10 Ways to “Green” Your Home
- Green up your appliances.
If any of your appliances is more than 10 years old, the EPA suggests replacing them with energy-efficient models that bear their “Energy Star” logo.
- Watch the temp.
Consider a new furnace. Today’s furnaces are about 25% more efficient than they were in the 1980s. (And don’t forget to check out furnaces carrying the Energy Star label.)
- Save Water.
Behavioral changes also add up quickly: using a broom instead of a garden hose to clean up your driveway can save 80 gallons of water and turning the water off when you brush your teeth will save 4.5 gallons each time.
- Clean green.
Stop buying household cleaners that are potentially toxic to both you and the environment or read labels for specific, eco-friendly ingredients.
- Let there be energy-efficient light.
Replacing a 100-watt incandescent bulb with a 32-watt CFL can save $30.00 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.
- Save a tree, use less paper.
You can buy”tree-free” 100% post-consumer recycled paper for everything from greeting cards to toilet paper. Paper with high post-consumer waste content uses less virgin pulp and keeps more waste paper out of landfills.
- Want hardwood floors? Opt for bamboo.
Bamboo is considered an environmentally friendly flooring material due to its high yield and the relatively fast rate at which it replenishes itself.
- Reduce plastics, reduce global warming.
Reduce, re-use and recycle your plastics for one of the best ways to combat global warming.
- Use healthier paint.
Opt for zero-or low-VOC paint instead of conventional paints that contain solvents, toxic metals and volatile organic compounds.
- Garden green.
Use native plants as much as possible, focus on perennials, stop using chemical pesticides, and use compost instead of synthetic fertilizers.