11 ways to a Greener Home

You have taken some initial steps to lower your carbon footprint and excess energy use, but your work is not done yet. Here are a few more things you can do around the house to continue the green initiative.

#1 Install bamboo floors

Wood floors are nice and durable, but the trees take decades to mature while bamboo is a grass and will mature in a fraction of the time. It may not be quite as durable as hardwood, but it will cost about half the price.

#2 Get your green thumb

Planting annual flowering plants is nice for the color, but they must be replaced each spring. There are plenty of flowering plants that will survive through the fall and winter to bloom again and again every year.Paring this perennial garden with a home compost for organic fertilizer is another smart choice.Instead of throwing away your vegetable remains begin a compost in a corner of your yard.

#3 and #4 Keeping Clean

Adults and children both need to be reminded to get the dirt of before entering the home. Outside mats and inside mats will greatly help to keep the amount of debris to a minimum. Remembering to wipe your feet and store your shoes near the door will greatly decrease the use of inside cleaners, paper towels, mops, hot water and vacuums.Remember that your little ones are always watching so be sure to set a good example by taking shorter showers, turning off electricity, and packing lunches in reusable containers.

#5 Update the Dishwasher

If you have an energy rated dishwasher don't be shy about using it. Hand washing dishes is nice and all but will generally use way more water than the dishwasher. An energy star appliance will use around 6 gallons for a full load while a human would use closer to 20 gallons to hand wash the same amount of dishes.

#6 The toilet

Traditional models flush 25% of household water down the drain. Updating to a dual flush model that has two different flushing amounts will greatly decrease the amount of water used. Traditional toilets use 3.5 gallons per flush, the dual flush toilets have an option for a little flush of about 1 gallon and a larger cascade about 1.5 gallons.

#7 Electricity

As a consumer you should have an option to get your energy from a renewable source. The price will be more for the green energy, but that extra money will help to sustain the energy you use. It will cost you about 15 more dollars a month to get 100 percent offset of carbon dioxide emissions from the generation of electricity.

#8 Work from Home

Whenever possible work from home. This will reduce the wear on your vehicle and the pressure on your wallet to fill the tank. Older equipment like copier and fax machine suck too much energy, updated devices often combine most of these functions and use less energy.

#9 E-Bills

This one is pretty simple...less paper mail means more trees get to live. Americans receive 4 million tons of junk mail a year approximately 850 pieces per household. You can go online and opt out for these prescreened credit card companies and other such junk.

#10 Solar Power

Charge your mobile devices with a solar charger. Most are fairly inexpensive and compact enough to travel. If you have a little bit of know-how you can even make a small charger at home.Need some light at night along a walkway or garden? get some inexpensive LED lights with solar panels for a cheap way to get some additional light.

#11 Expand your Conquest

Get on the internet or use your phone to peruse more suitable and sustainable ways to lower your carbon footprint.  There are plenty of apps available for iphone and android that will help with additional ideas and suggestions towards a greener lifestyle.