For many consumers, living “green” involves a lot of work and, sometimes, a lot of money. After all, it’s certainly more convenient to pick up that bottle of water at the store rather than buy a reusable drinking bottle that we can refill as needed. Or perhaps you don’t want to spend a lot of money redecorating with environmentally friendly paint or flooring. But living “green” doesn’t have to be difficult or costly, and it might even save you some money in the long run. By incorporating the following 10 tips into your daily lifestyle, you, too, can be part of the eco-conscious movement.
1. When it comes to house cleaning, opt for products that go easy on the environment but stay tough on dirt and germs. Try a natural, plant-based product line such as Green Works® by Clorox. Featuring everything from dishwashing liquid and glass cleaner to cleaning wipes and bathroom cleaner, this product group has something to put a shine on every room in the house. Prices range from $3 to $4, most local grocery stores.
2. A quick and easy step to the green life is setting your thermostat at the appropriate temperature for the season. Georgia Power recommends holding steady at 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. This action will reduce your energy use, resulting in a lower utility bill. Take it a step further by installing a programmable thermostat. Just set it and forget it!
3. Perhaps you’ve made the switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs to save energy. Unfortunately, you always seem to run out of the house without remembering to turn it off! To combat this problem, invest in a plug-in lamp timer and set it so the light comes on only when you’re at home. Or, even better, go with a home automation system, which allows you to program the times to have your lights on and off, while giving you the ability to control your lighting away from home.
4. Air leaks throughout the home contribute significantly to lost energy and higher utility bills for homeowners, but this doesn’t have to be the case. “Get an energy audit to find out how your house is performing and what you can do to improve its energy efficiency,” says Judy Knight, director of marketing and public relations for Southface Energy Institute. “Check with your power company; many offer audits for free.”
5. Maybe you don’t have the funds to replace your kitchen appliances or countertops with eco-friendly products, but you can make some small, yet effective changes in the kitchen. For instance, exchange your standard plastic or metal dish rack with Crate & Barrel’s bamboo dish rack with utensil holder. Constructed of renewable bamboo grown without fertilizer or pesticides, this dish rack holds up to 23 plates plus flatware, and it folds flat for storage. $50, Crate & Barrel.
6. One of the biggest impacts we as consumers have on the environment is through the use of paper products. We use up a lot of trees through the consumption of paper towels, paper napkins, toilet paper and paper wipes. However, by switching from traditional paper products to those made with recycled fibers, such as those by Scott Naturals, we all can reduce the number of trees used in these products. Prices vary, major retail locations.
7. While many of us participate in recycling efforts for such products as newspaper, glass, aluminum and plastic, there are many more items we can recycle. These include ink cartridges, computers, motor oil, cardboard, tires and more. To find out where you can recycle these and other types of items, check your local Yellow Pages or The Internet Consumer Recycling Guide (obviously.com/recycle).
8. We all have a plethora of chargers we use every day: for the cell phone, iPod, laptop, digital camera, camcorder, etc. Surprisingly, if they stay plugged in, these chargers continue to use electricity even if you’re not currently charging a gadget. Therefore, make sure you unplug all chargers when you are not actively using them.
9. Although we don’t hear much about it, excessive amounts of radon gas in the home pose a significant health risk for residents. Originating from the soil in the ground around the home, radon can seep into the house through dirt floors, hollow-block walls, cracks in the foundation floor and walls, and openings around floor drains, pipes and sump pumps. To see if you are at risk, Knight recommends performing a simple radon test, which you can implement yourself with a “do it yourself” kit. $20, The Home Depot and Lowe’s.
10. Finally, when you head out the door to go shopping, make sure you take along your own reusable shopping bags. By using your own environmentally friendly bags, like The Container Store’s organic cotton totes constructed of 100 percent organic cotton, you will reduce the number of paper and/or plastic disposable bags that end up in local landfills. $22, The Container Store