Gas is definitely getting too expensive these days. With rising fuel costs, plenty of Anaheim citizens are looking for new ways to save money on gas. Riding a bike or walking works well when you live close to your job, but it gets unpractical past a certain distance. However, if you’re looking for a different transportation solution, consider using the Metrolink.

For residents at The Crossing, riding Metrolink is especially convenient since there’s a station just a block away from our building. Wherever you work in the city, there’s likely a Metrolink station nearby, and since there’s one here at The Crossing as well you could ride it to work everyday and save a little bit on gas money. Not only that, but you’ll be helping the environment a little by using public transportation and not pumping more pollutants into the air. That definitely makes it worth considering.

Try it out for one week and see how you like it! You never know, you might end up making it a regular routine. If you already regularly ride Metrolink, leave a comment with some tips and helpful hints for first-time riders who will be getting to know the system!

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Interested in learning more about the Green movement and how it’s coming along here in America? Look no further than the Green Festival, which will be making it’s way to the Los Angeles Metro area here very soon. Slated for later this month, this huge expo boasts dozens upon dozens of interesting events that will teach you all about the latest in environmentally friendly industries, jobs, activities and more.

This major event will be taking place on Saturday, October 29th and Sunday, October 30th and anyone can attend. What’s so great is there’s things to do for every kind of interest at the Green Festival, so many that it’s pretty much impossible to see it all. There will be authors and speakers, events for kids, live music, vegetarian cuisine, organic beer & wine, and plenty of other cool things to do and see. There’s so much to learn, and you’ll get lots of great insight into making our world a greener, more environmentally-friendly place.

Besides being a lot of fun, tickets for the Green Festival are actually quite affordable at just $10 a person. With such a low cost, you really don’t have much of a reason not to go, so get a ticket and enjoy the Green Festival in Los Angeles.

Photo Courtesy: stock.xchng

We’re an eco-friendly apartment community. The following are a few ways to deodorize your home with natural ingredients.

Essential oils are a great thing to have around. You should be able to find them at natural food stores, or in the Whole Foods stores nearby Anaheim. Peppermint, tea tree and lavender are all good oils to keep around. You can boil oil with a little water on stove for a little while to release its scent. Another thing you can do is to soak cotton balls in the oil and place them in unobtrusive places, including the bathroom.

If you’re having guests over, use things you probably have in your apartment kitchen: cinnamon, grated orange peel and more to make your place smell wonderful.

Don’t forget the power of baking soda as a deodorizer. You can put a bowl anywhere that you need to. Another good cleaning and deodorizing product is white vinegar.

The Crossing Anaheim hopes these eco-friendly tips help their apartment residents.

Photo Credit: Crystalwood Naturals

Perhaps you practice yoga. Maybe you take advantage of the yoga studio here at our Anaheim apartment. Have you ever thought about how green your yoga might, or might not, be?

We’re an eco-friendly apartment community, so we want to consider these things.

Breathe Magazine has a quick article about this subject. Here are four things to consider:

1. Choose a green, eco-friendly mat made with non-toxic, biodegradable materials. Barefoot Yoga Co. makes some good ones, or for shopping local Crescent Moon Yoga located in Anaheim may have eco options.
2. Consider your consumption. You don’t have to have the latest, trendiest yoga gear to practice. This goes against the basic teachings of yoga.
3. Stay close to home so that you reduce the amount of energy you waste traveling. This one should be easy for our The Crossing Anaheim residents.
4. Be mindful of your diet. Many yogis opt for a vegetarian diet with a focus on whole and local foods.

How green is your yoga practice? Talk about it on Facebook.

Photo Credit: Trinity

The Crossing Anaheim supports green, eco-friendly living. We’re even gold level LEED certified.

To help our residents lead a more environmentally friendly apartment lifestyle, we’ve put together the following eight tips to help you use less energy and heat this winter.

1. Keep your curtains and blinds open during the day and closed at night so that the sunlight will naturally warm your apartment.
2. Place rugs on your floors. Also, using fabric on your walls can help too.
3. Turn the heat down at bedtime and add more blankets to your bed.
4. Always turn down the heat before you leave your apartment.
5. 

   Use a draft stopper in your apartment.

   Drink warm drinks to keep you warm rather than turning up the heat. I love green tea because drinking it keeps you healthy too.

6. Here at The Crossing, we offer ceiling fans in our apartments for rent. Reverse them so that continue to circulate air without making you cold during colder months.
7. Do electricity-heavy activities (such as laundry or showering) before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. to reduce your energy requirements and costs.
8. Buy a draft stopper for your door. This one is made by a seller on Etsy.

