10 Ways to Make Your Home a Greener Place

If you’re thinking about going a bit more ‘green’, but feel overwhelmed, don’t worry. You don’t have to buy a Prius, grow all your own vegetables and install wind turbines in your yard to make a noticeable change in helping the environment around you (and your indoor environment, too). The following list includes 10 easy lifestyle changes that you can make in order to make your world a better, greener place.

1. Wean yourself off the bottle. This couldn’t be an easier way to make a huge impact on the health of your planet and your own health. Bottled water is the appendix and tonsils of the consumer goods world – you don’t really need it, and you don’t think too much about it, but when it starts hurting things, it’s time to get rid of it. Thankfully, making this lifestyle change is a lot more painless than going under the knife. Need some proof that the bottle has to go? Read some of the facts from The Green Guide, and CNNMoney.com.

2. Get soft-serve. No, we’re not talking about ice cream, we’re talking about your light bulbs. You’ve probably noticed those ‘swirly’ light bulbs at the grocery or hardware store that resemble that favorite summertime treat. At $5+ each, you may think they’re too expensive and pass them by, but in reality, they will outlast your normal incandescent bulbs (8-10 times longer, in fact) and use a fraction of the electricity, so you will make that money back over and over again.

3. Start a compost pile. Whether you own your own home or are renting an apartment, compost is within your reach. If you have a yard, this makes it particularly easy because you can put a pile outside and contribute to it regularly. For information on how to turn your trash into fertile soil treasure, check out the Compost Guide.

4. Recycle. This might seem obvious, but we couldn’t go through our top ten without it. So many neighborhoods and businesses don’t have recycling programs set up, and it’s time to change that. Whether you save up those bottles from the bottled water you’re getting rid of and bring them to your grocery store to recycle them, or if you have a curbside program through your local garbage pickup service, every little bit helps. If your area doesn’t have a recycling program set up, start one. Even recycling on a small scale like using your leftover newspapers to put your shoes on by the door or sprinkling used coffee grounds in your garden can contribute. Look for that famous recycling symbol and be sure to do the right thing. Find out how you can help in your area by going to Earth 911.

5. Clean green. You don’t need to douse every stain or spot with chemical cleaners. Believe it or not, you can wash away most of your home cleaning troubles with ingredients you already have on hand like lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda. For more information on how to create safe, eco-friendly cleaning products for your home, check out our blog post about safe and natural home-made cleaning products.

6. Dust off your bicycle. There’s a reason they say "it’s like riding a bike" – even though you may have a car now, you never forget how to ride and it’s great for your health and the health of others around you. Taking your bike instead of driving your car is a huge help to the environment. Not only are you not expelling hazardous pollution through an exhaust pipe into the air around you, you’re saving money on gasoline, saving the environment from not using motor oil, and getting your heart pumping at the same time. Next time you realize you’ve forgotten to get milk and bread, use your handlebars instead of a steering wheel.

7. Find a Green dry cleaner. These are easier to find than you might think. Since ‘green’ is the word these days, many dry cleaners are advertising it right on their signs. Finding an environmentally safe dry cleaner is a great step to take in the green direction. This means no hazardous chemicals going into your clothes and no fumes being expelled into the ozone as exhaust.

8. Look toward your toaster oven. Want to reheat some leftovers but don’t want them to get soggy in the microwave? Of course you’ll use your toaster oven. But what about baking a pie, or a pan of brownies? A casserole? If you’re not feeding a large family, or you have a side dish or main dish that will fit in a toaster oven, use it. Heating up an oven either with gas or electricity is unnecessary much of the time when you have a lower-energy toaster oven right on your counter. Instead of taking the extra time to heat up and stay powered on, a toaster oven heats quickly and won’t waste the warmth when you open the door to put your food in. There are cookbooks written solely for toaster ovens, too. Just be sure to adjust the temperature and cooking time accordingly since often the heating element is so close to the food.

9. Sing a few songs. Even if you’re not the next Kelly Clarkson, you can take the stage in your shower. Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs (and it’s also wasteful for the environment, of course.) So the next time you lather up, keep it short and sweet. Try singing 3 songs (and Stairway to Heaven and Bohemian Rhapsody don’t count!). By the time you’re done singing, you should be rinsed and drying off. If not, figure out how you can cut down your shower time. To conserve even more, turn the water off while you soap up. Try to sing shorter and shorter songs and watch your hot water bills get smaller and smaller.

10. Buy Locally. If you live in Massachusetts and you’re buying oranges in December, do you know how far they had to travel to get to you? Think of all of the fuel it took to get them to your kitchen. Of course some people will find it easier to buy locally than others, but when you can, try to find products that are locally grown. If there are local farm stands or farmers’ markets nearby, go there to get your meats, produce, and jams or other nonperishables. The closer to your door, the better. The environment and local family-owned farms will thrive as a result.