Tip #1: Did you know that if you turn down your thermostat by just one degree you can reduce your energy bill by about 4 percent? Yes! So, turn it down and throw on a sweater.

Tip #2: Clean up the air in your home. You can easily do this by tuning up your heating and cooling system. It's easy, simply upgrade or change your air filters in your system. Ideally, changing the air filter once a month in the winter seems excessive to some, depending on how cold it is where you live, but the dust and dirt that fill up a filter makes your heater work harder and you end up using more energy than you need to to run your system. Not only will it help to make your family more comfortable in the summer and the winter, but it improves the indoor air quality and is less stress on your heating/cooling system - thus, you use less energy.

Tip #3: Install ceiling fans if you don't have them. You can buy them from the inexpensive to the very elaborate - but the effect is the same. When you use a ceiling fan in the summer - of course, it cools your room(s). AND%u2026 when you use turn on a ceiling fan in the winter - simply reverse the direction of the blades (usually a small switch is found on the fan to do this). Reversing the direction of the blades actually pushes warm air down which helps to keep rooms warmer.

Tip #4: This is tedious but important. Fix all of the leaks you can find around your windows and doors. This is done with weather stripping and caulking. For more information on how to do this, check out%u2026

Tip #5: This one is a no-brainer. When it's time to replace any of your appliances, simple look for the Energy Star Label. This label indicates that the appliance will save energy and save you money. Plus, many companies like PGE, will give you rebates for installing the Energy Star appliances.

For the other 5 tips (plus a bonus tip!) please visit my Green Life Tips blog.

Recycling
Most of us could probably benefit from a major rethink about the amount of things we consume and the waste we create. Although this module is called 'recycling', let's also take a look at how we can reduce the amount of waste we produce in the first place. And how we can reuse existing items to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill sites and creating more pollution.

Reusing and reducing the number of unwanted items is more important and fundamentally greener than simply deciding to use your local recycling bins. Nonetheless, recycling unwanted items is very important and something that most of us can introduce into our lives fairly easily.

Modern labor-saving devices designed to revolutionize housework are, on the whole, 'disposable' and therefore not environmentally friendly. After all, what exactly does disposable mean? Manufacturers create disposable items so that people buy more, but what right do they have to say whether it is acceptable to keep buying sponge cleaners and throwing them away a week later?

The manufacture of these items contributes to the pollution of the environment, and the resources being wasted. We can happily live without them by making a few simple decisions about how to change our lifestyles.

For the rest of this article, please visit my Green Life Tips blog.