Back to Basics, Green Style

I'm hearing more and more about people getting back to the basics in today's economy. Grandma's advice is being referenced more and more, especially about saving for a rainy day. To paraphrase Dave Ramsey, you know it's going to rain, so you may as well save for it. Saving money, not spending everything you bring in is certainly smart, and some of the ways you can save around the house is by doing some of the basics of being green. The three basics you are probably most familiar with are reduce, reuse, and recycle. What do these mean and what are some examples, you ask?

Reduce--cut back. Lowering your thermostat a degree or two in the winter and raising it a bit in the summer will help lower your energy costs. Ways to cut back on your water usage include taking shorter showers and not as many baths. By composting kitchen scraps and recycling your trash, you can reduce or eliminate the number of times you take your trash can to the curb. These are just a few of the ways to help reduce your consumption of energy, water, and solid waste.

Reuse--Find another use for an item to prolong its life. Turn an item into something else, thus creating a new use for it. If you don't love an item anymore, but it still has some life left in it, check with your local Freecycle group , Goodwill, Salvation Army, Craigs List, local consignment store, or have a yardsale. One person's trash is another person's treasure, right? Also, if you are in need of an item, don't forget to check these places first before buying a new one.

Recycling is the process of taking a product at the end of its useful life and using all or part of it to make another product http://earth911.com/recycling/. Many people I have talked to who recycle feel that it is easy to do, especially once it has become part of their normal routine. Landfills are lined at the bottom and lined or capped on top. Unfortunately, all kinds of toxic substances are dumped in them along w/ sharp objects which cut the lining, allowing rain water to filter in and liquids to seep out into the ground and eventually our water table. This means our rivers, lakes, and oceans where we play, as well as our drinking water sources, are at risk for being polluted.

For many of you, this may have been a rather elementary lesson on reducing, reusing, and recycling; a back to basics review if you will. In the upcoming weeks, I will bring you more info that I hope will be useful, informative, and especially motivational. Feel free to send me questions and your comments are most welcome. Would you be kind enough to tell me how you are reducing, reusing, and recycling? I'll start--I recycle most of our 'trash', so much so, that we only have to take our trash can to the curb about once a month.

Recycling Roanoke one home at a time,
Suzanne

Dream BIG

"Deep within man dwell slumbering powers;
powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action." - Orison Swett Marden

Happy Independence Day!

This was sent to me, and I thought that I would share.
Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness,
Suz

On July 4th, 1776, the Congress voted to accept the Declaration of Independence,

which is why the United States celebrates that date each year as its

Independence Day from Great Britain.


4th of JULY
REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56
men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as
traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary
Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their
fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were
merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation
owners; men of means, well educated.

But they signed the Declaration of Independence
knowing full well that the penalty would be death
if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home and properties
to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that
he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from
him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery,
Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge
and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted
that the British General, Cornwallis, had taken over
the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly
urged General George Washington to open fire. The
home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few
months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she
was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His
fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more
than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning
home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
A few weeks later he died from exhaustion
and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American
Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing
ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and
education. They had security,
but they valued liberty more.

Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged:
"For the support of this declaration, with firm
reliance on the protection of the divine providence,
we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our
fortunes and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America.
The history books never told you a lot about what
happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight
just the British. We were British subjects at that
time and we fought our own government!

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted
but we shouldn't!

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July
holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not
too much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: Freedom is never free!

For all you who have gone in harms' way and returned,
I say "Thank You for your sacrifice."
and to those who lost loved ones, I'd say
"Their sacrifice will not be forgotten.".
I say this now and will until my last breath.

Unknown Author

Where are the Buyers?

I am fortunate enough to be in a field of work that allows me to combine my two favorite past-times--helping people and helping Mother Earth. Perhaps you haven't thought much about it, but I help others recycle a precious commodity that many Americans pay good money for--their homes. First, I get to help people either buy or sell a home (or help them find someone to refinance their current home), and second, being a Realtor allows me to take my passion for recycling to the next level--finding new owners for previously owned homes. New construction is nice, don't get me wrong; it's just special when I can help keep existing homes lived-in and taken care of.

With interest rates so low (Don't believe me? Ask your parents or other relatives if they ever had a mortgage with a 13%, 18%, or 21% interest rate), plenty of homes on the market, and lenders with money to loan, where are all the buyers? I saw an ad for a credit union the other day stating it had $50 million to lend.

Why would you not want to buy right now? If you are concerned about your credit, call me. We will take a look, see how it is and, if necessary, put together a game plan so you can buy a home in the near future. Is it time to move into a larger home or a smaller home? Perhaps you've been thinking about buying a second home, an investment property, or a building for your company? Are you toying with the idea of refinancing? Now is the time. There are plenty of homes and commercial properties for you to consider.

