10 Steps toward a Greener Home

1. Reduce electricity use.
Change over to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). CFLs can last 10 times longer and use 75% less energy. Many local and online stores carry these. Be sure to invest in good ones for longevity. Consumer Reports gives GE and Feit bulbs high ratings. (These bulbs contain mercury and, while currently many waste companies do not recycle them, they should be bagged for disposal to minimize leaching mercury.)

Turn off appliances when not in use. Many appliances use electricity even when off. A Tv running 4 hours a day can use more electricity in the 20 hours that it’s turned off than during the 4 that it’s on!

2. Green your Cleaning - Vinegar and warm water can be used for all your cleaning (vinegar has an 80 to 99 percent kill rate for viruses and bacteria). For a lovelier smell, add a few drops of an essential oil, such as lavender, or tea tree. Use only cellulose sponges or cloth rags. Baking soda and lemon juice also go a long way as natural cleaners. Don’t use chlorine bleach, its production releases dioxins- extremely toxic chemicals, known carcinogens and hormone distruptors.

3. Laundry detergents are a major source of water pollution and contain chemicals that can cause health problems. Dryer sheets can contain several ingredients which appear on the EPA’s hazardous waste list. Regular detergents also do not rinse clean which leads to buildup. Similar issues regard dishwashing detergents. Consider washing in alternative detergents that get them clean without chemical residues. They are more expensive, but you can watch for sales and stock up. You can also make your own from a few simple ingredients.

4. Minimize water usage, particularly in the bathroom which accounts for about 70% of a home’s total.

Showerhead - All recently made showerheads are 2.5 gallon per minute (GPM). 1.5 GPM are also available at home depot. Replacing a standard 4.5 GPM showerhead with a 2.5-GPM head, may save a 2 person household 10,000 gal/yr. Minimize shower times – each minute amounts to 170 lbs of CO2. Also available are shut off valves that insert easily into the existing plumbing. Water can be turned off during lathering or shaving. $5.00 at Home Depot.

Toilet – New toilets are 1.6 gallons per flush. If you have a larger tank, you can put a brick, a plastic jug filled with pebbles and water, or a “toilet tank bank” bag ($2 online) in the tank to reduce water usage. Consider upgrading to a newer more efficient models. There are some fancy ones that even have different flush capacities for #1 and #2!

Faucets. Turn water off during shaving and tooth brushing. The EPA estimates that a person can save more than 500 gallons of water per month by closing the tap while brushing teeth or shaving. Faucet aerators offer a real range in water flow reduction. Home Depot has 0.7 to 2.0 GPM aerators for $3 - $4.50. The lowest I’ve seen is 0.5 GPM (for $1.50 online) which is adequate for washing hands and faces, and brushing teeth and can save almost 2 gallons of water during each 2 minute brush!

5. Know your plastics. When you do use plastic, it’s best to choose those labeled #1, #2, #4, and #5 and avoid those labeled #3, #6, and #7. #1 and #2 are also typically the easiest to recycle. Note that bottles from #1 or #2 plastics are recommended for single use only.

Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC (#3) PVC poses health and environmental from production through use to disposal. Vinyl chloride, the chemical used to make PVC, is a known human carcinogen. Also, additives, such as lead and cadmium, are sometimes added to PVC to keep it from breaking down. Some varieties can release lead and hormone-disrupting phthalates - a plasticizer linked to cancer in lab animals, also a suspected hormone disruptor. PVC is also the least recycled plastic.

Polystyrene (#6) It’s a concern because the chemical styrene can leach from it into food and beverages. According to the EPA, short-term styrene exposure at levels above the Maximum Contaminant Level (used to set drinking-water standards) can cause nervous-system effects such as loss of concentration, weakness, and nausea. Long-term exposure can cause liver and nerve damage and cancer.

Polycarbonates and Others (#7) The #7 designation is a catchall for plastics that don’t fit into one of the other categories, but #7s are often polycarbonates and leach bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor. The effects of low-dose BPA exposure on laboratory animals include alterations to brain chemistry and structure, behavior, the immune system, and male and female reproductive systems Environmental Health Perspectives, August 2005.

Avoid single-use items. Carry a refillable bottle or mug for beverages on the go, and bring reusable cloth bags to stores. If you regularly buy products that are only available in plastic packaging, buy the largest container available, rather than the multiple smaller ones, to cut down on the total amount of plastic used.

Avoid vinyl shower curtains. Natural fiber curtains can be washed and reused for years. The best choice is unbleached and organic. Another option is pack cloth $50.00 – I just learned about this, not sure what it is but it seems like a good green option from what I read. Note: (Rather than tossing PVC items in the trash, try to reuse it. Possible uses include as a drop cloth, trunk liner, warm plants in winter, tarp.)

Avoid using plastic containers in the microwave. You don't want hot, fatty food touching plastic in the microwave. Most of the chemicals that leach from plastic are lipophilic and temperature speeds up the leaching process into the fat.

6 Use recycled products and recycle them again!.
Toothbrushes, razors are a good example. Preserve makes toothbrushes and razors from recycled Stonyfield yogurt containers. Preserve razors run about $4.00, set of extra blades are 4-5$. When you are finished mail them to preserve and they will recycle them into plastic lumber. Dry your razors after use to help them last longer. There are other recycled toothbrushes, Eco Dent is one.

7 Eliminate antibacterial products. According to a 2000 World Health Organization report, antibacterial soaps are helping to promote growth of resistant bacteria. Studies in the April 1999 Journal of Biological Chemistry and the July 13 2000 Nature reported that antibacterial agents encourage the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. Triclosan, a commonly used antibacterial, also carries concerns of contamination from chloroform and dioxin.

8 Compost. Composting is one of the simplest and most effective recycling methods. Both your garden cuttings and your green kitchen waste can go into an outdoor or indoor. If you don't have a garden yourself, find neighbors or a community garden that can make use of your soil. Composting food scraps will mean your regular kitchen wastebasket fills up more slowly and also won’t smell.

9 Switch to rechargeable batteries and recycle these when no longer in use. Batteries contain mercury and that can leach into the soil in a landfill. Even if your local waste management company doesn’t recycle batteries (disposable or rechargeable) look for places that do. Some Lowes, Home Depot, and Best Buy stores have recepticles for old batteries.

10 Give away your unwanted items to people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org listserv, or try giving them away at Throwplace.com or giving or selling them at iReuse.com. Goodwill and Salvation Army are also good options. Find your own items 2nd hand as well!