Going Green at Home

Friendly and Frugal Ways to Go Green.

Tips for Going Green at Home. Everything you need to know about Eco Friendly Living. From Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Renewable Home Energy to Homesteading right in your back yard. Come on in...

Live green no matter where you hang your hat.

Whether home is a tiny condo or an expansive acreage there are options you can use to leave a greener footprint while you save money and re-connect with the world around you.

It gets easier and easier to make the greenest choice due to the number of companies that are responding to consumers that care.

Start by doing something and greening up your choices until you leave behind a barely perceptible footprint.

Whether or not you believe that our actions are responsible for global warming and climate change, the responsible management of the planet's resources is just good stewardship.

How do YOU do it? Click here to tell us your Green story!

Going green at home shares information on how to compost your kitchen and yard scraps into a rich, nutritious, growing medium - harvesting rainwater for use in your home and garden, renewable home energy options, building greener, growing food... and so much more.

Below, find ideas to get you started and links to informative pages on each subject.

We'll share all we've learned while operating an organic echinacea farm on our small acreage in Western Canada, sailing the Pacific on our solar powered boat and living in the environmentally focused Gulf Islands (Canada)

We can blame government and big business as much as we want but the bottom line is... we're driving this bus, the marketplace responds to the decisions we make - Of course they spend a considerable amount of money and resources to convince us that what we want, is what they have, but still, we have the power.

If we want greener products and environmentally responsible business practices, industry will respond to that.

Have a look at the resources around you then check below to find options for going green at home that suit your location, your budget and your lifestyle.

Start Going Green at Home Today - Here's How

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

  Use less... of everything. Water, cleaning products, personal products, fossil fuels, disposables and plastic bags are just a few things we should be using in moderation... if at all. Reuse materials and demote them as they lose efficiency rather than tossing them and Recycle everything your facility accepts.

• Home Composting

  Not only does composting keep millions of tons of bio degradable materials out of landfill sites, it nourishes the soil and repays us by producing vitamin rich vegetables and breathtaking flower gardens and trees.

• Water

  The average American person uses 80 - 100 gallons of water... every day. Any "going green at home" plan will include water in one way or another. Using less, collecting rainwater and water filtration systems are good places to begin. Have a look at some of our "easy to implement" water conservation tips.

• Harvest Rainwater

  There's nothing quite like rainwater for livening up a garden or yard. Here are some valuable tips on making the most of the rainwater that falls on your property.

• Barter

  It's true. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Rather than throwing out items you no longer have a use for, trade them for "new to you" items that someone else is no longer using. Try organizing a neighborhood swap meet where no money changes hands, strictly barter (one or more items being traded for another).

• Energy Conservation

  Incorporate some of our energy conservation tips and save thousands of dollars per year while reducing the size of your carbon footprint.

• Solar Power

  Solar energy can be used in different ways to reduce your energy expense and your footprint. If you're going green at home and in the garden, solar lighting, garden fountains and pond pumps are a good start. And that's just the beginning. Solar energy is fast becoming a mainstream power source. More solar power info.

• Wind

  Household wind generators produce clean energy. If you live in a fairly high wind area, consider putting that wind to good use. Here's what else you need.

• Geothermal & Earth Energy

  Right underfoot is a valuable home heating and cooling resource. Use earth energy and geothermal heat and leave a greener treadmark behind.

• Plant Trees

  Breathe in, breathe out. Trees are the lungs of the earth, taking in carbon dioxide with every breath and exhaling oxygen back into our atmosphere. Also, trees are super efficient air conditioners, make great privacy screens, are a source of food, fuel and building resources, prevent soil erosion and are an eco environment for many beneficial species like birds, bees and bugs. Need I say more? There's a little bit of tree hugger in every one of us who takes steps toward going green at home.

• Car Pool or Use Public Transport

  Not only does car pooling keep tons of harmful emissions out of our atmosphere, it saves scads of money on fuel, parking and other vehicle expenses. Using public transport gives you an opportunity for a little exercise too.

• Use More People Power

  We've somehow become convinced that the less we have to move, the better it is... what? So now that we've made life so easy on ourselves that we don't even have to move to change the channel on the TV... we're spending millions of our hard earned money at the gym so we can... move.
  
  Walk, cycle, rollerblade, use a push mower, take the stairs, there are thousands of ways to get exercise every day and keep your money in your pocket.

• Renewable Building Materials

  Building doesn't have to be a drain on valuable resources. Choose bambo for flooring and countertops, recycle wood floors, doors and cupboards and choose building materials such as rammed earth and straw bales for the actual construction of your building. More green building materials

• Renewable Textiles

  Clothing, shopping bags, bedding, towels, if it's made of fabric, consider the source of the material. Environmentally benign fabrics include organic cotton, bamboo and hemp. Not only friendly but durable and soft.

• Organic Gardening Tips

  The best and cheapest way to get the tastiest organic vegetables imaginable is to grow them yourself. Not only does "growing your own" ensure cheap, pesticide free food for your family, the food doesn't have to be transported to you via a truck that uses non renewable energy. Talk about eco friendly living.

It's easy to get started going green at home and even easier to keep going. By making small changes that often cost nothing, we can make a huge difference and once the snowball starts rolling, it takes on a life of it's own. We have the power!

I once heard a story that began to impact the choices I make about going green at home.

A couple was walking along the shoreline at low tide. The beach was littered with tens of thousands of starfish that had been left behind on the sand when the tide went out and lay dying in the hot sun. The man picked up a starfish and hurled it into the sea, then another, then another.

His companion laughed at his efforts saying that he could hardly make a difference given that there were so many stranded starfish scattered along the shoreline.

Undaunted, the man picked up another starfish and as he hurled it into the surf he said "made a difference to that one".

That's how I feel about choices that help us go green. It may seem like an overwhelming task to put the earth right but it will be achieved by millions of people, each making a small difference.

Every choice we make counts... one way or the other.

Around the world, going green at home and at work is becoming a good habit. Recognized as the responsible choice, small changes are adding up to huge benefits for mother earth and her inhabitants.



How do YOU do it? Share your ideas for going green with our visitors below.