10 Best Tips for Green Living at Home
No. 1 Must-Do for the Eco Home and Overall Green Living
Change your light bulbs to Compact Florescent Light bulbs. For real green home improvement, you’ve got to do this in your eco home. No, they don’t look as nice – but they are getting better.
According to CoolSavings.com, you’ll save $80 a year in energy costs if you replace five most used light bulbs. It’s like taking 1.2 million cars off the road for a year. That’s 1.2 million cars, folks. So even if florescent lights wash out your complexion, do this green home improvement for the environment AND your checkbook.
No. 2 The Green Living Tip That You Never Think About
Put your television and accessories on one power strip. Do the same for the small appliances in the kitchen (coffee maker, microwave, toaster oven, etc). Do the same thing for your computer and printer. Now flip that power strip switch to the OFF position when you go to bed or will be out of your home for several hours.
Okay, okay, if you’re one of those people who actually notices the blinking time light on your video player or actually tapes shows in the middle of the night, or if you must wake up to fresh coffee, then YOU are excused from adding those appliances. Just turn off the rest for a green home improvement.
According to Yahoo, appliances in the stand-by mode account for 10% of your energy usage. Not acceptable for an eco home or practicing green living.
No. 3 Don’t Forget to Dial Up This Green Living Tip
Don’t leave cell phone chargers plugged in. For the same reasons as tip No. 2, this is a green living no-no in your eco home.
No. 4 Ceiling Fans are a Fashionable Green Home Improvement
I don’t care what those designers on HGTV and Trading Spaces tell you, ceiling fans are a must for the trendy eco home and for green living. In the summer set your air condition temperature up in the upper 70’s and turn your ceiling fan on (counter-clockwise) to circulate the air. Now, for a year round green home improvement, reverse everything for the winter months (including the blade rotation).
Note: Ceiling fans make your skin feel cooler but they don’t cool down a room. If you aren’t chillin’ out your green living self under the ceiling fan, turn it off when you leave the room.
No. 5 Green Living It Up with Dinner
Declaring your kitchen the featured room in your eco home for a couple of days a week is a real green home improvement. Cook your dinner in the toaster oven or eat a couple of meals of non-cooked food per week. This is much easier and tastier than it sounds. In the heat of the summer what is better than a nice cold salad topped with leftover chicken breast or steak from a previous meal. Finish off the meal with watermelon or cantaloupe. Or make a refrigerator pie. For an added treat, chill your plates. You’re not just green living in your eco home, you are fine living.
No. 6 Cloth Napkins are a Green Home Improvement for Your Eco Home
Complete your eco home dinner with cloth napkins. If you’ve never indulged in cloth napkins, you’ve missed a treat. Besides being a green home improvement, they make any dinner more special. While you’re at it, use cloth towels for spills and clean ups. Yes, it might make the people selling Bounty very sad but dirty towels can just go in the eco home laundry with your cloth napkins and you’ll be one more step on the path to green living.
No. 7 Green Living Goes Aqua Part 1
If you have a few dishes you need to wash in the sink from your green living dinner, pour the remaining soapy dishwater on your plants. Soapy water kills plant pests and it waters your plants.
No. 8 Green Living Goes Aqua Part 2
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and shaving. According to Domino Magazine, the average spigot can put out three gallons of water per minute. If you brush for two minutes, that’s six gallons of water saved. You’ll probably save even more while shaving.
No. 9 Searching for More Green Home Improvements
Take your green living ideas out into the world and include your vehicle with this green home improvement idea. Try to combine errands whenever possible. Then use your car’s GPS to plot the shortest route.
No. 10 Green Living is BYOB
BYOB – that’s bring your own green living bag AND bottle. Splurge on one of those safe plastic water bottles. Purchase or make some cloth bags. And remember, your bags aren’t just for groceries. Use your bag in every store. If you use your cloth bags everywhere, not just the grocery store, using them will become second nature to you.
The same goes for your water bottle. Rinse and refill it and place it in the fridge as soon as you bring it home each day. Use it around your eco home.
Practicing these green living tips will make help make your home an eco home and the savings will have your checkbook thanking you for the green home improvements.
Sources:
Green Living = Green Savings, CoolSavings.com
Top Ten Energy Saving Tips, Domino Magazine
Is It True You Can Save $ by Unplugging Appliances, Yahoo.com
