Everyone wants to be green, but as  a famous frog once said its not easy being green.  Working in the environmental field we are exposed to some of the best green practices people can follow.  A sad truth of being green is people want to be green on the cheap. These ten green tips can be done free and at low cost, but you will be paying big dividends to the environment.

Here is a bonus tip, share this page,  If one person you share this page with does one of the green practices you have helped the environment. 

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Top 10 Green Practices You can do on the cheap!

1. Use your reusable shopping bags.   Usage rate is under 20%, the top reason, people forget them, 80% of people say they do own the bags.  The next time you go to the store, place a stack of bags on the car seat, so you won't forget. For extra measure place a purse or cell phone on top of the bags. Reusable Shopping Bags

Cost = Free (If you own these bags already)

2. Use reusable produce bags. Since your going shopping, why not bring your reusable produce bags?   Same as idea as shopping bags, except you realy get any free ones, you typically have to buy them.  Unfortunately you rarely see these bags for sale or get them given to you as a freebee, if you click the photo you can find some decent quality bags on Amazon.

Cost = $12.00  or Free (If you own these bags already), most people don't 

3.  Buy reusable coffee pods.  Single serve coffee makers can actually be green, since you are not wasting water or coffe.  But when you use the single use coffe cups, you are not being green.  But reusable pods.

Cost = $15.00 for 12, split them with a friend and cost gets cut in half

4. Reusable Straws: Plastic straws and other items smaller than two by two inches, such as plastic utensils, fall through the machinery that sorts our recycling.Plastic straw Don’t Get Recycled.

Cost = $6.00

5.  At restaurants ask for a straw free table.   What is a straw free table?   Any table you sit at that the server knows you don't want to use straws.   Be real, you are in that seat for a short while, you don't need a straw.  Oh and when the server places the straw on the table and you don't use it and think  it will get reused?  Think again, its gets thrown away of you use it or not. Go straw free.

Cost = Free

6.  Insulate your hot water heater.   Mom always said to wear layers. So while your water heater has insulation, more is better and cheap. Insulating your water heater reduces standby heat losses by 25%–45% and save you about 7%–16% in water heating costs—and should pay for itself in about a year. You can find pre-cut jackets or blankets available from around $35.00. We like the blankets without fiberglass as the fiberglass jackets can tear when things bang into the jackets.  This one can also be reused when you replace the water heater if you are careful taking it off.  

Cost = $20.00 to $35.00

6. Wash 95% of your laundry in cold.  True only about 5% of clothing requires warm water: READ THE TAG. The average cost of water heating is $41.10 a month with three hours of use per day. People insist on using hot water for washing and cleaning because they believe it removes dirt, grease, and grime better, as well as disinfect the clothes. And that’s true, but hot water also ruins your clothes, causes the color to fade, and shrinks the fabric. You can save energy and money by  cutting back on the amount of hot water you use to do laundry. With cold-water detergents,  the cleansing enzymes are designed to work better in cold water.   Just look for COLD on the label, they are the same price as warm water, you just don't have to pay for hot water.

Cost = Free  * these are typically the same price as warm water detergent

7.  Stop using plastic water bottles.  Did you know in the 1980's, the big beverage companies saw the decline of carbonated soda?   Perrier became popular in the 1980's.   We have been slowly weaned onto using single serve water bottles, which we all know are terrible for the environment.  The two biggest reasons people bottled water is concerns about water quality and laziness.  I cant help about laziness, but if your home refrigerator dispenses water, it has an inline water filter, typically carbon filtration which is a universal filter.   You can fill up your REUSABLE water bottle from your refrigerator.  Fact, did you know many bottled waters are tap water? 

No doubt you have multiple bottles at home you can use. We particular like the Swell brand, liquids stay cold all day, this 25 ounce bottle is a bounty of a thirst quencher and the wood finish makes you look like a real tree hugger.

Cost = Free* to $31.00   *Odds are you already have a reusable bottle

8.  Go paperless billing.  Most all bills you receive can be converted into an electronic ebill (bill is emailed to you). Ebills, save postage, fossel fuel as no vehicle must transport the bill and lastly paper.  Most people pay bills online anyway saving postage, so why not receive your bill on,ine as well?   66% of bills are still mailed.  Lets get it below 50%.

