10 Easy & Inexpensive Tips for an Eco-Friendly Home

Simple yet effective ways to green your home.

Outfitting your home with the latest and greatest environmentally friendly appliances and accessories may make you super trendy, but it can also stress your budget and actually end up being bad for the environment. How can that be? Throwing out one appliance or accessory to replace it with another can be an expensive habit, and the more you throw away, the more stuff ends up in a landfill.

Rather than diving in headfirst, start adding eco-friendly touches to your home in small but meaningful ways. The following 10 tips are a good start for those who want to go green.

1. Replace only when needed

Unfortunately, many people think part of going green means getting all new stuff — not true. One great thing you can do for the environment is to learn to not be so disposable and to use everything until it's worn out.

2. Second-hand stores

Anything that gets thrown away is bad for the environment. Become a frequent contributor to second-hand stores, and shop them often. You’ll be surprised at the little treasures you’ll find, and you can request receipts for tax-deductible donations.

3. Antiques

Taking the used furniture idea a step further, antiques are a wonderful way to go green and to add aesthetic interest to your home. You don’t need to fill every nook and cranny with antique furnishings; a few pieces here and there fit in every home and are great conversation starters.

4. Rethink art

Look for artists who specialize in reclaimed or recycled pieces. Artwork doesn’t tend to be a huge environmental hazard, but by adding artwork with an environmental spin, you inspire your family and others. Who knows, you may be so inspired that you actually take up a new hobby and become an artist yourself!

5. Study materials

Learn what material items are made from and the environmental impact of those materials. Look for natural and organic materials (like 100 percent organic cotton sheets), fair-trade products, recycled plastics, reclaimed wood and bamboo products. This takes a little time and effort, but you’ll be a more educated consumer overall, and that’s a good thing.

6. Government programs

If you need to replace an appliance, check to see if there are any government programs that offer tax rebates for new energy-efficient appliances and fixtures. This is a win-win situation: You get a more efficient appliance and a tax break, and the environment isn’t taxed with still more carbon dioxide emissions or energy overuse. Turn it into an even bigger win by donating functioning older appliances to a charitable organization and help other families in need.

7. Plants

Literally going green in your home is great for the environment, as plants express your desire to be environmentally sound and help process and clean the air inside your home.

8. The right paint

Older paints release volatile organic compounds, meaning they have toxic fumes that remain long after the fresh paint smell goes away. Look for low- or no-VOC paints, so your home’s air stays as clean as possible.

9. Light bulbs

You’ve heard it for years, but compact fluorescent lights really are a more energy-efficient solution, and they’ll last longer than traditional light bulbs. By buying CFL bulbs, you’ll save money in the long run, and lighten your impact on the environment. Just remember that CFL bulbs contain mercury and must be disposed of properly - you can't just toss them in the trash when they need replacing. Most communities offer free hazardous waste disposal at select sites and times during the year. You can bypass the whole issue by investing in energy-efficient and non-toxic LED bulbs. They are more expensive initially, but prices are getting more reasonable, and they will literally last almost a lifetime which makes them less expensive in the long run.

10. Learn DIY 

Learn how to do some things yourself, and you’ll find you don’t need to replace everything — you can fix it, re-cover it, decorate it or give it new life in a variety of ways. Your DIY skills may actually become a hobby or even a potential income maker as you hone your skills. Take it a step further: Learn to build and repair things in an eco-friendly way, and you’ll not only see your items as things you can breathe new life into, but you’ll start seeing everything that way.

Less is more

These ideas are by no means the only ways you can begin adding environmentally friendly touches to your home — they’re just a few tips to get you started. You’ll find that as you learn more about what is good for the environment and what harms it, you’ll uncover new and innovative ways to bring eco-friendly touches to your home.

One key to remember is that being environmentally conscious is not necessarily about buying new, more expensive items. It’s about wisely choosing which items to keep, which to replace, what to repair or refinish, or what to repurpose entirely. The most eco-conscious homeowners are not looking for the biggest house filled with the newest, most environmental products. They’re going the opposite route entirely and thinking smaller, used, antique and “less is more.”

[via GAIAM Life]

The "Green" Christmas Tree

For many families, the centerpiece of Christmas celebrations is the luminous, awe-inspiring tree decorated with care in the living room. But with all the options now available, how do you know which Christmas tree is the greenest choice for the environment?

The question for many is deciding between a real, fresh tree or a fake tree.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) nearly 29 million households purchase a live tree each year. Most Christmas trees are now raised on established farms, meaning deforestation isn't an issue, but they must be shipped, often over long distances. They do require pesticides and fueled vehicles to maintain and transport, and often end up taking up space in landfills.

