How To Go Green In Your Home Renovation

05 December, 19:09, by admin Tags:

If youíre thinking about building or renovating your home, you might want to consider some green options. No I don’t meant having a green color scheme (although you certainly can if it suits you), Iím talking about making eco friendly choices for your new design.

Certainly one of the first things that comes to mind is using green products. Low VOC carpets and floors and cabinetry made from sustainable materials like cork and bamboo should be high on your choice list. In the kitchen and bathrooms, you could opt for recycled glass countertops that add a unique touch to the kitchen and are a great way to put old glass to use. These countertops come in many color combinations and resemble artful mosaics which lend a classy air to your room.

How To Save Some Green While Going Green

05 December, 19:09, by admin Tags:

What could be better than helping out the environment? Why, saving some money while you are helping out the environment, of course!

Of course, most everyone wants to lower their carbon footprint and help the environment be healthier but if you can save money doing it, then you have the best of both worlds. Luckily, there are many ways to go green and save some green at the same time. Here are 5 things you can do that will help boost your bank account and the environment:

1. Buy Second Hand ñ most people donít think of buying second hand stuff as being environmentally consciences but when you buy something second hand it helps to keep that item from ending up in a landfill. Not only that but buying second hand can save you a bundle! Plus buying something used doesnít mean you have to settle for something that is broken or damaged ñ there are plenty of brand new items waiting for you to pick them up. Great places to shop for second hand goods include eBay, Craigslist, yard sales, flea markets and Consignment stores.

Tips To Greener Cleaning

05 December, 19:08, by admin Tags:

Everyone knows that cars cause a lot of pollution and with gas getting more expensive, adding some ìgreenî to your driving can help keep the green in your wallet as well as benefit the environment. Here are some tips for greener driving that you can easily implement into your daily life:

1. Drive A Gas Efficient Vehicle ñ it stands to reason that the more efficient your car is on gas, the less emissions and the less you have to pay at the pump. Today, there are many options in hybrid vehicles so if you are in the market for a new car, make the gas efficiency one of your main concerns.
2. Tire Pressure ñ make sure your tires are neither overinflated or underinflated as both of these can affect your fuel efficiency. Make sure to check the tire pressure regularly and adjust as needed.
3. Car Maintenance ñ needless to say, if your car is not maintained properly, it will not be running at peak performance. Be sure to have the oil changed as recommended as well as the other suggested maintenance. Making sure your engine is running efficiently can improve your gas mileage up to 40%. It might cost a bit to have these things done, but you will save money with better fuel efficiency and a longer lasting car.

Great Eco Friendly Products To Use

05 December, 19:07, by admin Tags:

One mainstay of green living is using eco-friendly products and today, almost anything you want to buy can be had in eco-friendly version. Eco-friendly simply means that the product is made in a way that is friendly to the environment. It could mean that it is made of sustainable materials such as bamboo flooring or that it takes an old material that would be dumped into the landfill and gives it new use such as recycled glass countertops.

Eco-friendly products aren’t just reserved for major home remodeling however. You can get eco-friendly bamboo laptops, belts made from recycled bike inner tubes, and even shoes made from recycled quilts.

Tips For Reducing Your Energy Consumption

05 December, 19:06, by admin Tags:

When it comes to green living, reducing the amount of energy you use is one of the easiest and most effective things you can do. While electricity itself is not unfriendly to the environment, the production of it is as most of the facilities we use to generate electricity are powered by fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are not renewable and the output from these facilities produces carbon which leads to global warming.

Luckily, there are several things you can do to reduce your energy consumption and the bonus is that youíll also save money on your utility bill!

1. If youíre not using it, then unplug it. Many electronic devices today have LEDís that draw energy even if the device is not powered on. Your VCR, Coffee Maker and even your electric toothbrush all use a little bit of energy when plugged in. Those little bits can quickly add up, so when your appliances are not in use, try to get into the habit of unplugging them.

10 Ways To Go Green Today

03 December, 19:05, by admin Tags:

Everyone wants to help the environment but a lot of people think that in order to do so they have to drastically change their lifestyle or fork out a lot of. This couldn’t be further from the truth and there are a lot of things you can do right now that won’t cost you much, and might even save you money! While these might seem like little things, all these little things add up and if we all did just a few of them, it would have a large impact environmentally.

