GOING GREEN

Practical Earth Friendly Ideas for Your Home
Green living? Practical, yes, but even better, it can be absolutely beautiful and stylish too.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Yup, the 3 R's will always apply - and they apply in that order. Cut down on landfill and incineration waste by planning carefully to minimize waste, getting more than just one use from a product and always recycling waste that can't be reused in a reasonable way. Using salvaged lumber is an example of reusing what may otherwise be sent to a landfill.

Save energy. Building an energy and water-efficient home will allow you to reduce carbon emissions while cutting down on utility expenses.

Choose "simple" products. Reduce green-house gas emissions by choosing products that demand less energy to process and transport; those that have low "embodied energy." For example, the cement used in making concrete is extremely energy intensive to produce. Locally procured, natural building materials like cob or straw bales have much less embodied energy than other manufactured building supplies.

Buy socially responsible products. Fair trade and sustainably harvested materials help the environment and the people who depend on it. By giving local people the means by which to make a living, as through sustainable farming, they have an incentive to take care of the environment, and consumers have access to products that encourage that cycle. For example, FSC certified lumber comes only from forests where the rights of indigenous people are protected.

Avoid toxic materials. Polyvinyl Chloride, or Vinyl, is energy intensive and highly polluting through production, and extremely dangerous to humans through use and disposal. There are many alternatives to this toxic plastic, but it is still found in many consumer products. Products that off-gas toxic VOCs - Volatile Organic Compounds - are harmful not only to the environment, but to your family. VOCs include a wide variety of chemicals and are linked to range health effects including asthma and cancer. If it's toxic, don't bring it into your home

Buy local. Buying from local sources often means you're supporting small-scale, sustainable operations with management that is able to closely monitor working conditions, energy use, and pollution. Green builders generally agree that if you can buy your construction supplies from within 500 miles of your home, you're greatly reducing the carbon emissions that result from materials transportation. Sometimes builders will have "green" supplies shipped from across the world - greatly reducing the environmental benefits.

For innovative, environmentally friendlier, less toxic building materials, paints, and supplies, try the links to your left.