Eco-Friendly
Easing into being Eco-Friendly with Recycling
By: Kelly Goldthorpe
As global warming concern heightens, the media and environmental groups are spamming the public with messages about what they can do to help reduce climate change. They suggest buying more energy efficient cars or swapping out your light bulbs. The do-this and do-that approach can be a turn off to those who want to go green, but aren’t ready to start hugging trees just yet. Recycling is one way to help the environment, without making any drastic changes to your behavior. The best part of recycling is that you don’t need to buy more expensive products that are better for the environment or alter your buying habits at all. It takes the concept that you continue making routine purchases, but then put them to use afterward. This way you can still buy the things you like without feeling guilty.
The first step toward making your home recycling-friendly is to get a bin specifically for your recyclable material. This should be something you keep handy – not stuck down in the garage. By placing it next to or near your kitchen garbage can you don’t have to exert any extra effort in recycling it compared to just throwing it away. If you want to go above and beyond with this, get a few bins for plastics, metals, and then mixed paper. This way your recyclables don’t get contaminated.
Break down any and all cardboard you use, from cereal to tissue boxes. Most cardboard used to package household products is recyclable, and breaking the boxes down helps save space for more material. Cardboard is very valuable in the recycling sphere, so each box makes a big difference. You don’t realize how much cardboard you actually use until you start this practice and then you’ll see the amount of waste you prevented through recycling.
Plastics and glass are another form of recyclable material frequently found within your home. Check with your local recycling facility to see what types of plastic they accept. In general, things like milk jugs and soda bottles will be OK. Glass is sorted by color, green, brown, and clear. If you want to really impress your recycling center pre-sort your glass this way, although it is not necessary.
Paper can be recycled so long as it is clean and dry. You should remove obstructions like rubber bands, but staples are typically accepted. Unlike plastics, paper products do not need to be separated. You can lump your old junk mail, print outs, and other paper products together to be recycled. This can include colored paper as well. If you get your local newspaper make sure to save those up; one tall stack of newspapers can save an entire tree when recycled.
Recycling actually becomes fun when you see how much waste you’re reducing. A household can go from three garbage cans headed straight from the landfill down to one just through recycling. Once you’ve gotten started with household recycling you might even find yourself become more eco-friendly in other aspects of your life!
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Reduce your Energy Costs
By: Kelly Goldthorpe
In a world where newspaper headlines are either reading about the economic recession or global warming, reducing your home energy consumption can help save your wallet and the planet. While installing solar panels on your roof may be out of your budget, there certainly are some easy ways to bring down your energy bill.
The biggest money savers also involve the biggest investment. Updating your house so it traps hot or cold air, depending on the season, can be significantly effective. This involves insulating both your walls and your ceiling, an area often forgotten about. Windows are also large leaks for energy, so purchasing argon filled window panes can help stop leaks. One additional method for preventing other opportunities for heat escape involves weather stripping the doors. Caulking and weather stripping are relatively inexpensive options for maintaining your home. You won’t hear your parents yelling, “stop throwing money out of the window,” with those fixes. Low pressure shower heads and insulating blankets for water heaters are other smart options. This keeps hot water hot and limits the amount of water used.
While these are big money savers, the day-to-day actions also add up. Set your thermostat lower when you’re gone. 68 degrees is a good temperature for while you’re away, that you can quickly heat up when you get home. Unplug appliances you aren’t using. Called “Vampire Electronics,” they suck energy when you’re not around. Simply turning off an appliance does not mean it is not still consuming electricity, so make sure they are entirely unplugged. Other basics like turning off lights and using the cold water on your washing machine can also pay off.
An unlikely energy saver is your blinds. By investing in quality window coverings you can continue to stop the escape of heat or air conditioning from your home. Consult a local expert in your area for more information on energy efficient blinds. Like performing an energy audit of your home, getting an in-home consultation concerning blinds and windows can be invaluable for reducing energy costs.
Once you start seeing a decline in your monthly bill you’ll likely become more eager to find other simple solutions to reducing your energy consumption! Remember: spend a little to save a lot!
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Want to make your bathroom eco-friendly?
People use and waste a lot of water every day and the bathroom is surely the place where this happens. Think about when you brush your teeth and let the water keep on coming out, or how many times you flush the toilet for foolish reasons or how many times, under the shower, you soap yourself and let the water come out.
All these different behaviors don’t just have consequences on the environment, but also on your pocket. Water and electricity bills can be expensive, in particular in dry and desert areas of the country. So, here are some tips on how to make your bathroom more eco-friendly.
1-Light Bulbs: The first thing to do is to replace your current incandescent light bulbs with energy saver ones that will make you save up to $100 a year on your electricity bill and you won’t have to change the bulb as often anymore. A good option are fluorescent bulbs because these are more efficient than incandescent.
2-Water Use: If you don’t have an eco friendly faucet, you should start thinking of installing one. This will drop down your water consumption and then the bills. A good idea is to install those faucets that have a sensor which is able to figure out when to start and stop the water flow. If your home has been built since 1992 and you haven’t replaced your toilet yet, it’s time to make some changes and start doing something good for the environment. Install a high efficiency toilet which uses less than 2 gallons of water per flush. If you don’t want to replace your toilet, use can use the dual-flush system that will let you save an average of 26 percent more water. Whenever you brush your teeth or you take a shower, make sure that you don’t waste water: turn off the shower when you soap up or the faucet when u brush your teeth.
3- Recycled toilet paper and tissue: If you are remodeling your bathroom, you should consider the possibility to buy recycled materials such as glass tiles.
4- Organic towels: Replace your towel with new eco friendly ones made of bamboo or organic cotton that don’t come from plants sprayed with insecticides and pesticides. Don’t throw away your old towel, use it as a rug or donate it to GoodWill or any other similar organization.
5-Shampoo and soap: A lot of common soaps and shampoos that are on the market might contain chemicals that are bad for your health. Don’t buy products that are promoted and labeled as “natural”, they can be a rip off or a scam.
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Energy Efficient Home Furnishings
By: Kelly Goldthorpe
Light bulbs, light bulbs, light bulbs! Isn’t that all you hear about when it comes to making your home eco-friendly? Believe it or not, there are more ways to create an energy-efficient home than by simply replacing your light bubs. Below are options for several home appliances that will reduce your carbon footprint. Unlike light bulbs, which are a quick solution, these may be more expensive home renovation projects. However, with their investment comes a big pay off – for you and the environment. If you plan on updating your home consider utilizing the following appliances throughout your house.
Dishwasher:
An energy efficient dishwasher can be up to 10% more efficient than a regular dishwasher. This directly translates to savings on your utility bills! You can find energy efficient dishwasher in most brands, which allows you to find one that fits your kitchen décor and the size you need. They use less water, but more pressure to ensure that you dishes still get clean. To go above-and-beyond you can buy environmentally friendly dishwashing soap and detergent.
Toilet:
While dual-flush toilets have become popular throughout the world, they are still up-and-coming in America. They work by providing two flush options, depending on the need. This limits the amount of water used and can cut your water consumption down dramatically. Despite using less water, they are still highly effective.
Portable Air Conditioner:
These are ideal for large homes or homes with only a few occupants. Similar to space heaters used in winter, portable air conditioners limit energy consumption through their targeted nature. Instead of spending money to cool off the entire house, you are only doing so for one room. Although window air conditioner units do the same thing, they cannot move from room to room. Portable units can travel with you, providing more value.
These three appliances can all help cut down your utility bills and boost your environmental friendliness. Of course, to be especially energy efficient don’t forget to buy those compact fluorescent light bulbs!
