Green Irene consultant hosts Earth Day event

Date: 4/28/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



CHICOPEE -- On the evening before Earth Day, a variety of planet-friendly speakers came together to talk about "Going Green to Save Some Green." Each offered a very different perspective.

Amy Stiles, an eco-consultant with Green Irene, was the host of the event, which took place at the Castle of Knights. Green Irene trains independent, authorized distributors of Green Irene consulting services and recommended products, and those distributors or eco-consultants help their neighbors implement proven green solutions in their homes and small businesses, according to a press release.

Stiles has been with Green Irene since November, and was the first Green Irene eco-consultant in Massachusetts.

"I'm very passionate about getting people into the environmental issues we're facing right now," Stiles said. "People hear about [the problems the planet is facing] but don't know what they mean."

That's where Stiles steps in. She offers customers a 90-minute green home makeover, coming up with customized recommendations on how home owners -- and small business owners -- could improve water conservation, indoor air quality, waste reduction and even safety and emergency preparedness.

"Each makeover is customized, and I can tell you how much you could be saving in both dollars and the amount of carbon dioxide put out," Stiles explained.

A Springfield resident, Stiles said she's always had an appreciation for nature, but it wasn't until after she had her children that she became more aware of the environment and the negative effect humans have on it.

"Everyday, we turn on the TV and people are talking about going green and global warming," she said. "People are amazed by the information [I give out at presentations]."

Stiles' first tip for those wishing to help the planet is to switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. She noted that incandescent light bulbs were created to make heat, not light, and that 90 percent of the energy used to make a light bulb work is going toward heat. She said using compact fluorescent bulbs means people will be using something for the purpose for which it was bought.

Carsten Braun, Ph.D, of Westfield State College gave a presentation on deforestation at the event, stating that the topic is something we don't think about anymore.

"Why is deforestation a problem? It creates carbon dioxide, forests reduce carbon dioxide and biofuels cause deforestation," Braun stated. "The worst thing you can do right now is drive a car with biodiesel."

He explained that thousands of acres of rainforest are destroyed every year to make room for crops -- like corn, which is used to create biodiesel.

Braun talked about the concept of "artificial trees," which would perform the same duties as a normal tree -- taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

"We already have trees," he said. "We don't need artificial ones. We need to stop cutting trees down and work on reforestation."

Barbara Giammarino of Better Life Whole Foods in Springfield spoke on the topic of "Greener Cleaning" and Loril Moondream, a White Mountain Apache who runs a wildlife rehabilitation center in Wendell, Mass., talked about habitats in the Commonwealth and what humans can do to help their smaller mammal brethren.

Stiles announced that half of the money she makes on green home makeovers in the next three months will be donated to Moondream's rehab center.

Ending the evening's speeches was Dan Finn, organizer of Pioneer Valley Local First, which is working on building sustainable communities in the region.

"We've lost our connection to ourselves and our community," Finn said. "We need to really start shopping locally."

For more information on Green Irene, visit www.greenirene.com. Also check out Better Life Whole Foods at www.betterlifewholefoods.com and Pioneer Valley Local First at www.pvlocalfirst.org.