Cost = Free

9.  Air seal your home.   You have air leaks for sure.  Every catch a mouse in the house?  They come through gaps.  Go in your basement during the day and turn off the lights.  Look for light shining through.  Common openings are where hose bibs exit the foundation, where the sill plates meets the foundation, holes where you may have drilled to run a pipe or cable.   Fill these gaps with foam.

Cost =  $6.00/can

10. Improve your windows.  Many windows leak air simple because the window is not 100% square in the frame.  Replacing windows is expensive.   Two simple things you can do.  One place foam insulating tape on the bottom of the window where the windows sits in the bottom of the frame.  This little trick can help seal the window by helping the window be square in the frame and having a tighter seal.  The 2nd tip is to have working locks on your windows and locking them, which further squares the window.    We do mold inspections and check windows.  On average 30% of windows are not locked, which allows air to leak in.   

Cost = $10.00 *   about 30 windows

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Mold is truly a four letter word and also a very misunderstood term.  You've heard of "Black Mold" (not a real mold term) or "Toxic Mold" (no such thing)? In the mold testing and mold inspection industry "black toxic mold" should not be used.  Misinformation abounds, so here are some important facts about mold, mold remediation and mold testing

Growing mold off-gases, causing that musty odor you smell, and if you think your basements smells that way because it is a basement, you're wrong,  it's not supposed to smell musty.  Mold growth stains surfaces and is visible if you understand where and what to identify as mold.  If you see mold growing inside a building, something is wrong, it is not normal or typical, even at the shore/beach.  Curren knows because we have inspected thousands of properties and, no, they all do not have mold growing.

Pertaining to mold testing, when obvious mold is present the EPA agrees testing is not necessary.

If you have discolored building materials and are not 100% if its mold, surface sampling can be performed for verification of questionable staining indicative of mold.

Mold Testing can verify if a stained or discolored surface is impacted with mold growth, such as  surface sampling and/or air testing (non viable spore trap sampling). These mold tests quantify both mold spore count in a room and also evaluates for hidden mold in a complaint room where no visible mold is present.

Pro Tip:  Buying a house that is being flipped and the basement is finished, get a mold inspection with mold testing.

Pro Tip:  Buying a home that was bank owned and rehabbed?  Get a mold inspection with mold testing.

Our ratio of finding hidden mold in both situations is around 90%, but 70% of the time we get called in AFTER someone has bought one of these types homes, in cases such as these, mold is found after you own the property.

Proper mold remediation is the removal of an unwanted condition, such as mold. This follows a multi-step process which typically entails containment of work area, followed by physical removal, cleaning and encapsulation of remaining organic surfaces and air scrubbing, all of which are appropriate and proposed for the subject site.

Curren Environmental has over 20 years’ experience in the environmental field and we provide Certified Education (CE) classes on environmental topics, including mold, so we know what we are talking about. There are only 11 states in the country that have mold regulations and licensing  programs and New Jersey is not one of them. Curren nor any other company in New Jersey holds a New Jersey license for mold remediation as the license does not exist. Generally speaking, mold remediation follows asbestos abatement guidelines to contain a workspace, establish air filtration and remove (remediate) mold. Curren has personnel that hold asbestos licensing and our personnel follow these procedures from independent training schools as well as in-house training program.

Expert advice from mold experts

888-301-1050

The story goes, you have a property where an underground oil tank was removed by the previous owner. You as the current owner, didn’t question any environmental issues with the tank removal when you bought the property, now you are selling the property and the buyer is asking for testing in the area where the tank was removed.

The concern with any tank is if the tank leaked and the leak is severe enough that remediation is required by environmental regulations.    There are many tanks that were removed and testing was not completed so the tank is undocumented for leaks.   There are also many tanks that leaked and the leak is not disclosed to buyers.

Below is a page from a Tank Closure Report (1 page of about 45 pages), if you read the Conclusions & Recommendations, it clearly says the tank did not leak and why.  If you are not in possession of a similar document, you don't have what you need.

