| A green home is one that is eco-friendly and | | | | plant oils etc. are bio-friendly. |
| is at harmony with the environment. You can | | | | |
| help the environment by making your home | | | | 5. Energy-efficient lighting. Replace |
| greener. Here is how you can do so by | | | | incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent |
| adopting a more energy-efficient and | | | | Light bulbs (CFLs). CFL bulbs use 66% less |
| earth-friendly lifestyle. | | | | energy and last 10 times longer. |
| | | | |
| Read the following top 10 ways to green your | | | | 6. Use recycled paper. Whenever you buy |
| home. | | | | paper, get 100 % post-consumer recycled |
| | | | paper. These consume less virgin pulp and |
| 1. Upgrade to greener appliances. Make your | | | | keep waste paper from ending up in landfills. |
| home energy efficient by upgrading to greener | | | | You can also save more trees by opting out of |
| appliances. Replace old appliances with | | | | junk mail lists. Using unbleached paper is |
| energy-efficient models that are Energy Star | | | | more eco-friendly as the bleached paper |
| rated to scale down your energy bill. | | | | process results in the creation of harmful |
| According to the Energy Star site, use of | | | | byproducts. Also, eschew paper and plastic |
| energy-efficient appliances in just one in 10 | | | | bags and carry your own cloth bags for |
| homes is equal to planting 1.7 million new | | | | shopping. |
| acres of trees. | | | | |
| | | | 7. Bamboo floors. Bamboo floors are more |
| 2. Temperature control. More than 50% of a | | | | environmental friendly than hardwood floors. |
| home's energy bill is from heating and | | | | Bamboo matures in four to six years while it |
| cooling appliances. Moderating the thermostat | | | | takes 50 to 100 years for typical hardwoods. |
| according to the weather goes a long way in | | | | |
| reducing energy consumption. Other energy | | | | 8. Shun plastics. Plastics are not |
| saving methods include using a modern | | | | bio-degradable. They produce harmful |
| furnace, cleaning its air filter every month | | | | greenhouse gases that contribute to global |
| and the use of ceiling fans instead of air | | | | warming when processed, burned or dumped into |
| conditioners. | | | | landfills. The best way is to avoid plastics, |
| | | | the next best thing is to reuse and recycle |
| 3. Saving water. There are hundreds of ways | | | | them. |
| one can save water and reduce energy | | | | |
| consumption. A few include fitting faucets | | | | 9. Eco-paint. Use environmentally safe paints |
| with aerators and installing water efficient | | | | that are organic and solvent-free to paint |
| low-flow toilets. | | | | your home. |
| | | | |
| 4. Clean with green products. Buy green | | | | 10. Green your garden. Avoid synthetic |
| household cleaners that are made of natural, | | | | fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Instead |
| non-toxic substances instead of toxic ones. | | | | use organic manure such as compost and |
| Carpet and window cleaners containing grain | | | | non-chemical pest control methods. |
| alcohol, detergents made of coconut or other | | | | |