16 Ways to Green Your Home: Part 1

Change. 

It is one of the hardest things for us as human beings to master.  Even those of us who thrive on change and claim to embrace it have our areas that are still hard to change.  Sometimes it just takes a change in mindset, a little education or some practical tools and steps to get the ball rolling.  Well below is some key information we gathered from the US Green Building Council. It's a great way to kick start making some changes in your home and family to save money, energy, preserve the planet, and live healthier lives. 

Let us know if and how this was helpful for you.

Here are the first 7 on Lowering Your Utility Bills! 

1. Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can be a huge energy saver. Replace some (or all) of your incandescent fluorescents and enjoy reductions in heat production, energy use, and electric bills!

Savings: Five of the most frequently used light bulbs in your home can save you $100 per year!


2. Program Your Thermostat
When you are at home, keep the thermostat at 78°F or higher in the summer and 62°F or lower in the winter eficiently. Programmable thermostats allow you to program the systems to reduce output when they are not needed (e.g., when no one is home during the day, or in the evening when everyone is sleeping).

Savings: Reduce your energy bill by $100 per year or more!

3. Plug Air Leaks
This simple step can go a long way toward keeping your home at the temperature you desire, saving

money on heating and air conditioning bills and more. Common leaks occur around windows, doors, and

other wall penetrations. Plugging those leaks with weather stripping and caulk can be a simple task for

anyone!

Savings: Reduce your energy bill by $100 per year or more!

4. Tune Up Your Heating and Cooling (HVAC) System
Have a checkup for your HVAC system every 2 years to make sure it is running efficiently. Be sure to clean filters monthly during times of peak usage; a dirty filter can significantly reduce the efficiency of your HVAC.

Savings: Reduce your energy bill by $100 per year or more!

5. Choose ENERGY STAR Appliances, their qualified products meet a high level of energy efficiency, which can translate into savings on electric bills. When considering the price of a new appliance, take into account not only the purchase price, but also the long-term savings associated with an energy-efficient appliance!

Savings: Reduce your energy bill by $50 per appliance per year or more!

6. Reduce Water Use


• Indoor: Use less water by adding aerators (available for a few dollars at your local home supply
store) to your sink faucets and changing to low
• Outdoor: Incorporate native plants in your landscape plan and minimize high-maintenance landscaping such as turf grass to conserve water, while still maintaining a beautiful lawn.



Savings:Reduce your water bill by as much as $100 per year!



7. Switch to Green Power

Green Power is an optional utility service for customers who want to help expand the production and

distribution of renewable energy technologies. With green power, you do not have to change your electricity

provider. Instead, customers choose to pay a premium on their electricity bill to cover the extra cost

of purchasing clean, sustainable energy.

More info on green power can be found at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/index.shtml..gov/greenpower/markets/index.shtml

(The last 9 Ways focus on products and greening your yard...stay tuned)

Training Your Kids to Go Green

I recently read an article on the importance of training your children on living green and there were opposing views  that one should just let their children choose so that they truely value it later in life.  Personally I think you must train a child and show them how to live green or else how will they know.  Yes, they will always be able to choose as they grow up, but isn't that the job of a parent, to show and train your children in the way they should go.  Yes, I pulled that last part straight out of the Bible, but it's quite simple, watch a young child very long and you'll know that you don't have to teach a child to be bad, it's just in them.  But you MUST teach a child to be good and show them what is right.  I believe this overflows into many other areas of their little lives. 

So with that said, here are 10 things you can do as a family to train your children to go green! 

1) Get green school supplies. Going back to school and going green can go hand in hand! Kids can get green school supplies that will make a big difference in price. Your green school supplies also provide an opportunity to share your thoughts on the environment with other students and teachers who notice that they are a little different.
 *This could include reusing old supplies, using passed down supplies from others, using recylcled paper and pencils, etc.
2) Walk, carpool, or have them take the bus to school. Less carbon emissions and less smog comes from less burned fuel. We have to use gasoline to run most of today's cars - so, let's use as little of it as we can! When you share a ride with others, it means fewer people have to use gas, and when you walk or bike there is no fuel burned at all...except maybe your breakfast.

3) Teach them to turn off the water while showering and brushing teeth. Most people let the water run while soaping up or brushing, but that wastes water. Run the water to get your towel and body or toothbrush wet, and then wash or brush with the water off. It saves water AND time because you end up focusing on getting clean and getting out of there!

4) Start an organic garden at home or school and create compost for it. It's a large undertaking, but if you can get the teachers behind you, it's very likely that the principal will allow you to start an organic garden of some kind and a compost heap to fertilize it.  Also a possible area of extra credit!