Here are 10 ìgreenî things you can do that wonít crimp your style or your wallet:

1. Use recyclable cloth grocery bags instead of plastic ñ plastic bags take eons to degrade and can be harmful to wildlife. Cloth bags only cost you $1 and some grocery stores even give you a rebate every time you use them. Not only that but they fit more groceries, can be used over and over again for anything and are easier to carry!
2. Buy reusable coffee filters ñ youíll never run out!
3. Put your kitchen scraps in a compost pile ñ youíll have great organic fertilizer for your garden and be making good use of your scraps.

Tips To Eco Friendly Lighting

02 December, 19:05, by admin Tags:

When it comes to saving the planet and saving some money on your energy bill, lighting can play a key role. Lighting can account for about 30% of your energy bill, so changing your lights to more energy efficient options can save you quite a bit. Not to mention the positive impact on the environment. Here are some tips for more energy efficient lighting:

The first thing you should do is switch to compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). Thatís those swirly lights that have a whiter glow to them than the incandescent lights. While these might cost a bit more than the regular incandescent lights, they use only about 25% of the electricity so they can have a big impact on your lighting bill. They last a lot longer than regular bulbs too so you wonít have to replace them as often.

How To Use Greener Cleaning

02 December, 19:04, by admin Tags:

Everyone wants a clean and fresh smelling home, but if youíve been using commercial cleaners and air fresheners, you might have a home full of toxins! In fact, the EPA says that the levels of pollutants in the home can be up to 100 times higher than the outside air. This pollution can come from gasses given off by anything from your carpeting to your kitchen cabinets to your cleaning products.

Walk into any grocery store and you will see a myriad of cleaners ñ thereís so many it might even be hard to choose. Most of them are loaded with harmful chemicals, but there are many now that bear the words ìnaturalî on the label. However, one should not be fooled by that one little word ñ many of these cleaners are anything but natural and there are no standards or regulation for using this word on product labels.

If you really want to go green with your cleaning, there are plenty of natural things you can use. Tea tree oil is a great natural cleaner for mold and mildew, baking soda makes a wonderful abrasive cleaner and white vinegar is a great all around cleaner that will shine your windows and mirrors like nobodies business. In addition to the health benefits of no toxic cleaning, using these substances is also much less costly than most store bought cleaners.

Simple Tips To Go Green

01 December, 19:06, by admin Tags:

Going green is something we all want to do to help save the planet, but many times it seems that the things you need to do are very costly or overcomplicated and a lot of us just simply don’t know where to get started. Luckily there are some simple and easy things you can do today that will help to reduce your carbon footprint and some of them will even help you save a little bit of money too.

When it comes to going green, every little bit counts and one of those little bits has to do with using paper towels. The less paper towels you use, the lower your carbon footprint will be. While this may seem like a small thing, every little bit adds up! One great way to lower use of paper towels is to get some good quality kitchen towels that you can wash and reuse and make sure you have them handy for drying your hands, wiping up spills, and drying off dishes. Limit the use of the actual paper towels to the really nasty messes. It doesn’t really take much effort and you soon discover that you’re spending less money on paper towels at the grocery store each week!

How To Go Green In Your Own Kitchen

01 December, 19:03, by admin Tags:

Going green in the kitchen encompasses everything from what you eat to how you cook it. Thereís a ton of things you can do in your kitchen that will help lessen your impact on the environment. From using a water saving faucet, to energy efficient appliances to cleaning with non-toxic cleaners, going green in the kitchen can be great for the environment as well as for your budget.

One little thing you can do is reduce your use of paper towels. The average family uses several rolls of paper towels a week but you can reduce your usage by keeping some cloth towels handy in the kitchen and use those for wiping your hands, spills and other uses that would normally call for a paper towel. Youíll save money on paper towels and there will be less of them in the landfill which, in turn, helps the environment. Also, the less paper towels that are manufactured, the less pollution in the air from those manufacturing plants.