Easy Steps To Having A Green Home

There are great many things that can be done to make your impact on this plants ecosystem just a little bit less. The things that I have tried to do are very minimal and are pretty easy to do. Often times we think that the issue is too big for us to be able to possibly do any kind of good. So as a result we do nothing. If this sounds somewhat like you then you’re like me and can do the simple things to help save our planet.

The first area that I noticed that I could improve my eco-awareness in was my house. Here I found a lot of things that needed to be updated thrown out fixed or changed. The first being my air quality, I first noticed this when I quit smoking and everything seemed to smell really bad including the air that was used to breathing every day in my house. Mind you I did not smoke in my house I could still smell all of the funk so I put plants in my house and especially room. Add this will all of the other indoor air pollutants from aerosols and chemicals the air quality of my house was horrible. To remedy this I put plants all in my house and room. Studies from NASA show that if you have a plant for every 100 square feet of house then this will not only give your home the best air quality can get but also give you more oxygen as well. This not only helps the environment by not running a air purifier, but it also helps to take out the VOCs (volatile organic compound).

The next thing that I did to help make my home more green was to switch to using a high efficiency laundry detergent that uses cold water. For some of you reading this you probably have already done this and it is an obvious step. You are right it is an obvious thing but for the most part people overlook this and some just don’t know. I’m a guy I didn’t know until my girlfriend told me about it. Any way back on track here this little switch from regular laundry detergent to the H.E. has saved me some money and it is easier on the planet as well.

Other things that I have changed is well when I do clean which is not very often I use all natural cleaners and recycled plastic bags for trash. The all natural cleaners work just as good as the other chemical cleaners sometimes better, and the trash bags are recycled plastic. I have heard of biodegradable trash bags but have not seen them where I shop though. This is not a big step but every little bit counts all that it takes is a couple of extra bucks.

Just like everything else that has gone on this far this next idea is not a big one but does help put the environment in a way that you would not believe. What is it you say? The answer is organic cotton; it is just like regular cotton and can be used on t-shirts, bed sheets, blankets and jeans. The difference only difference is that organic cotton is grown without the use of carcinogenic pesticides and insecticides, which can seep into the soil. Another alternative to regular cotton is recycled cotton from old shirts and jeans. This is also a great alternative to synthetic petroleum fibers such as polyester and spandex which contribute to green house gases and the depletion of our oil supply.

One of the things that has saved me a lot of money while still being green is how I use my water and lights. In the shower I installed the low flow shower heads. I like to have a shower that has some power in the water so I had to look for a little bit but I did find one that was both a low flow head that still provided some power behind the water. The next thing that I did to my water was turn my hot water heater down to 120 degrees, by doing this it cut my gas bill from 100 bucks a month to around 75. Something that I am experimenting at the moment is to use my rain water that I caught in a 55 gallon drum to water my grass and flowers. All that I did to the lighting of my house was change from regular light bulbs to CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps), and open up the blinds and turn off the lights when not in the room. This has had a nice impact on my power bill dropping it down by 20 bucks. I probably could have done other things such as get solar panels put in, or use wind power, but have yet do to do so because sometimes I am selfish and want to hold onto my money. I think everyone has this problem sometimes.

The things that I did to help lessen my petroleum foot print were as follows. The obvious one carpool and when possible in a car that gets good mileage, I especially like this because instead of spending money on gas for my Dodge Dakota I am saving it. I used to think that carpooling was only for the suit and tie types going to their downtown corporate offices, but I realized that even country bumpkins like me and my friends all go to the same places so might as well not go in just one big group. Car pooling or riding with your friends is a great way to help keep your pollution down.

This isn’t really a transportation one but I use electric yard tools instead of gas for the most part. Not all of my power tools are electric but the blower and weed eater are, this helps me in not spending money on gas and oil and it helps to not use as mush petroleum products which saves it for more important stuff like Tupperware just kidding.

The next thing that I did to cut down on my emissions was to lay off the gas when driving. Don’t get me wrong I like to go fast and spin out and do doughnuts but for the most part I try to keep my RPMs below 2000 or at the most 2500 when accelerating and driving. This saves me a lot of money by not wasting gas stupidly by accelerating fast and revving up my engine unnecessarily when it does just fine cruising.

This is a great website to find more information on living green http://lazyenvironmentalist.com If you would like to check out more of my hubs here they are along with my website: Dunwoody Lawn Care