7 Simple Ways to Green Your Home

I believe going green doesn’t mean spending major dinero or radically changing your lifestyle. You can save hundreds on your home’s overhead expenses and feel good with a few simple changes.

Here’s 7 ways to green your abode:

1.  Reduce your water consumption.

• Take shorter showers.  Cutting showers by just one or two minutes can save up to 700 gallons per month.  Bonus: You’re taking a step towards softer skin, long showers are drying!
• Turn off water when shaving.  For every sans water minute you’ll save 2 gallons of h20.
• Fill up your dishwasher & washing machine all the way before running.  Save 300 to 800 gallons of water per year.

2.  Turn your thermostat down in the winter – put on a sweater! In the summer turn the AC off when you leave or at least set the AC a few degrees higher. 

3.  Replace your lightbulbs with CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulbs. ) They last almost 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs and use 75% less energy.

4. Cut down on paper and plastic. Buy reusable grocery bags. They’re available at major grocers like Wegman’s, Whole Foods & Trader Joes for about a buck a piece and they typically hold 2-3 plastic bags worth OF GROCERIES.   Or order them online at http://www.reusablebags.com/ or http://store.chicobag.com/  they come in a variety of cute styles & colors. 

5. Recycle, recycle, recycle.  The average American is responsible for 4.5 pounds of trash per day. What can you do?  Pay closer attention. You might be surprised to learn that many household & cosmetic products are recycle-able.  Most people are accustomed to looking for the triangle (reduce – reuse-recycle ) symbol on their plastic items.  But make sure that you pay attention to the numbers found on the bottom of most plastic-ware.  Philly-dwellers check out Philly Recycle for more info from RecyclingPays.Phila.gov on what’s recylable in  Philadelphia.

6. Seal the cracks in your home.  Stop precious heat in the winter & air in the summer from escaping – you’ll reduce your energy costs & be more comfortable in your home.

7.  Unplug it! This step may take the least amount of effort to follow. Even when appliances are turned off they are sucking energy from your wall (and costing you $.) Unplug your cell phone charger, toaster oven, electric tooth brush, hair dryer etc. when not in use and lessen your “phantom load” ( term that refers to all the energy we use unconsciously.)

Posted by Beth