The previous owner supplied you, the current homeowner, with the following:

1. Tank removal contract stating it was paid in full.
2. A copy of the permit for removal from the town
3. Approval sticker from the construction office. 

Why are the items above not enough for information regarding an underground oil tank removal to sell the house? In today's real estate market home buyers are more informed and they want iron clad data proving that the oil tank did not leak.

Those three pieces of information (contract, permit and approval sticker) does not prove the tank did or did not leak. The data set you have are just pieces of information, not a cohesive report with a narrative that ends with the conclusion that the tank did not leak. Environmental reports show the proper paperwork as appendices, but the actual report  details the work completed including  the evaluation and testing performed to confirm the tank did not leak. If you are an uninformed buyer, which 15-20 years ago is true, you assumed the tank didn’t leak. But again, in todays market buyers are assuming it did leak as you, the homeowner, have nothing saying to prove otherwise.

Example photos of soil sampling in a previously removed underground oil tank area.

Allow me to elaborate in greater detail - while the tank had a permit for removal and inspection, the construction official is not inspecting for leaks, they inspect if the tank was removed, as per the permit. I have had inspectors BOTH pass and fail removed tanks that did leak. A soil test for soil contamination is around $130.00, (Before 2005 the cost would have been $75.00), not performing soil testing is basically saying the owner does not want to find a problem, it’s not due to cost.   In short if you do not test you have a 100% probability of not finding anything.   Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.”  If you do not test you can miss,

When assessing a tank for a leak you have to consider qualitative vs quantitative data?

Quantitative data is anything that can be counted or measured; it refers to numerical data. = testing

Qualitative data is descriptive, referring to things that can be observed but not measured = what you see.

If a few hundred dollars of laboratory testing was not completed when the tank was removed you have no Quantifiable data that the tank did not leak.   The easiest explanation is when you go to a dentist for a checkup, they physically evaluate you (qualitative), but they will also take an Xray (quantitative).     You know for any commercial tank in Delaware, New Jersey or Pennsylvania for the state to sign off they want laboratory testing, independent 3rd party certified testing to be 100% sure that no contamination exist from the tank.

There are laws regarding reporting an environmental leak from an oil tank when that leak is found. Prior to August of 2018, this law stated that a knowledgeable party was to report the leak, so a tank removal company telling a homeowner that the tank leaked and providing the NJDEP them the phone number to call, was very common. The question is if the homeowner actually reported the leak? Since August of 2018, the regulation requires the property owner to report the leak, but again, can you trust someone to report on themselves?

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888-301-1050

We had a call recently from a home buyer on the same street and town where Curren Environmental has removed multiple underground oil tank, meaning houses in the area have oil tanks. The house the buyers were under agreement had an underground oil tank removed in 1995, the current homeowners had the removal permit and contract, but no soil testing data and no environmental report of removal, proving the tank did not leak.

We provided soil testing services for new buyer and found soil contamination.

Thankfully for the buyers the property did not need remediation, but there was NJDEP reporting and further testing to close the environmental issue (about $4,500.00 in costs, also adding about two months to the settlement date). The tank did indeed leak, but no one reported it. If the buyer didn’t hire Curren they would have been sitting on a property with soil contamination they had neither created nor knew about but would have owned none the less, and no doubt a future buyer would have found.

I am buying/selling a property where a heating oil UST was removed. I have the permit from the municipality approving the work and closing the permit. Does this municipal approval certify that the tank did not leak? I am told I need to do soil sampling from the removed tank area to ensure that no contamination is present.

It is common for tanks to be removed without soil testing which can allow the owner to not find a problem. It is loophole in regulations that do not require soil testing after a tank is removed or closed in place.  Your attorney should contact the seller’s side. You can always test the area after purchase, but you would want an addendum that the seller will pay remedial costs if contamination is found.  Regulations place burden on the owner to cleanup so buying a property with contamination would befall the new owner, unless there are contractual obligations requiring seller to address contamination post sale. It is clearly cleaner to have buyer due diligence (soil testing) prior to purchase.

