How to Make Your Home Green

by Cherry Garcia
(Philippines)

Once you have decided that you would like to help the environment by joining the Green Living revolution, there is no better place to start than the home!.

In an ideal world you would start with a brand new energy efficient home as shown in this short video.

You might think that it will be a little difficult to substitute a lot of your existing creature comforts. But you may just be surprised to know how many environmently-friendly products are actually already available in the marketplace nowadays. There are now eco-friendly products for pretty much every aspect of your home.

Traditional furniture is typically produced by either primary plastic production, mining or logging. It also typically also uses finishes and glues that contain hazardous chemicals that produce toxins.

These methods of manufacturing take a heavy toll on the environment and even our health!.

Switching to green furniture, enables you to furnish your home with products that are made of natural renewable woods, Recycled plastics & organic fabrics which are far easier on the environment & do not contain toxins of any kind.

You can also save a lot of energy by installing sky lights into your home, as this lets in as much natural light as possible. This allows you to use lighting only when you need it.

Natural beeswax and soy candles are also good alternatives to conventional parafin based ones.

LED lights save you 90% of energy, so use these during the holiday season. You can also now buy Solar Powered Holiday Lights, which can provide a free source of soft lighting throughout the year!.

Our old appliances also consume excessive energy, so you should replace them with newer models that are more energy efficient.

Solar Energy powered electronics like battery chargers, LED lights and radios, as well as hand-powered flashlights or other electronics are not only good for the planet, but also for your wallet!.

The kitchen is one of the most toxin-rife areas in our homes because of the amounts of chemicals we use for cleaning and the amount of waste generated from Cooking & Eating .

You can go green in the kitchen by using biodegradable trash bags, food storage, cups, plates and cutleries. There is also eco-friendly tableware made of natural wood or bamboo and glasses that are made of recycled materials.

Green Living with household products is not as difficult as it would initially seem. You can very easily switch your conventional hazardous cleaning products to more environmently friendly Green Cleaning non-toxic ones.

There are Chemical Free alternatives for your dish and laundry detergents, non-toxic candles, non-toxic air fresheners, non-toxic polishes and compostable trash bags and trash bins.

We use a lot of products for our own personal hygiene, so you may want to make sure that these products do not contain harsh chemicals or toxic. For your bathroom, you may prefer to switch the conventional products with natural skin care products, plumbing that reduces water consumption, organic towels or shower curtains and even recycled paper tissue.

Your bedroom is also good place to start going green in, as you spend at least a third of your life in bed. There are natural bed sheets, pillows and organic mattresses available out in the market now. You can also get a bed frame made of sustainable wood or natural wood products.

As children are particularly vulnerable to toxins, you may want to start switching their things with eco-friendly ones. There are healthy and natural children’s clothes, non-toxic toys, non-toxic art supplies, as well as fair trade or non-toxic sports and recreation items.