Simple Steps to a Greener Home Part 3

Simple Steps to a Greener Home - the conclusion:

I wanted to end this series of greening your home by talking about ways to make your bedroom greener, using energy saving appliances and devices, and recycling and repurposing products you were going to throw away.

A Natural Bedroom:

When shopping for mattresses and bedding look for stores that sell products that are made from recycled, sustainable or organic materials. One such store is ABC Carpet & Home.

When you buy a new mattress get one that is made from 100% organic cotton. Cover your new mattress in an encasement cover, which is also made out of 100% organic cotton. This will help keep dust mites and other microorganisms out of your mattress helping it to last longer and stay healthier longer too. All of which saves you money and helps you get a more restful sleep.

Find sheets that are (you guessed it) made from 100% organic cotton that are dyed with low impact natural dyes. The prices for these items are comparable to those made the non-Ecofriendly way. Ecofriendly products are continually coming down in price as more and more people are purchasing more and more of these products.

Energy saving:

When shopping for new appliances look for appliances and products with the Energy Star logo. This logo is only given to products those meet rigid standards of proven energy savings, and who doesn’t like to save money.

Change all your incandescent bulbs to compact florescent light bulbs. They give off 70% less heat and last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. They also use substantially less energy saving you money.

Reuse and Re-purpose:

Look for recycled products for your home, such as paper products. Paper towels, tissue, toilet paper and printer paper can be made out of recycled paper. There are a few companies that use recycled paper that you could not tell the difference from the old way of making them.

Before you throw out any item ask yourself, “Can I use this item for something else or another purpose?”. If your answer is no consider giving it away or donating it to Goodwill or another thrift store like it. Where I live we have an artist who takes in castoff metal and wood. He makes beautiful sculptures with these items that, If not for him, would end up in landfills.

Also if your items are just not salvageable at all consider taking them to recycle centers. There are such centers in most communities or close by. Old metal appliances and even cars can be turned into cash at your local recycle center. Glass, paper, metal, these centers sell the reclaimed materials to companies that make new products out of them, keeping those materials out of landfills.

These are just a few ideas to make your home greener. I am sure you can think of some more. Until next time be courageous in your designs.

Simple Steps to a Greener Home Part 2

Simple Steps to a Greener Home: Continued.

As we we continue our discussion of ways to green your home I want to talk about some of the simplest ways to be Eco friendly in your home.

Houseplants:

Green your environment, literally, through the use of houseplants. Not only do houseplants provide natural beauty to our homes, but they also clean the toxins out of the air. A NASA study revealed that house plants can remove up to 87% of toxic indoor air within 24 hours, and can keep it at that level as long as you keep your plants.

Not all plants need to be placed near windows. Look for tropical plants to stick into dark corners and areas. They love the shade. Plants should not be placed in drafty areas because the draft prevents them from reducing toxins in the air.

If you are afraid of killing your plants because you might forget to water them or you travel a lot you can still have live plants in your home to help clean the air. Invest in plants known as succulents. They are arid plants and require very little water. They can go a couple of weeks and more between watering. My favorite succulents are Sedum, Red Succulents, and Aloe.

With so many indoor plant choices it is very easy to improve the air quality as well as the beauty of your home.

Here are some tips for caring for your houseplants:

·        When watering your plants use tepid water, not cold or hot.

·        Don’t over water your plants. More damage is done from over watering plants than under watering.

·        Read up on your plants to see what they need to thrive, light, fertilizer, etc..

Composting:

The average American household generates over 200 pounds of kitchen waste every year. I am talking about things like apple cores, lettuce, and pineapple peels. Most people throw this away. Instead of tossing this out make a compost pile. Think of the money you could save producing your own organic fertilizer instead of spending it on all that nasty toxic commercial fertilizer filled with unhealthy chemicals.

To make your own compost pile you will need a round plastic barrel shaped plastic container, that is open on both ends with holes cut or poked in the sides for aeration. You can just pile it on the ground if you don’t have a container but it will take longer to “cook” another way of saying turn into compost. It can be as elaborate or simple as you like, just o it! Remember to only place plant based scraps that are degradable in your compost bin. A good recipe to remember is to place items in your bin this way, brown, green, brown, and green. Brown being lawn refuse like leaves and grass clippings and green being kitchen refuse. Compost can provide nutrients to and improve the structure of soil. 