Whether you hear my 15 year old call me a hippie, my hubby describe me as a granola-eating free-spirit, or even hear me say I'm off to a tree-hugger meeting, please know that I am here to help you in any way that I can. Now is the time.

If you are buying a home, I'm interested in hearing the reason(s) why. If you aren't buying and could, I'd love to hear why you aren't.

Wishing you health, wealth, and prosperity,
Suz

Where do you like to eat dinner out?

As a family of five, eating dinner out is a big treat for us. Sometimes the whole family goes, but most of the time it is just my handsome hubby and I. We always struggle with, "Do we want to go somewhere new or do we want to go to one of our favorite places?" If we are under time-restraints (i.e. have to get home because we're paying for a sitter), then we usually go to one of our tried-and-true restaurants. If we have more time, then we opt for a restaurant we haven't been to before.

First and foremost for pizza is Lil' Cucci's Pizzeria in Daleville. My second favorite pizza place is Good Fellaz www.goodfellazpizza.com having two locations: Brambleton and Peters Creek Rd. in Roanoke. Coming in third, is New York Pizza in Vinton.

If we're celebrating and it's my turn to pick a restaurant, my choice is Montano's www.montanos.net on Franklin Road in Roanoke. The menu is pages long with something for everyone. The children's meals are arranged on sushi trays and the presentation is a sight to see. Carrabba's www.carrabbas.com/ at Valley View Mall in Roanoke is a new favorite. Szechuan Restaurant, with locations in North Roanoke, South Roanoke, and in Salem (www.szechuans.com) has wonderful Oriental food.

Other restaurants that we like that are close to home include: Mac N Bob's in Salem, Fuddrucker's www.fuddruckers.com/, again in Salem, and Jimmy V's on Brandon in Roanoke.

For an evening on the town, we like to go to Martin's Downtown Bar and Grill, Trio Bistro Bar Bottle, or the Green Dolphin Grill. All three are located in downtown Roanoke. Martin's www.martinsdowntown.com is located at the corner of First and Luck, Trio www.triowinebar.com is at the corner of Market and Church, and the Green Dolphin is on Campbell close to Williamson Road.

Several new restaurants have opened up while others have been remodeled and are on the list of 'new' places we would like to check out: Tony Pope's Bistro and Wine Bar, 202 Market www.202market.net/ , Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy www.abuelos.com/default.asp, Nicos Restaurant & Cafe, plus I remember reading about a new barbecue place opening (opened?) in downtown Roanoke.

Where do you like to go eat dinner? If you have been to some of the new/remodeled restaurants, please tell me where you went and how your experience was. Which places should we be checking out?

Suzanne

Suzanne K. Ashley, REALTOR

www.stoverdavis.com/agent.asp?id=103
Office 540.777.3333 X 365

Cell 540.355.6029
sashley@stoverdavis.com

Hokie Hope

I hope y'all will join me in this endeavor.
My heart goes out to each and every one of you.
You will get through this; you will stand tall;
and you will again smile and chant the Hokie slogan.

Go Hokies!

Suzanne

Suzanne K. Ashley, REALTOR

www.stoverdavis.com/agent.asp?id=103
Office 540.777.3333 X 365

Cell 540.355.6029
sashley@stoverdavis.com

Roanoke's Urban Core

newvaconnects held a Professional Development luncheon last week, where I had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Sabine U. O’Hara (President of Roanoke College) present her findings regarding a study she conducted with Dr. Jose Vazquez on the quality of life in the Roanoke Valley. Although her findings were interesting, they were not surprising, especially to adults in their 20’s or 30’s who are single or DINKs (Dual-income, no-kids).

The Roanoke Area, based on the findings, is in need of three things. One, an Urban Core including high-end retail, music venues, and diversification. Two, our suburbs need playgrounds, sidewalks, and childcare facilities close to home. Third, recreation is deemed desirable if we can hike, bike, and have water access within 15 minutes of where we live. It was also mentioned that we are in need of more alternative health care providers such as chiropractors, acupuncturists, herbalists and the like.

Dr. O’Hara’s paper can be read at the following address: http://web.roanoke.edu/Documents/Roanoke%20Economic%20Development%202006.pdf.

I encourage you to read it and share your thoughts, questions, concerns, and compliments. How can we go about bringing change to the area and obtaining what is needed? Are you willing to invest some of your time into promoting changes here in Roanoke? Why or why not?

Suzanne

Suzanne K. Ashley, REALTOR

www.stoverdavis.com/agent.asp?id=103
Office 540.777.3333 X 365

Cell 540.355.6029
sashley@stoverdavis.com