Feb 05 2008
Tips to Transform your Home into an Eco-Friendly Haven
With almost universal agreement by the world’s scientific community that human activity is accelerating global warming, it’s not just the environmentalists that are advocating change. The concept of “going green” is an increasingly popular lifestyle trend among today’s concerned consumers.
According to the Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability Organization, consumers spend $6.5 billion on “sustainable economy” and $83.8 billion on “eco-lifestyles” each year. Here are a few energy-efficient tips and ideas for every room of your home, to help you do your part in protecting the environment, without forgoing comfort or style.
Create a Brighter Future
Save over $30 a year per bulb on your electric bill by switching to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Replacing your incandescent light bulbs with CFLs is a simple way to cut energy and air pollutants. CFLs last up to seven years and use 50 to 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs.
Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb! CFLs emit light identical in quality to the common incandescents, so you can use them in table lamps, ceiling fixtures, porch lights and even dimmable lamps for the same affect. You can purchase these eco-friendly bulbs at Walmart or Home Depot starting at only $9.46.
Absorbent Alternatives for the Bathroom
Bamboo towels are eco-friendly must-haves that are as soft as cashmere and made from the world’s fastest regenerating plant, bamboo. Bamboo thrives naturally without the use of pesticides and continually creates more oxygen and less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Bamboo towels are super absorbent, and perfect for use after a bath or shower. The Company Store’s (thecompanystore.com) Bamboo Collection of towels ($6-$36) dry quickly, stay fresh, and discourage mildew and bacteria that are often created by most bath towels.
Kitchen Cookware with Lasting Impact
The latest innovation in cookware has emerged utilizing green-friendly materials. GreenPan cookware features breakthrough Thermolon non-stick coating that performs at high temperatures without deterioration. It is PTFE-free and uses no PFOA in manufacturing, making GreenPan cookware environmentally-friendly.
“When I first heard about Thermolon and its enormous performance benefits, I knew it was a progressive and important new technology that I wanted to utilize immediately. It will change the way people use cookware forever,” says Joy Mangano, “Mother of Invention” and HSN on-air personality. GreenPan, which has earned the Good Housekeeping Seal, is available in a stylish six-piece set for $99.90 at HSN.com. Watch live on December 15th at 12:01 a.m.
Eco-friendly Furniture for the Living Room
Relax in your living room on eco-friendly furniture that is made from green materials, which save energy and reduce impact on the environment. Try a loveseat, rocker, or lounge chair by Vivali ($949-$999 at vivali.com), the eco-friendly furniture and home design center.
These innovative chairs all feature solid maple wood framing, non-toxic water-based adhesives, and seat and back webbing made from post-industrial automotive seatbelts. The seatbelt webbing creates a unique and stylish look that’s sure to be a conversation starter at your next family gathering. Create a modernized living room with your choice of 8 different wood stains and webbing colors, while helping protect the environment.
Going green in your home has never been easier with products that eliminate pollution and require less energy to use. “Creating an eco-friendly environment in your home not only saves energy but maximizes ‘positive energy’ levels,” says Stephanie McWilliams, an interior designer and host of HGTV’s new “Fun Shui,” which debuts Sept. 28. “A green environment makes you feel good because you’re helping the earth; this produces a positive impact on your life, making you feel enhanced and energized.”
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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I think what you’ve said about bamboo is a hugely important and overlooked “green” component. Beyond the factors you’ve mentioned, it’s strength as significant as it’s speed of growth and oxygen/carbon dioxide contribution. If you haven’t already, a post about all the benefits of bamboo would probably be a popular entry.