There are many products out there and more every day. Each wants your business. How can you tell if it is a product worthy of the "Green Label".

"Living Green" list this criteria for their evaluation:
Source-Resource
Where does it come from?
What's it made of?
Is any of it recycled?
Manufacture
How is it made?
Has it been manufactured responsibly?
Does the manufacturer have a green commitment?
Transportation
Where does it come from?
What path does it take from there?
What methods of transportation does it use?
Health and Environmental Impact
How does this product affect your health?
How does this product affect the health of your environment?
How does this product affect the health of the environment?
Lifespan and Lifecycle
What is the lifespan of the product?
What is the lifecycle of the product?
Is the product recyclable or reusable?

More about this at Living Green

Currently there are many options for heating and cooling that don't involve petroleum. The obvious and most accessible are solar, wind, and geothermal. Depending on your region of the world will play a part in what option you might use.

What are your average number of sunny days in a year, what is the spead of the wind power in your area, is the water and land layout right for geothermal. The simplied basics - solar you have panels on the roof or in a bank in the yard that uses the suns rays to make energy that is used immediately or stored in a bank of batteries. With wind power you have a wind mill or wind turbine elevated above you property that makes energy with the use of the wind force on the turbin which is used or stored in batteries. Geothermal is a heating and cooling source that takes water from deep in the ground and runs it into a system in the house that uses that water to either heat or cool according to the season.

Each use has advantages and disadvantages. You have to make the decisions in relationship to your property location and configuration for the best option.

Think through the use of texture and surfaces for the walls, floors, ceilings in the home. They do not need to be carpet, wallpaper, or paint. Much has been done to expand the fibers used so they are ecologically friendly.

An interesting flooring material is bamboo. It is a fast growing plant that can be cut into flooring to look much like a hardwood floor. Bamboo is also being used for fabrics that might cover walls as a wallpaper. The paints available today are much more biodegradible than just a few years ago. It has been found that the carpets and pads from carpets that we like to tear out and change every few years will lay in the landfills for hundreds of years without decomposing.

If you are not in the mindset to have hard surface floors put rugs on the floors, but use rugs made from bamboo, hemp, or cotton and wool. When it gets to the basics if the fibers are man made they are probably using petroleum and not biodegradable.

The same can be said for the windows. The natural look of bare windows might suit some but the purpose of a window covering is not just to block the eyesight of neighbors. Blinds, curtains, or drapes help with energy conservation in both heat and cold. By using these items and especially if they are insulated you provide another barrier to block the hot rays of sun or in the winter the piercing cold that can pass through the glass. Here again natural fibers are what you should look for if you want to be responsible.

The fixtures you put in your kitchen and bath for water and the lighting fixtures throughout the house should be given thought as well. There is of course "the look" that is current but consider the use they will give. Can you us these faucets to help conserve water? Does the shower head have a low flow setting? Are the toilets water saving? When you look at lights, will the cfl bulbs fit and have a good appearance. You don't want to use energy wasting bulbs because the cfls don't look good - while in transition we find that in many homes.

There are many options available in all these areas. Each part of the world has different needs so I can not give good recommendations for each situation. Learn about the new materials that are available, convenient to your area, and most user friendly. It all comes to current research when you are making decisions. We are being presented with new products daily.

Furniture can span a wide range. The ultimate in building green and furnishing green is REUSE. No processing needed, no recycle just reuse. This is great for people who have families with hand-me-downs. Other options are used furniture stores, Freecycle, community programs, and yard sales.

Your style may not fit with just anything but that just means you might need to pick and choose. If you are in the mindset that you must have new you can look around and find furniture made from those sustainable products we have mentioned before.

This can be taken to any level, depending on your style, money available, and dedication to the size of your carbon footprint.

Floor coverings and window coverings are sometimes with interiors and sometimes with furniture. They are items that we change out when we change out our furniture. The important thing in trying to live in the most ecologiacally friendly way is not to make those changes just because but to "use up" the items - don't replace it if it isn't broken or will not work. Invest in good quality whether it is new or used and then just update the rooms with various pictures, assessories, and plants. Change out things you have on hand and you won't feel you have to line the yard each year for a yard sale just so you can buy new things. Much of this is a mind set. What do we need?