5) Turn off lights and appliances/electronics when not in use. Kids who aren't environmentally conscious don't usually think about turning off lights and appliances because kids in general aren't cost conscious. That means kids waste stuff. Kids who reduce, reuse, and recycle know that wastefulness is not good, and one thing they do not waste is energy. Although cleaner energy is becoming more common, no energy should be wasted. When you're not using lights or appliances/electronics (TV, computer, video games, etc.) TURN THEM OFF!

6) If parents recycle, allow the kids to sort.  Going green is a lifestyle, so get in on the day-today activities by doing your part. Find out about recylcing centers that pay you to recycle!

7) Volunteer with community organizations that plant trees. Trees help us enjoy cleaner air and more beautiful landscapes. Find organizations where you live who plant trees, and then volunteer to help! The Arbor Day Foundation is a good place to start if you need help locating a group in your local area.

8) Hand-wash dishes or only run the dishwasher for full loads. Most people don't realize it, but dishwashers use considerably more water to wash a load of dishes than the traditional sink method does. A LOT MORE. So, to conserve water, it's best not to use the dishwasher at all. If you do, use eco-friendly dishwashing detergent and only run the washer when it is completely full. If it's not full or if you can, choose to wash dishes in the sink instead, of course, with eco-friendly dishwashing liquid.

9) Reduce waste by curbing use of disposables. It's easy to use throwaway cups, plates, wrappers, and utensils, but it only creates more waste for landfills. Also, disposable paper products like facial and bathroom tissue and paper towels and napkins also end up in the trash. We can save more trees by using less paper products, and we can keep more plastics and styrofoam out of the landfills by using less throwaway utensils and containers. Also, eating less often at fast-food restaurants cuts down on your useage of these items, too.
When you have to use them, use less. When you don't have to use them, DON'T.

10) Teach your children to ease up on the video games. Playing video cames on both computers and systems uses a LOT of energy! That's why your system or computer feels hot afterwards! They can save on energy by simply doing homework or going outside to play instead of posting up in front of the TV or computer screen. This activity uses more electricity than regular TV or computer useage, so it should be kept to a minimum

Recycling: Water

Between 1950 and 2000, the U.S. population nearly doubled. However, in that same period, public demand for water more than tripled! Americans now use an average of 100 gallons of water each day — enough to fill 1,600 drinking glasses! (EPA, 2008)

A recent government survey showed that at least 36 states are anticipating local, regional, or statewide water shortages by 2013. (EPA, 2008)

Most people realize that hot water uses up energy, but supplying and treating cold water requires a significant amount of energy too. American public water supply and treatment facilities consume about 56 billion kilowatt-hours per year — enough electricity to power more than 5 million homes for an entire year. (EPA, 2008)

Appliances and Fixtures in General

If all U.S. households installed water-efficient appliances, the country would save more than 3 trillion gallons of water and more than $18 billion dollars per year! (EPA, 2008)

If one out of every 100 American homes was retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, we could save about 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year — avoiding 80,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas savings would be equivalent to removing nearly 15,000 automobiles from the road for one year! (EPA, 2008)

Bathroom: Sink, Toilet, Bath, Shower

About 75 percent of the water we use in our homes is used in the bathroom. (California Energy Commission, 2006)

If your toilet is from 1992 or earlier, you probably have an inefficient model that uses between 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. Newer, high-efficiency toilets use less than 1.3 gallons per flush — that's at least 60 percent less water per flush! (EPA, 2008)

If just 1 percent of American homes replaced an older toilet with a new WaterSense labeled toilet, the country would save more than 38 million kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough electricity to supply more than 43,000 households for one month. (EPA, 2008)

The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime can save up to 8 gallons of water per day, which equals 240 gallons a month. (EPA, 2008)

Letting your faucet run for five minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours. (EPA, 2008)

Leaky faucets that drip at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year; A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water every day. If your fixtures have leaks, you should get them repaired! (EPA, 2008)

A full bath tub requires about 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons. (EPA, 2008)

Other Household Water Needs

The average washing machine uses about 41 gallons of water per load, whereas newer, high-efficiency washing machine models use less than 28 gallons of water per load. (EPA, 2008)

The typical single-family suburban household uses at least 30 percent of their water outdoors for irrigation. Some experts estimate that more than 50 percent of landscape water use goes to waste due to evaporation or runoff caused by overwatering!
Consider installing a drip irrigation system to water your lawn and garden. These systems use between 20 to 50 percent less water than conventional in-ground sprinkler systems. They are also much more efficient than conventional sprinklers because no water is lost to wind, runoff, and evaporation. (EPA, 2008)

How Green Have We Come?

Here's a snapshot of those green measures tha have been embraced and those that still have a ways to go.