How to Be Eco-Friendly

We all know me must reduce, reuse and recycle, but there are still things we want or need to buy. When purchasing products try and be conscious of what you are buying, where and how it was made, and make sure you are not being greenwashed. Sometimes that is easier said than done.



One way to make sure you are buying products that have not caused damage to the environment is to buy fair trade products. Workers are paid a fair wage and the products are manufactured under conditions that ensure long-term sustainable growth.

Another way is to buy from a company that has established itself as a green, eco-conscious company. Many companies are claiming to be green, but are they? Check the company's website, mission statement and press releases and see if their claims make sense. If you smell something fishy, you may be right!

Improving your home with eco-friendly improvements can be very easy and rewarding in the long run. Some eco improvement can cost you thousands of dollars while others can actually be a few dollars or even free. In the end, they all save energy which helps to save the earth and will save you a lot of money. In addition to saving money and being eco-friendly, eco-friendly home improvements can actually raise the value of your home from a few thousand to several thousand dollars! Here are some ideas for eco-friendly home improvements.

Start small. Even the smallest changes make a big difference. Changing the light bulbs in your home to the new halogen bulbs that require less energy can be a big eco-friendly change. You will save on energy needs and save money. The halogen bulbs also last a lot longer and save on waste materials making them another way to be eco-friendly. Read more...

21 Environmentally Friendly Home Improvement Ideas

Anything that is solar powered is a green product. Since it uses solar energy it doesn't require electrical energy or it requires only the minimal usage. Either way, anything that saves on electrical energy is better for the environment.

Solar powered lights, radios, sprinklers and even full home solar panels can save a lot of energy. Not to mention, it will save you hundreds on your electrical bill.

While most of us can't afford to remodel our home using strictly solar powered appliances and panels, each little bit does help. One of the most popular solar powered appliances is the solar powered hot-water heater. Many how found it to be very beneficial for bother their environment and their wallets.

1. Turn off lights, radios, computers and other electrical devices when not in use. They may only require a minimal amount of electricity but, when several are on at once it can add up significantly.

2. Conserve water.

~Always turn the water off while brushing your teeth.

~Don't allow the water to run while washing dishes until it's time to rinse.

~Always use full loads when washing clothes.

~Avoid long showers that aren't necessary.

~Check and repair leaks.

3. Use eco-friendly products such a halogen light bulbs and energy saving appliances. Not only will they save you money, but they will help to save the planet!

4. Use organic materials. Organic is always better. It means it's required less to create it and it causes less harm when it goes back into the environment. Things such s organic pesticides are a great way for you to protect the planet and your family.

5. Recycle...Recycle...Recycle... Recycling is one of the easiest ways to live green. Simply recycling plastic, paper and aluminum will help to cut down on waste, needs to recreate those materials for future use and help cut down on pollution from those huge industrial plants that create them.

Cleaning your home can be harmful to you and your family as well as the planet. These helful guide will show you how to clean your home to insure that it's eco-friendly, safe for you, your home and the planet.

It includes how-to's, recipes for making cleaning products that are safe, and will help you save lots of money. Be sure to read Eco-Friendly Home Cleaning Guide

Being eco-friendly goes well beyond your house. Outside in your beautiful garden, you too, can be eco-friendly. Here are several resources on how to be eco-friendly outside!

Energy Efficient Landscaping

Eco-Friendly Security Lights

5 Easy Tips for an Eco-Friendly Landscape

200 Ways to Live Green and Save Green

Looking for easy green living tips? The Daily Green Has Top 10 Idiot-Proof Eco-Tips

Top 10 Idiot-Proof Eco-Tips are easy enough anyone can do them. They only take a few minutes to learn but could last a lifetime!

Eco-Friendly Tip #1 on Oprah: Eco-friendly Canvas Bags
When you're deciding between paper and plastic at the grocery store, choose neither. Plastic takes 1,000 years to decompose and paper bags use 14 million trees a year. Instead, an easy eco-friendly tip is to use cloth grocery bags. Any cloth bag will do, but Oprah said that her website is selling organic cotton canvas bags made without pesticides.

Another easy eco-friendly tip on Oprah is to use an organic mesh bag for organic produce. One eco-friendly expert urged consumers to look at the amount of packaging in the grocery store. Since petroleum-based packaging isn't good for the environment, buy items that use minimal packaging.

This easy eco-friendly tip may cost you a little more money: organic produce. It's a green tip because it takes less energy to harvest and doesn't use pesticides, so it's healthier for the planet. But, organic produce isn't necessarily a green money saving tip - though it could make you physically healthier.

Eco-Friendly Tip #2 on Oprah: Eco-Friendly Eating
Elizabeth Rogers wrote The Green Book, which contains dozens of easy eco-friendly tips that Oprah loved. In writing The Green Book she wanted to answer the question, "What are the easiest things we can do that make the biggest difference?"

One of Rogers' green tips is using one less napkin a day because paper napkins make a huge difference. Give up one paper napkin a day, and you'll save a billion pounds of paper waste in landfills a year. Using cloth napkins is one easy eco-friendly tip on Oprah that makes a huge difference.

Eco-Friendly Tip #3 on Oprah: Natural Cleaning Products
"Clean doesn't have a smell," says one environmentally friendly family. When your bathroom is clean, it shouldn't smell like pine or lemon. Switch from toxic to non-toxic, natural cleaning products. Seventh Generation sells non-toxic products, which improve your family's healthy by being less likely to cause asthma attacks.

Eco-Friendly Tip #4 on Oprah: Change Your Lightbubs
Most of the energy comes from coal-fired plants. A compact fluorescent light bulb is more energy-efficient and will save your money in the long run. CFL lightbulbs are energy smart; they're more expensive, but they'll last longer.

Eco-Friendly Tip #5 on Oprah: Daily Green Tips for Every Family
These easy eco-friendly tips are things you can do every day. The green tips come from the Squire family (a green family featured on the eco-friendly Oprah show).

Use the same cups over and over.
Don't run the dishwasher unless it's absolutely full.
Don't throw clothing or shoes away, especially leather shoes.
Buy clothes at secondhand, consignment, or resale shops.
Put power strips on your tv to turn everything off when you go to bed or leave for the day. Vampire or standby power drains energy.
Another eco-friendly tip on Oprah is to go to a landfill and see where your garbage goes. It doesn't just disappear! When you see a landfill in person, you'll think twice about what you throw in the garbage and what you recycle. Recycle as much as you can. Make sure you check what types of plastic are recyclable in your city, through the Public Works or Sanitation Department.

Copyright: Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

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