You recently had your oil tank removed and there were holes in the tank. However, there are no indications of soil contamination but the company that removed the oil tank filed a report to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). You are unaware that you may have been naïve in choosing your oil tank removal company due to the fact that removing an oil tank hopefully would be a once in a lifetime event. At this point, you understand that clearly your tank removal contract should have included soil sampling, but it did not. You are also unaware that soil sampling must be completed, then the report is sent to NJDEP to close out the case number (assuming that it meets the state parameters for acceptable oil levels) and rescind the remedial action. 

Regarding what soil sampling is and how it is performed, there are permissible levels of oil that can remain in the ground and conversely there are levels that would require remediation. New Jersey regulations require that upon removal of an oil tank that has evidence of a leak, you are to obtain a minimum of 5 soil samples from the tank excavation (5 for a 500 gallon tank and 6 for a 1000 gallon tank). This is relative to your contract for tank removal. If the contract did not reference soil sampling, you can’t guarantee soil samples would be obtained. Soil samples are critical to assess the tank excavation for petroleum levels. The testing is meant to inform the property owner if indeed oil levels are present and remediation is warranted or that levels are within permissible limits and can be left in place. Now, you, as the owner of the oil tank that leaks can make an informed decision regarding remediation. 

If your tank removal contract does not include costs for soil sampling or discusses the possibility of finding a tank leak, it is pretty safe to assume that the tank removal company is looking to find a leaking tank and remediation.

In a situation where a tank is removed, found to be leaking and no soil sampling was performed, you should be concerned as to whether the soil needs remediation. All discharges are required to be reported to the NJDEP (If your tank contract doesn’t inform you that a tank leak is reportable, think again about who you are hiring).

Example of soil testing by soil borings. 

The only way you would know if your tank leak has petroleum contamination in the soil above or below NJDEP permissible limits is to have soil sampling performed. If all your samples are in compliance with NJDEP regulations you will receive a No Further Action (NFA) letter that will close out the NJDEP case number. This can be performed without having to perform actual remediation, which is typically soil removal.

Again, the tank removal contract should have addressed obtaining soil samples and what to do if a leak was noted. Remember, holes are never good in an oil tank and you rarely will see physical evidence of an oil discharge in a tank excavation, meaning you are not going to see oil or stained soils.

Expert advice with over two decades of tank removal experience. Curren Environmental, Inc.

If an oil tank has been removed and showed no visible signs of leaking, should soil samples still be taken? An oil tank was removed and showed no visible signs of leaking, the tank removal contractor did a pressure test and passed. As the buyer of the property, I am concerned that the tank area has not been tested.

To test or not to test an oil tank at time of removal? We get that question almost daily from both owners of tanks and purchasers of a property where a tank will be or was removed. Should you test an oil tank?

Does your dentist test your teeth via x-ray to look for problems? Does a doctor perform testing on patients? Can you determine cholesterol from just the physical appearance of a patient? My point being throughout life you have professionals performing testing to evaluate your health, testing a removed oil tank is the same principal.

The most important question about an oil tank is if it leaked. Owners of tank don’t want to test because they don’t want to find a problem. Buyers want oil tank testing performed because they don’t want to buy a property where an oil tank leaked.

The cost for testing most tanks at time of removal is a couple hundred dollars. Not a budget breaker for sure but finding even a small leak can cost thousands of dollars to address and the party responsible for cleaning up any tank leak is the property owner. So, buying a property with a tank leak (even if the buyer didn’t know if the tank leaked at time of purchase) is the responsibility of the property owner.


Common scenario, buyer want to purchase a home that had prior oil heat. The oil tank was removed previously (tank removed years ago). Sometime the tank was removed by the current property owner, sometime the tank was removed by a previously owner and the current owner was not aware of the liability from oil tanks and didn’t question the lack of testing. Buyer is concerned about buying a home where a tank was removed. So, in addition to performing a home inspection, the buyer wants soil testing completed from the removed oil tank grave. Post removal testing involves drilling and obtaining soil samples from the former tank location. Do we find some level of oil when we test removed tank location, yes. Do we find remediation is required from this testing, sometimes yes. Is the owner shocked when wee find contamination from removed tank areas? Sometimes owners are surprised as they bought the home prior to removal and didn’t view the oil tank as a liability. But there are definitely times where the owner has a hint that oil would be found and was hoping no one would look.

Testing removed tank locations is not as easy as you would expect. As time passes the restored ground returns to normal and little evidence of the tank grave is visible. Owners have selective memory of where the tank was and often point to absurd locations where the tank was removed. This requires sleuthing on our part and performing rows of soil boring to attempt to find the proverbial oil tank in the haystack. Any detection of oil found from a tank area is reported to the state as a spill clearly occurred.

Know before you buy a property that had oil heating. Testing is always advised by tank removal companies (The good ones at least). If testing was not performed, you have to ask, why? Buy a home with an oil tank leak and you just purchased an oil tank cleanup.


Over 20 years’ experience with oil tanks. Want expert advice? Call the experts’ 888-301-1050.

Questions that are quite often asked “Do I have a good underground oil tank or a bad one?”, or “What is the difference between a good or bad underground oil tank?”. Answering questions regarding underground oil tanks is an easy one, if your tank has been under ground since tanks started being buried (late 1940’s to early 1950’s), then there is no good or bad tank – you need to remove that oil tank. The tank has exceeded any functional and reasonable life expectancy.

In situations when the underground oil tank is still in use and older , the oil tank should be removed and replaced with an aboveground oil tank. Ask yourself a simple question, “Would you buy the house with an oil tank that old in the ground?”.

One of the most inspected areas for Mold Inspections are basements. Basements are subterranean, meaning basements are under the earth’s surface. It is cooler under the earth’s surface and the soils under the surface holds moisture. Mold growth occurs on organic surfaces such as wood, furniture, and porous items. Mold does not grow on steel or metal unless there are dirt and dust particles, mold can grow on those organic materials.

Moisture can get out of control when not properly managed in subterranean areas, causing mold growth over time on organic surfaces. There are also some one time-events that can happen such as water rising from the ground and into the sub flooring, or leaking through windows, foundations, vents and doorways. Other events such as a pipe bursting and plumbing leaks (hot water heather leak when they fail), if not fixed will cause mold growth.

First and foremost, in any subterranean space a dehumidifier should be running continuously year round. A dehumidifier will reduce and maintain the level of humidity in the air surrounding it. The dehumidifier works by grabbing the moisture in the air and then dumping it into the “tray”. Instead of emptying this tray every day or every other day or never…run a hose from the dehumidifier to an area where the water can be delivered such as sump pump or sink.

Mold needs moisture and organic materials to grow, such as in the basement photo below. This basement had water intrusion, no lid on the sump pump and no working dehumidifier. Water was also coming from all four corners of the basement and was not corrected.

Because the water issue was not resolved and there was no dehumidifier, mold growth occurred. Mold growth does not happen overnight, it takes a while for it grow and when it grabs a toehold on organic materials, it will grow in the right conditions fast.

There are other instances where mold growth occurs because there are no dehumidifiers running.For example, in the picture below, if you look closely, you will see a film on the wood paneling, these are colonies of mold growth. There was no water entry into this basement, mold growth occurred overtime due to the moisture in the air and the organic materials (wood paneling) for mold to grow on.

Mold growth was found on the wood paneling. The basement above was inspected during the summer, which is hot but cooler below the earth’s surface. There was no dehumidifier running and the basement was very humid. In situations such as above, if mold growth is on one side it will be on the other side of the paneling.

Last – don’t do this! All this does is hide the problem, not take care of the problem – it may even cause more!

Check your basement for any leaks, water intrusions and provide a dehumidification system.If you do not, mold growth will occur, you may not see it now, but trust me, you will soon

Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance, they can carry & spread diseases to pets and humans. Some mosquitoes can fly up to a mile or two or some fly only 100- 200 yards (Asian tiger mosquito). You should be aware of your surroundings and what water is on your property, especially after the heavy rain storms this past week.

The good news is that as a homeowner you can help reduce the mosquito infestation in your own backyard. Curren Environmental’s Mosquito Control & Remediation recommends that you follow the steps below so that you, your friends and family may enjoy your backyard.

