Photo by Nemo’s great uncleUnless scientists prove that global warming is just a myth, it’s best to look for great ways to make your home more environmentally correct, more eco-friendly, more green. And it doesn’t take a lot of green to get there! Try out some of these top ways to green up your teepee:
Install a chlorine-removing shower filter in your bathroom. Today’s water supplies contain so much chlorine, you could liberally slather yourself in petroleum jelly (hmmm) and still feel all dried up. These shower heads boast sediment pre-filters plus clear polycarbonate filters that really don’t slow down the water pressure while you sing in the shower. You’ll protect your hair and skin, and you’ll also find that your eyes and lungs will thank you.
Try a little composting. For somewhere between twenty and forty bucks you can pick up a bin that’s sized to use in the kitchen. They come made from recycled plastic or polyethylene material, stainless steel, or even ceramic. Some of them are made to attach to the inside of a kitchen cabinet door. And it’s only a few steps from there to the compost bin you can set up in the backyard (or just use biodegradable trash bags.) When you consider that over 60% of Americans’ household waste is compostable compared with only 8% actually composted, it makes you realize that every small contribution counts.
How about putting a stop to some of the outgassing that goes on in your home? Many houses, especially those built more than a decade ago, give off dangerous fumes (sounds like my teenager), which you can alleviate by applying proper seals. You can clear out your carpet by applying a sealing product to extract fume-emitting chemicals right after you wash it. Whether you want a green product to keep your tools clean and lubricated, a nontoxic coating for your deck, or an elastomeric coating that you can apply to roofing, siding, polyurethane, and other home surfaces, just think mean and green.
Next, you’re gonna save water with a water-miser gardening hose sprayer nozzle. You need to buy a nozzle that attaches to your hose and won’t leak water unless you pick it up and spray. Whether you’re cleaning the side of your home, watering your lawn, or just giving your car the once-over, you’ll save a ton of water.
Wrap things up in your kitchen by getting rid of old plastic-style sandwich and freezer storage bags. Look for the same useful sizes in bags made from cellulose, which is a plant-tissue product farmed from non-rainforest trees. If you deep-six them they’ll biodegrade in less than two weeks. Without the plastic coatings found on regular bags, they cannot emit gases that ruin the taste of your foods. Most of them can go from the microwave to the freezer, so use them for everything from storing your spices to freezing your leftover pasta.
If you’re not using the new, swirly-looking CFL light bulbs, why not? They last up to ten times longer than the standard light bulb, and they only use one-quarter of the electricity of those bulbs. Just go out and buy several of these, and stop getting your blood pressure up because your kids forget to turn out the lights sometimes. (Well, you’ll have to get them to work on that.) At GreenHome.com, you can even buy an inexpensive home energy conservation kit that includes three bulbs-one equivalent each to 60 watts, 75 watts, and 100 watts. You’ll also get an electroluminescent night light, several draft-stopping gaskets, and a whistle that alerts you when air filters are plugged.
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