Simple Steps: Being Eco-Friendly In The Home

Here are a few suggestions and simple things you can do at home to conserve energy and minimize your environmental footprint:

Cold wash your laundry... I call this Eco Laundry. Cold water works just as well as warm, but just make sure you have the right products to clean and pretreat with.
Use energy saving light bulbs and turn off lights when you are not in need of them.
Plan and limit your errands to one day per week.
Use reusable bags. Plastic and paper bags both have negative effects on the earth.
Buy groceries in bulk when possible. Look for natural food stores that allow you to purchase grains, rice, cereal, nuts, flour etc in bins. You drastically limit packaging waste and can store them in glass jars or other containers at home.
Navy showers or limit the time in the shower. It is tempting to sit under the warm water on an early Monday morning. Getting down to shampooing and scrubbing will reduce your water bill and also help conserve water.
Look for Eco Friendly building materials and house hold appliances when remodeling or building a new home. New materials like glass countertops (made from recycled bottles), metal shingles, energy efficient windows and appliances and chemical free paints do a big service to the earth and are even more unique and aesthetically pleasing than your standard home fixtures and materials.
Look into using products like utensils and containers made from soy. Soy isn’t just for food anymore.
Recycle your gently used clothing and home goods. We are a throw-away society. Let someone turn your discards into treasure.
Use rags and wash cloths instead of paper towels. Even better than buying cloths, turn your worn and shabby clothing into rags for household use.
Buy your goods from socially conscious stores. Look for stores that buy from local growers and merchants who create family and earth friendly products.
Go organic! Organic is now more affordable than ever and available in most stores.
Check your farmer’s markets. Knowing where your food comes from is very important.