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GREEN HOME
How can you make your home as green as possible? What makes a home green? How can you reduce the impact your home makes on the environment, yet make it comfortable, cozy and practical? Start with little things, and keep making small changes and adding more features. Following are some ideas.
Simple things you can do right now:
- set up recycling containers
- start a compost pile outside
- convert your light bulbs to LED or CFL
- start a vegetable garden
- grow herbs and spices in a window box
- grow edible vines up your walls
- separate your grey water from your toilet water, then store and treat it for irrigation
- convert your cleaning products to all safe, biodegradable, non-toxic and environmentally friendly products
- reduce your need to travel
- walk, bicycle, and use mass transit more often
- take advantage of your southern solar exposure
- catch and filter rain water
- use salvaged, found, re-used and recycled objects
- repair things rather than throwing them out
- elminate anything in your house that off-gasses toxic fumes and vapors
- share tools with neighbors
- when shopping, rather than buying the cheapest, purchase the highest quality and longest-lasting
- insulate everywhere, caulk and seal all air leaks, and isolate spaces to be heated
- find the most efficient heat source for your space, and use it only as necessary
- add art, color and musical toys to your space
- buy locally
- eat organic food, and definitely avoid genetically altered "food"
- share your living space
- live lightly and fully
Consider adding one or all of these ideas:
- install in-floor heating
- retrofit a solar water heater to your existing hot water tank
- consider converting your toilets to be ultra-low-flush, composting or incinerating
- hook up a rain water collection system
- learn how to repair your own bicycle and vehicle
- convert your car to be electric, or buy an electric vehicle or hybrid
- go 100% solar and install a photovoltaic electrical system
- harness the wind
- build with recycled and recyclable materials
Read more about how you can make your home the Ideal Green Home
Check out these links for more green ideas:
Getting Started with Green Living
Shopping Green for Your Pet
Guide to Green Parenting
Finding and Organizing Green Storage
Guide to Green Modifications for the Home