Do you compost your leaves and grass clippings? Have you had your soil tested? Do you keep fats, oils and grease out of the kitchen drain? If so, you are already doing your part for a cleaner, healthier Chesapeake Bay. Take that commitment one step further by joining nearly 1,700 of your fellow Hampton Roads residents by becoming a Bay Star Home. Bay Star Home is a way to recognize you for doing the right things and helping you expand your environmental awareness by providing access to exclusive programs (offerings differ by locality).
Karen’s backyard habitat supports monarch butterflies!
We know our Bay Star Homes across the region are doing a lot of great things to protect our waterways. We love to share your stories, so today we invite you to meet Bay Star Homeowner Karen Cifranick of Norfolk. Karen told us a little bit about why she enlisted in the Bay Star Homes program and what she’s doing to make a difference in her community.
Why did you decide to become a Bay Star Home? Our household was already engaged in many of the recommended practices.
What is one easy tip that you have for others looking to “green up” their homes? Compost kitchen waste…it’s not as hard as it seems and there are many benefits.
Since becoming a Bay Star Home, are there any practices that you’ve changed at home? All the new plants in our flower beds are native and we make an effort to buy only local, in-season produce and Virginia products.
Have any of your friends/neighbors joined the Bay Star Homes program since learning about it from you? Yes, several on my street and many more in our Bayview Civic League since I’m the Environmental Coordinator.
Have any of the Bay Star Homes tips helped you save time or money? Sure…reducing energy usage and conserving water for example.
Karen’s new rain barrel!
Do you have any advice for someone who is just starting out with this program? Put reusable shopping bags in all of your vehicles, so no excuses when you get to the market and combine those trips to save fuel. Even now when fuel prices are low fuel consumption still has it’s environmental impacts and we need to find better alternatives to oil, coal and natural gas.
Do you have any “green” projects planned for your home in the coming year? We will be using our new rain barrel that we received from the City of Norfolk as part of our participation in Bay Star Homes and looking into solar alternatives for heating our water.
We want to hear from YOU! If you’d like to be featured on the Let’s Talk Green blog, please contact us at [email protected] for consideration in a future Chatting with the (Bay) Stars feature.