Moderate Greenness: Making Your Home Greener

Once you’ve passed the first steps of going green, you might want to take things a little further and make changes to your home. Now that products inside your home are green, how about making your abode green.

We’re not talking about actually painting your place green, although if you decide to do so here’s a website that talks about the different kinds of “green” paint out there and what to look for when choosing one.  For example, the article suggests looking for cans with labels that read “low odor, low or no VOC.” VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds are chemicals emitted as gas from certain solids and liquids. To read more about VOCs, click here.

Another way to green up your home is to get rid of your old appliances and buy new ones with the “Energy Star” logo. MSN has an article on 10 ways to green your home, with more details on how much your old appliances really cost you and the environment. MSN states that the Energy Star site claims if just one in 10 homes use energy-efficient appliances, it would be equal to planting 1.7 million ACRES of trees!

Changing the windows in your home is also a good way to lower your energy bill and save the Earth. You can install plastic barriers or storm windows on your existing ones, or you can completely change them out. Don’t know what kind to buy or don’t know if your home needs new windows? MSN has an article that provides tips to see if your windows need to be updated as well as information on the many different types of windows available and their uses.

Also if you’re thinking about remodeling your kitchen, use wood alternatives or FSC certified Wood Products for floors and cabinets. Those hardwood floors sure look nice, but did you know it takes about 100 yrs for hardwoods to grow big enough to be used? Bamboo is one flooring option that grows quickly and easy to replant. Green Building Supply has more information on all the different options for floors and cabinets.