Hope you’re staying warm and green this winter in Anaheim.

Photo Credit: BitchBuzz

The Anaheim Public Utilities headquarters recently earned a gold-level recognition in Energy and Efficiency and Design.

We at The Crossing Anaheim apartment community support their green efforts, especially considering we recently received a gold-level LEED recognition of our own.

The refurbishments for our city’s utilities began their refurbishments in 2007. They’ve used recycled materials, special paint, and wood from providers that practice sustainable forestry methods.

These practices will save the city money. On their website they give lots of tips for going green. Since we’re a green living community, we hope you’ll check out these tips and use them in your own apartment.

3 Green Tips for Your Apartment

• If you’re not using a room, close the doors and vents so that you don’t waste energy heating or cooling it.
• Surf the Internet later at night or in early morning when the demand for electricity is lower.
• Unplug small household appliances when not in use.

Are you going green this holiday season? Tell us on Facebook.

Photo Credit: Erin_Beth

Here at The Crossing Anaheim, we are a green apartment community. We offer Energy Star appliances. You’ve probably heard this term, but do you know exactly what it means and why it’s a good thing?

Energy Star appliances are good things because they save you money by using less water and less electricity than other appliances. These eco-friendly appliances are made from quality materials and technologically advanced materials.

Appliances that may carry this rating include clothes washers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and room air conditioners. Energy Star appliances are high-achievers. They go above and beyond the minimum government standards.

One great thing for apartment dwellers about Energy Star washers is that the washer design causes less wear and tear on your clothes, which means your clothes will last longer.

Photo Credit: Energy_Star_logo.svg‎

Our state of California is a wonderfully environmentally friendly place, so much so that The Boston Globe recently named it the greenest state in the country. Since we’re a green living community, I’m sure you’ll all be glad to hear this. Of course, even though California has ambitious clean energy standards much work still needs to be done.

Why do people in Boston think California is green? In their article, they point out that last month the state announced that we want a third of our power to come from renewable energy by 2020. Also, we rely on both publicly owned utilities and investor-owned (publicly traded) utilities for services.

In addition, California is pushing utilities to reach a 20-percent-renewable standard by next year. The state’s electric utilities saved about 3,043,965 megawatt hours in 2008. This is an unequaled achievement, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

Have you noticed any changes in California now that it’s pushing even more green initiatives?

Photo Credit: SarahDeer

California is leading the way for the nation when it comes to electric cars. And Anaheim is one city that embraces these green car alternatives.

The Orange County Auto Show for 2010 is over; it lasted from Oct. 7 through Oct. 10 in Anaheim. At The Crossing Anaheim, we’re a green living community, so our residents will be glad to know that attendees at the auto show had the opportunity to test drive the new all-electric Nissan Leaf. Those who did drive it were among the first people in the country to do so.

According to an article by NPR, the Leaf (seen in the picture on the left) will cost $20,000 in California after state and federal tax credits.

In a related issue, hybrid car owners have enjoyed riding solo in the carpool lane here in California. This benefit may be coming to an end, though. The stickers will expire Jan. 1, 2011. A renewal of the program is not definite.

Also seen at the auto show this year, the Chevrolet Volt is a new kind of hybrid. It is part electric, but it also can run on gas. This way it makes it easier to use since not many charging stations are available yet.

California has a goal to have 7,500 all-electric and 25,000 plug-in hybrid cars on its roads by 2014, rising to 60,000 electrics and 85,000 plug-in hybrids by 2017, the Wall Street Journal reports. At our apartments, we offer preferred parking for fuel efficient vehicles. Do you own one, or will you in the near future?

Photo Credit: Tennen-Gas

The official Weekend Without Oil has arrived–August 21-22, 2010. This is the kind of environmentally friendly thing we at The Crossing Apartments definitely support.

The U.S. is the largest consumer of oil, yet few of us realize how much oil is a part of our daily lives.

To accept the challenge go to the website and agree to the following conditions:

1. Walk or ride your bike.
2. Enjoy the outdoors.
3. Use reusable bags.
4. Be conscious of what you eat.
5. Don’t buy new makeup.
6. Drink tap water.
7. Make your electronic gadgets last.
8. Avoid buying new movies.
9. Avoid buying new clothes.
10. Read books and news online or at the library.
11. Spread the word.

If you can’t practice all of these rules this weekend (e.g. you plan to go on a road trip this weekend,) at least try to follow as many as you can, and at least encourage others to lead a more green lifestyle.

Photo Credit: Igor GOLUBENKOV