The 10 Easiest Ways to GREEN your home

1. Let there be energy efficient light! Light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) use 90% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last up to 40 times longer.

Tip: Replacing a 60 watt incandescent bulb with a 6 watt LED, can save $280 in energy costs over the life of just that one bulb.

Get solution here

2. Clean with green. Stop buying home cleaners that are potentially toxic to both you and the environment. Look for these eco-friendly ingredients:

Carpet & Window Cleaner

- USE Grain Alcohol NOT toxic butyl cellosolve (which can cause liver and kidney damage and is also a neurotoxin that can depress the nervous system)

Detergents

- USE coconut or other plant oils NOT petroleum (which can cause rashes, itches, allergies, sinus problems and other health problems)

Disinfectants, Soaps, Deodorant

- USE plant oils (eucalyptus, rosemary, or sage) NOT triclosan (which is strongly linked to abnormalities with the endocrine system, particularly with thyroid hormone signaling, weakening of the immune system, birth defects, and uncontrolled cell growth)

Get solution here

 3. Save a tree, use less paper.

Tip: You can buy “tree-free” 100% post-consumer recycled paper for everything from greeting cards to toilet paper. One box of 100% post-consumer recycled paper saves 584 pounds of wood, 52 pounds of solid waste, and enough water to take 50 eight-minute showers.

Get solution here

Tip: Opt out of credit card or insurance offers at OptOutPrescreen.com or call 888.567.8688, a single automated phone line maintained by the major credit bureaus. Each person will receive 560 pieces of junk mail this year, which adds up nationally to 4.5 million tons. About 44% of all junk mail is thrown in the trash and ends up in a landfill.

 4. Reduce plastics. Each year Americans throw away about 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags (from grocery and trash bags to the convenient sandwich bag). Reduce and recycle your plastics for one of the best ways to combat global warming.

Get solution here

 5. Watch the temperature. Almost 1/2 a home’s energy consumption is due to heating and cooling.

Tip: Each degree below 68 °F (20 °C) during cold weather saves 3-5% on energy

Tip: Keeping your thermostat at 78 °F in warmer weather will save you energy and money

A smart programmable thermostat will make these temperature changes for you automatically.

Get solution here

  6. Save H2O.

Tip: Use an aerator on all household faucets and cut your annual water consumption by 50%.

Tip: Use a broom instead of a garden hose to clean your driveway can save 80 gallons of water.

Tip: Turning the water off when you brush your teeth will save 4.5 gallons EACH time.

7. Get an EnergyStar appliance. Getting rid of your old refrigerator in the basement could save you up to $150 per year. Appliance use equals 18% of typical home energy usage.

Tip: According to EnergyStar, if just 1 in 10 homes used energy efficient appliances, it would be equal to planting 1.7 million acres of trees.

 8. Use healthy paint. your everyday paints have solvents and toxic metals that can cause smog.

These unhealthy ingredients are released into the air while you’re painting, while the paint dries and even after the paints are completely dry.

Tip: Choose zero or low-VOC paint.

Get solution here

9. Want hardwood floors? Go for bamboo. Bamboo is a relatively eco-friendly flooring material because of its replenishing rate. It takes 4-6 years for bamboo to mature, compared to 50-100 years for typical hardwoods.

Get solution here

  10. Green your garden.

Tip: Use compost instead of synthetic fertilizers. Compost offers a full complement of soil organisms and a balance of nutrients needed to maintain the soil’s well-being. Healthy soil minimizes weeds and is key to producing healthy plants which can prevent many pest problems from developing.

Tip: Use native plants. They have adapted over time to the local environment and support native animals. They use less water and require less of your attention.

Tip: Pour boiling water on weeds.

(courtesy of Ann Archer)