• Corrugated drainpipes off downspouts. Each trough is a potential breeding ground. If you have many feet of drainpipe, consider replacing it with smooth PVC piping. If you can’t do that, just replace them.

• Children’s toys, especially plastic toys that have small areas where water can pool. Keep in mind that the toy itself may be very big, like a bike or a playhouse, but if it has handles or any indentation where water can pool in small amounts, it’s a breeding ground.

• All containers, such as buckets, pails, water bottles, trash cans (including lids), storage totes, recycling containers, etc. Even if these items are kept upside down, water can often pool in the handles or lips of the container.

• Tarps that hold water, even just a little, flip and empty them. Dry the tarps before replacing.

• Plastic chairs, tables and all outside furniture, especially if it is upside down

• Flowerpots, especially those with a saucer underneath it to catch water.

• Wheel barrels stored improperly.

• Anything that can hold small amounts of water. Even large things that hold water, like bird baths, usually have calm areas around the edges where mosquitoes can breed.

If you follow the steps above and remove the breeding grounds to best of your ability you may be able to reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard.

For more information on Curren Environmental’s Mosquito Control & Remediation please call 856-858-9509 or email at tiffany@currenenvironmental.com.

Lead is a naturally occurring element that many elementary students learn about in school. Lead became popular in the early 1940’s because it simply made products better. Lead was used to seal jars; lead gave roofs waterproof linings and lead was used in sewer and water pipes so that the pipes would not easily crack. Lead was most popular in paint, as it would quicken the drying process to resist moisture and increase the durability of the paint.

Later, lead was found to be toxic to humans and animals, causing health issues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that even though there are no known identified safe blood lead level, exposure can seriously harm a child’s health. Exposure in children can lead to damage to the brain, nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning & behavior problems as well as hearing and speech problems. The human bodies simply cannot process metals.

The most common source of lead exposure in children is lead paint. Lead paint was banned in 1978 in the United States.If your house was built prior to 1978 it is highly likely that there is lead paint somewhere, especially on any old cracked, peeling paint windows and door frames. Lead on doors, wood trim and around windows are more prone to deterioration and chipping especially if the wood surface is exposed to direct sunlight. Lead can be dangerous if it is not properly contained. Maintaining painted surfaces with fresh coats of paint will help prevent lead from separating from the painted surface.There are a number of low cost DIY test kits for lead paint .  If you are not sure if you have lead paint, visit Home Depot for a lead paint test kit.

How can you avoid lead exposure in your drinking water?

If your home was constructed before 1986 than your water pipes may contain lead. The longer lead sits in your water pipes the more time it has time to accumulate. If you have not used your water for several hours, it is important to flush your pipes in the morning, after school or after work for one to two minutes before drinking or cooking. Never use warm water immediately from the tap for consumption as the heat can help leach the lead from the water piles in the pipes. For more information on lead in drinking water visit the EPA.

If your water has not been tested or treated, look into a test, or they have tests at Home depot as well.

For more information check government websites such as the EPA an CDC or call your local township and government offices and see what assistance they can provide.

This first day of spring is different than many others. On this Wednesday, March 20th, 2019 it will be a special night for the " SuperMoon". The Sun actually moves in a direct line across the sky and the noonday sun stands at a medium or average height above the southern horizon. Set your clocks at 9:43 PM EDT on March 20th, 2019. This is the third and final "SuperMoon" of 2019. Meaning, the moon's closest point to the earth.

With all the brightness and the reminder of Spring...get the garden tools out, check the lawn mower and prepare your cleaning supplies! Also, check your downspouts and make sure there is proper drainage that slopes the ground away from the foundation of your house or dwelling to ensure no water or moisture gets in to prevent against indoor mold. Mold growth can be a health concern to you and your family. Take the preventative steps and measures to stop mold growth before it can occur.

Don't forget about those pesky mosquitoes! They are breeding in all the stagnant water that you have around your home. Admire the SuperMoon's brightness and walk around your property and empty buckets, plant pails and standing water on the first spring night. After the next rain storm do the same, and remember to always empty any standing water. Mosquitoes can complete their life cycle in as little as four days according to the American Mosquito Control Association.

For more information about Curren Environmental click here.