On the other hand, most artificial Christmas trees are made in China, typically from oil-derived, pollution-releasing polyvinyl chloride (PVC). A number have been found to contain lead. Once finally disposed of, artificial trees will last for centuries in landfills. Roughly 70% of Americans choose artificial trees these days.

Advocates of "going artificial" point out that a one-time purchase of a fake tree can save gas otherwise used for annual trips to a tree farm or shopping center, not to mention for cross-country shipping of the tree to the point of sale. If your family keeps the faux fir for many years, even generations, the oil savings could certainly add up to more than what it took to make and ship the product in the first place. But that is an "if," and all too often people upgrade to a fancier model, or abandon their old one after a move or after the boughs get bent in the attic.

So, what's the "greenest" Tannenbaum? While a number of factors are to be considered, including where you live, how you celebrate and precisely what you buy, there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

Going with a real tree?
Try to choose something locally and organically grown. You'll cut down on CO2 emissions and help prevent the environmental degradation wrought by pesticides on big conventional operations. The NCTA locator site features a list of beautiful live Christmas tree providers across the country. When you are finished with your tree, be sure to convert it to mulch or compost.

Going with an artificial tree? 
Try to choose one that is made in the U.S., this greatly decreases the chances for contamination with lead or other toxins, preserves domestic manufacturing jobs and reduces shipping. If you must get rid of your artificial tree, check with local charities, shelters and churches to see if they can use it. Most recycling programs do not accept them, and they'll take many centuries to degrade in landfills.

Growing a tree? 
Buy a living, plantable "bulb" tree. Inside, the tree can wear ornaments and garland, and after Christmas it can be transplanted outdoors. You'll be adding to the planet's lungs and fighting global warming, as well as providing wildlife habitat. If you live in an apartment, or don't have room in your yard for an evergreen, see if you can donate it to a person or place within your community.

Going with creativity? 
Try to fashion your own "tree" from items around your home or even natural materials like driftwood, pine boughs or cones, branches and similar. You won't be contributing to any new resource use and will be giving your own creativity a chance to flourish.

FTC Issues Revised "Green Guides"

Expect to see fewer products pitched as "environmentally friendly" if the government has its way.

Hoping to limit the number of deceptive claims, the Federal Trade Commission on Monday released an updated version of its green marketing guidelines that hold companies to truthful standards in marketing their products.

The revision to the Green Guides is the first since 1998, when phrases like "carbon offset" and "renewable energy" were not widely used.

The revisions include some changes to the proposed guidelines that the FTC circulated in October 2010 and reflect input from consumers and industry groups. New sections address the use of carbon offsets, "green" certifications and seals, and renewable energy and renewable materials claims.

Among the updates, the guides warn marketers not to make broad, unqualified claims that their products are environmentally friendly or eco-friendly.

The FTC said "very few products, if any" deliver the far-reaching environmental benefits that consumers associate with such claims, which it says are nearly impossible to substantiate anyway.

The guides also:

• Advise marketers not to make an unqualified degradable claim for a solid waste product unless they can prove that the entire product or package will completely break down and return to nature within a year after customary disposal.
• Caution that items destined for landfills, incinerators, or recycling facilities will not degrade within a year, so marketers should not make unqualified degradable claims for these items.
• Clarify guidance on compostable, ozone, recyclable, recycled content, and source reduction claims.

The revised guidelines also outline how marketers can qualify their claims to avoid deceiving consumers.

• They do not address use of the terms "sustainable," "natural" and "organic." The FTC said that's because it may lack a basis to provide meaningful guidance, or it wants to avoid proposing guidance that duplicates or contradicts that of other agencies.

According to study by TerraChoice

The Green Guides are not rules or regulations but general principles that describe the types of environmental claims the agency may find deceptive. The FTC has imposed fines and taken other actions in recent years involving deceptive recyclability, biodegradable and environmental certification claims.

FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said the changes will level the field for honest business people.

"The introduction of environmentally friendly products into the marketplace is a win for consumers who want to purchase greener products and for producers who want to sell them," he said. "But this win-win can only occur if marketers' claims are truthful and substantiated."

Consumer advocates hope the revisions will help reduce "greenwashing," in which a company promotes a single green aspect of the product but doesn't give the full picture of other ingredients.

Green Seal Inc., a nonprofit environmental certification organization based in Washington, applauded the changes.

"With this new guidance, we hope that there will be enforcement to help rid the marketplace of the many less-than-credible seals and greenwashing that exists," said Arthur Weissman, the group's president and CEO.