How To Go Green At Home Methods
How many times have you been sitting in front of your television, watching another show or commercial about the green movement, wondering how you could do the same? There are a lot of people out there who would like to go green, but aren’t exactly sure how to get started. The thing is, that it isn’t all that hard. It just takes a little knowledge, a little research, and a little common sense. The following are some methods on How to Go Green at Home.
Green Lighting:
First of all, you can save energy and money, by making a few adjustments around your home. Replace your regular light bulbs with low wattage bulbs. They are a little more expensive when buying them, but in the long run, they can save you hundreds of dollars. Low wattage bulbs put off the same amount of light as a normal bulb, but use a lot less wattage. For instance, you get the same light as a 40 watt bulb, but only use 9 watts of electricity. These bulbs work great in bathrooms and kitchens, as well as desk lamps.
Heat Savings:
Another way to go green in your home is by checking windows and doors for air leaks. It can cost a lot of money to heat your home in the winter, but even more so if most of that air is escaping into the atmosphere. By replacing molding around windows, and stopping drafts from underneath doors, you save energy, and money. The same is true for leaks around faucets in your sinks and showers. Most people don’t realize it, but this is where a lot of your home’s heat is escaping through. A tube of caulking can take care of almost all these leaks, and will cost you pennies on the dollar.
Refurbish Furniture:
Take a look at your old furniture. Have you been thinking about throwing it all out and getting new? Rather than spend more money on new furniture, why not look into refurbishing what you’ve already got? With larger pieces like a couch or reclining chair, recovering may not be an option. However, it’s pretty easy to make covers for these items, and you can choose any fabric or print you’d like. For smaller pieces like kitchen chairs, you could very easily remove the seats and recover with only a few small swatches of fabric and a staple gun. Within a few minutes, your furniture looks better than before at a fraction of the cost.
Compost Your Waste:
Finally, think about the amount of food, and food by-products you throw out each day. If you grow your own gardens, or even just houseplants, you’re throwing out a ton of useful compost without even knowing it. You can fix this by starting your own compost heap. You can even build your own bin, using recycled products. Instead of tossing out your leftovers, throw them in the compost bin, give it a couple of turns, and by spring you’ve got a ton of nutrient rich soil that will help feed anything you decide to grow. Even if you only grow flowers, compost soil will give your blooms all the food they’ll ever need.
Every Little Bit Helps:
Next time you’re sitting around wondering How To Go Green At Home, think about where you’re money is going and how you can reduce these costs. Most times, you can save the environment simply by doing a few minor repairs around the house. Going green doesn’t mean spending a ton of money, it means doing what you can for your family, and your planet.
Tags: compost, green lighting, heat savings, how to go green at home, refurbish furniture
