Carleton: GRP projects are 90% complete

Upgrades to the make-up air unit are be-ing completed.

New a/c units will be installed in the apartments this month.

Air gaskets on all exterior wall outlets is being installed.

Ecorse: GRP projects are 90% complete

Air gaskets on all exterior wall outlets is being installed.

Make-up air unit work is wrapping up.

Broken windows are being replaced.

Meyers Plaza: GRP projects are 85%

complete

Make-up air handler work is wrapping

up.

Insulation will be blown in the attic after

Motor City is done working there.

Outside irrigation will be completed.

Broken windows will be replaced.

Exterior caulking will continue.

CSI’s GRPs: Leading to Greener Buildings Volume 1, Issue 7 April 2011

CSI Support & Development Services and your co-op are committed to a greener planet. Three CSI buildings—Carleton, Ecorse and Meyers—received almost $2.5million in grant money through HUD’s Green Retrofit Program (GRP) to be-come greener, more energy efficient, healthier homes for the people who live and work there. We are applying the green principles to all co-ops.

Wrapping up work as we approach Earth Day

Follow the construction work on our Facebook fanpage at

www.facebook.com/csisupport

New low-VOC carpet at Carleton Co-op

New floor mats at Meyers which will improve air quality

Ecorse’s new storm water collection

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It’s All About the Green Thing By Jim Knowles In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apolo-gized to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day". That's right, they didn't have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bot-tles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and re-filled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But they didn't have the green thing back in her day. In her day, they walked up stairs, be-cause they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. But she's right. They didn't have the green thing in her day. Back then, they washed the baby's dia-pers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts; wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right, they didn't have the green thing back in her day. Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house and not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of

Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have elec-tric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. But they didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they did-n't need to go to a health club to run on tread-mills that operate on electricity. But she's right, they didn't have the green thing back then. They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plas-tic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one elec-trical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza

joint. But that old lady is right. They didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Senior Recycling Tips Recycling centers are be-ing installed in all three GRP buildings this month. This concept is nothing new for today’s seniors. Our members grew

up in an era when most every-thing was reused or repaired and very little was thrown out. In the recent decades, we have really become a throw-away so-ciety and we need to get back to the “good old days!” For the sake of the environment and future generations, let’s practice the 3 Rs and make the best use of our new recycling centers.

REDUCE FIRST. Creating less garbage in the first place is best. Avoid over-packaged products. Buy durable things

that last a long time. Avoid disposables. Switch to reus-able. Use clothe napkins in-stead of paper. REUSE. Give a product a sec-ond chance before throwing it out after one use. Reuse your shopping bags. Repair instead of replacing. RECYCLE. Participate in the recycling program in your co-op.