Some of the exterior green features include providing residents with open green spaces, play areas and low maintenance drought tolerant grasses.  The home’s interiors feature compact fluorescent light bulbs, low VOC paint, recycled carpet, front loading energy star washing machines and energy star refrigerators.

The energy efficiency of these homes is also bolstered by incorporating a 14 SEER AC unit, white shingle roofs, double insulated low E windows, R30 ceiling insulation and R13 frame walls into the homes construction.  Because of all these green features, Habitat for Humanity will be able to provide Energy Star Certification for each home constructed.  These upgrades will surely help Staghorn Villas’s residents save some green each month on their utility bills.

If you would like an opportunity to volunteer on the job-site, check out some available build dates here.  Not only can you help a good cause, get some exercise and meet some awesome people, but you can learn a bit more about green building from first hand experience. Hopefully it will inspire you to incorporate some green features into your home.

Summer is here, time to bust out your wax and feel the waves beneath your feet.  If you never surfed before, this is a great excuse to start.

There are two Central Florida Events going on to celebrate the fun:

Winter Park,  FL
Time: 10 AM – 5 PM,  *9 PM – 2 AM
Activities: paddle-board event, followed by after party
Location: Dinky Dock in Winterpark, FL on Lake Virginia,
*Downtown Orlando Wallstreet Plaza after party
Contact: Bill Kyte centralflorida@surfrider.org

Cocoa Beach, FL
Time: 9 AM in both spots
Activities: surfing and beach information, give aways and more
Location: 4th Street North Beach & Cocoa Beach Library
Contact: Tim Chastain @ pegasus@digital.net
Website: http://www.surfrider.org/cocoabeach/

A couple obvious things to help decrease unwanted pests in your home.

• Clean often.  Vacuuming and mopping can go a long way.
• Try not to leave dishes out overnight
• Seal up those yummy sugary treats, I know I don’t want to share my cookies  with unwelcome guests.

But since I’m sure you’re e a cleanly saint you need some more solutions.

• Bugs hate being clean.  Make a soapy water spray and then sneak up on them.  It will kill them, seriously.
• Just how your cat freaks out on catnip, so do bugs.  Bugs freak out by steering clear of the funky herb.  So place in spots where they keep showing up.  Hopefully these are places not accessible by your kitty, or you’ll have a real wacky kitty on your hands.
• Boric acid is all natural and deadly.  It comes in powder form, so sprinkle in your invested areas.  Be careful with pets and children because it is toxic.

Have any other eco-friendly approaches to pest control? Comment away…

Looking for an undeveloped beach, the way nature made it?  Check out the Canaveral National Seashore.  It’s about 20 minutes north of Cape Canaveral. It’s the closest National Park to Orlando.  Lucky for you, you can enjoy free admission to all National Parks on June 20-21, July 18-19, and August 15-16.  Canaveral National Seashore is a sanctuary for wildlife and is also home to an ancient Seminole Indian settlement, Central Florida’s original treehuggers.

“demystify ‘sustainability’ and provide you with tools, steps and resources from top experts and educators.  You will walk away with green strategies that will transform the way you think, live, manage business and govern in Florida.”

I think the most beneficial part of the conference is helping Central Floridians gain insight into environmental jobs and opportunities.  You will also learn ways to green your government and your business.

Pricing ranges from $99 for single day admission or $149 for two day admission (both without meals or pre-loaded thumb drive).  There is also an option for meals and a thumb drive filled with green tools and resources.

So if you are looking to learn a bit more about going green and would like to meet some like-minded individuals, this is definintely a conference to check out.

Follow them on Twitter for upcoming events and news : @greencitiesnews.

Remember that feature we did a while back on Central Florida green blogger “Erin Goes Green“? Well, she’s going to be the newest contributor to our blog. We are adding a new feature and category for all you tree huggin’ Central Floridia lovin’ peeps…and we hope you’ll enjoy it.

Here’s her first post:

We will be featuring eco-minded events, places and people! To kick-it-off, did you know that the Rosen Centre Hotel has been designated a Green Lodging destination? Pretty cool that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is pushing our local businesses to adopt eco-conscience practices that reduce and reuse our natural resources.  Also, what about being proud to live in the #4 Cleanest City in the USA?  That’s right, The City Beautiful really is just that – keeping it clean and green.  “Sweet!” you say, then stay tuned for more posts of the green variety.