Next time we will talk about ways to Green up your bedroom, save energy around the house, and keep junk from ending up in landfills.

Until then remember to keep your Designs Courageous.

Simple Steps to a Greener Home Part 1

There are simple things you can do in and around your home right now to help reduce your carbon foot print. Simple things we take for granted. It just takes a little planning and your home will be greener and your pocket book and health will thank you.

Building or remodeling:

First I would like to talk about building or remodeling. If you are planning on building a home then you can start at the very beginning by letting your builder know to only choose supplies and materials that are Ecofriendly. These are products that are friendly to the environment. Products that are made from easily renewable sources, low toxins, organically produced or takes refuse out of our landfills by reusing or re-purposing them, such as used lumber, glass or stone. But if you are like most people you already have a house that was built with out any input from you. Don’t worry, because you can still green up your home.

Granite counter Tops

Granite counter tops are really beautiful. Granite is a naturally occurring material so it must be a green choice, right? Wrong! Because of the way that granite has to be dug out of the ground it is a very destructive (to the Earth) material to harvest. A better, greener choice would be recycled glass and stone counter tops. There are companies that take glass and crush it and mix it with crushed stone to make something that, in my opinion, looks just as beautiful as real granite.  A great place to buy this material is Vetrazzo Recycled Glass Surfaces. There are other places to buy it so shop around.The cost of these recycled glass materials is comparable if not cheaper than granite.

Paints:

Did you know that you could buy recycled paint? Yes you can. Recycled paint is available at some retailers. You just have to look. The only drawback is you are limited to color choice because it is usually already mixed. Although as the technology for mixing recycled paint is getting better, so are the color choices. But what if you can’t find the color you want? Don’t worry there are more green choices to paint. You can use non-toxic natural paints. Non-toxic natural paints are plant-based paints. The good things about these paints are they are low odor and low VOCs.  Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.

VOCs are a contributing factor to air pollution as well as a cancer-causing toxin. Low VOC Ecofriendly paint is not only a good choice for the environment but also if you are health sensitive. Natural paints are made with plant oils, plant extracts, and minerals. Always look for low VOC paint. One helpful hint I want to give you about paint is, to get rid of the paint smell add vanilla essence or extract. You can find recycled paint at Recycle Paint -Calibre Environmental Ltd.. You can find Eco friendly paint manufacturers here ECO Friendly Home Interior Paint Brands. Then go find the paint sellers who have these brands. Recycled paints are usually cheaper than regular paints and Natural Paints are comparable in price to those made with dangerous toxins.

Floor Coverings:

There are many choices for floor coverings now that are made from natural renewable sources or recycled materials.

·        Sisal – Made from the pulp of the agave plant, after they squeeze all the delicious juice out to make tequila.

·        Hemp – this is a great green material used to make many things. It is one and a half times stronger than cotton.

·        Old tires – these are being used to make doormats that will last forever.

·        Bamboo – the fibers from bamboo can be woven into rugs and carpets. This is also a great sustainable choice because bamboo grows prolifically.

·        Regular materials – you can buy carpets and rugs made from regular materials such as cotton and wool, but be sure to look for low VOC carpet. The VOCs in carpet is what gives it that new carpet smell.

A great low cost tip for changing the look of your floors is by using carpet tiles. They are also non-permanent. When you get a stain simply remove the stained tile or tiles and replace with a new tile. How easy is that? EcoFriendly Flooring Inc. is a great source for flooring that is truly green. They also have other surface covering products as well.

The rugs and carpeting choices listed above are comparable to regular carpeting containing toxic materials.

Ecofriendly fabrics and furniture:

When shopping for furniture, look for items that are made of natural or recycled materials. Use products that are made of 100% organically grown cotton. Non-organic cotton is responsible for 25% of the world’s pesticides. That’s right, I said ¼ of the entire world’s pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. Imagine if everyone started using fabrics and materials made from organic cotton. Imagine how many toxic chemicals would not get into our water supply and air. One company that uses 100% organic cotton is Q-Collection. They have a wonderful assortment of furniture and items that are Eco-friendly. Check them out here: Q-Collection

Look for furniture makers that use 100% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved wood. The FSC is a non-profit organization devoted to responsible management of the world’s forests.

Textiles can also be made from Eco-friendly materials leathers, hemp, velvet, and silk.

Again the prices are comparable to regularly produced furniture.

Next time we will talk about using houseplants to detox your home.

Until next time be courageous in your designs.