly) for 2008. The proposal will also allow the personal credits against the AMT. The estimated cost of this proposal is $61.817 billion over ten years. Qualified Tuition Deduction. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) created an above-the-line tax deduction for qualified higher education expenses. The maximum deduction was $4,000 for taxpayers with AGI of $65,000 or less ($130,000 for joint returns) or $2...

White roofs are energy savers. I took a picture of this home in the Cabrillo neighborhood of Fremont. It's not totally white, but it'll be a better job of reflecting heat than a black roof. pros and cons If you're considering re-roofing, consider doing a ligher/whiter cooler to save money in cooling the home in the summer.

check out my mom's neighbor's garden. They tore-out the existing non-productive garden and put in a full production garden. All passerby's in the community have been marveling at it. We've been getting some amazing tomatoes and squash from it.

Looking for ways to conserve water, Senator Barbara Boxer has put together a list of ideas and resources. http://boxer.senate.gov/features/water/ My personal favorities are set your automatic timers to go off in the middle of the night. Turn the water off when putting on soap in the shower. What are your favorite methods of saving water/