news
RSS Feeds
April 3, 2008
Whitecaps’ Nash and family big on conservation
In the Nash household, it's Emma Tymm-Nash who's chief recycler and bottle washer.
Tymm-Nash has always been keen on the environment, so when husband and Vancouver Whitecaps soccer player Martin Nash said he'd joined Team Power Smart , it was a natural alliance. Tymm-Nash wasn't the least bit intimidated that her green skills would be on the line.
"I wasn't scared about it," she says. "I was more interested to see the things that we could do. For example, we were seriously considering getting the solar power heaters, and they said it wouldn't make much of a difference for us.
"I've always been [into the environment]," she adds. "But it's only been in the last six months that we've switched over to the green stuff," she says, a reference to her newfound preference for environmentally friendly and toxin-free household cleansers.
"We're interested in the environment, especially having our young kids be aware, you know?" says husband Nash, seated beside his wife in their woodsy North Vancouver home. "We thought it was a good opportunity to get a better awareness of what's going on around us as well, and get as much information as we can."
A very efficient new home
Power Smart recently audited the couple's house, and because it was built in 2005, it got high marks for energy efficiency. Other than the replacement of a few light bulbs with the new CFL dimmer bulbs, the Nash family had little on their Power Smart "to do" list.
"As far as energy we use, we use the same amount as a house half the size, with just as many people living in it," says Nash, brother of NBA star Steve, and a coach when he isn't touring and playing with the Whitecaps throughout the summer.
Nash and Tymm-Nash, who've been married six years, met while Nash was playing for an English team near Tymm-Nash's home town in England. The house represents stability for a family that was moving every six months up until their second child was born in 2004.
Because Nash was playing both the indoor and outdoor soccer seasons, the family moved repeatedly, from Edmonton to Rochester, to New York, back to Edmonton, on to Detroit, Montreal, Dallas – until finally they settled in a quiet residential neighbourhood in North Vancouver.
Good, but not great, windows
Because their new home had many modern, energy efficient features, the Nash family had little to do in the way of mechanical upgrading. Since windows can account for up to 30 per cent of a home's heat loss, it was a bit of a disappointment that their double-paned windows did not contain argon gas or have a low-e coating to protect against heat loss in the winter.
But the house was well insulated and all the doors had weather stripping, so the only minor adjustment they needed to make was to install foam pads behind the exterior wall light switches and plug outlets. During the audit, Nash was asked to put his hand over the light switch and had discovered a surprising draft.
"We thought we were doing everything we could," says Tymm-Nash. "But you think of a few little things that make a big difference throughout the year."
Team Nash, unplugged
One small but significant change to their lifestyle has been an admirable commitment to unplugging power cords. Few busy families would think to unplug the computer before going to bed, but the Nash family makes a point of it.
"All the TV and everything is on a power bar so when it's not on, we switch everything off," says Nash. At night and most of the day it's usually off, so it's off for 16 or 18 hours a day at least.
"And we always unplug cell phone chargers, and we usually unplug the toaster," he adds.
Tymm-Nash has one last "to do" item on her energy conservation list. She wants to invest in an inexpensive rain barrel system to catch run-off rainwater from their drainpipes, for use in the garden during the summer months.
"We could water the big yard all summer with the rain we collect," says Tymm-Nash. "Just in big barrels at the side of the house. You could have a few of them connected together."
As for Nash, he can't think of any area of his life that needs immediate improvement, green-wise.
"Nothing really," he says. "I got a Honda Civic because it was good on gas."
Adds Tymm-Nash: "And last year I replaced my Explorer with a hybrid Escape – I mean it's still an SUV, not as good as Prius or something, but you need it for the kids."
Related links:
