Making your home “green” can be done in several small, seemingly insignificant steps than can add up to a lot. Although most people think of “greening” your environment as having an impact on the quality and sustainability of natural resources, it also improves your health and the health of your family, as well as making you feel like you’ve done your part to protect the earth. It’s important to realize that it does not have to be an expensive undertaking, start by simply changing habits and work your way up from there. Do what you can, when you can.

Living in an environmentally conscious home can begin by making the most of recycling. Excess garbage contributes millions of tons of non-biodegradable waste to landfills. Because these plastics get disposed of by burning, simply reusing Ziploc bags for food storage and carrying a reusable cloth bag to the store with you can help make a dent in global warming.

A little household maintenance can save you money by reducing your energy footprint. Unplug your appliances when you’re not using them, even though they’re not on, they’re still consuming power. Take a look at your refrigerator, if it’s over 10 years old the Environmental Protection Agency suggests you by a new one with an energy star logo. If you’re not ready to make a major purchase, adjusting the temperature (keeping it between 37 to 40 degrees) will save you energy. Also a full refrigerator is more energy efficient, so stock up. In terms of heating and cooling, a ceiling fan will cut down on your air conditioner use, keeping your thermostat below sixty-eight degrees in the winter and staying at seventy-eight degrees during the summer will help, and don’t forget to clean the air filters in your furnace at least once a month.

Toxic chemicals can be found in almost every room in the house. Common household cleaners like ammonia and pine-sol run the risk of contaminating your respiratory system and irritating your skin, but replacing these with a variety of new health conscious items that are free of phosphates and chlorine can give you the same results; and don’t think you need to give up that “just cleaned” smell, green products use a variety of natural oils like eucalyptus, rosemary and sage that not only give you a great aroma but act as a disinfectant. You can even go one step further and make your own products using common products like baking soda, lemon juice, soap, water and vinegar.

By now you’ve already heard of the compact fluorescent light bulbs or CFL’s, one of the first warriors in the war on mass consumption. By simply replacing each of your standard bulbs with a CFL you’ll use sixty-six percent less energy per bulb and they last 10 times as long as traditional light bulbs. And on the waterfront, try installing an aerator on your kitchen faucet and installing a low-flow toilet, this will cut your water usage in half. Some easy steps that make a big difference.

Author Bio: Christine writes about a variety of home improvement topics. For more information on green living, visit My Life in Houston.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: home,lifestyle