Affordable ways to be green for Earth Day

With Earth Day just around the corner, it is a wonderful time to re-evaluate your home and how you live. Being green doesn’t have to cost you money — in fact, in most cases integrating sustainable choices into your lifestyle will actually save you money.

GETTING STARTED

Don’t know where to start? You are not alone. The key to implementing an eco-friendly lifestyle is to not just be green on Earth Day but to make eco-friendly choices every day.

Here are my top three tips to get you started.

1) Recycle

2) Source local materials

3) Repurpose items from your home

ECO-FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE TIPS

n Take off your shoes when you walk into the door of your home to prevent tracking in pollutants.

n Turn off lights when you leave a room.

n Wash your clothes in cold instead of hot water.

n Wash full loads of laundry.

n Switch from carpet to hardwood (carpeting traps odors and dust mites).

n Capture and reuse rainwater to water household plants.

n Use low- or zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint.

ECO-FRIENDLY KITCHEN TIPS

n Make your own cleaners. Lemon juice and water is a fantastic cleaner, also baking soda and vinegar.

n Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs or LEDs.

n Purchase Energy Star appliances.

n Toss your coffee grinds into your household plants; they make a great fertilizer.

n Buy a programmable thermostat and lower your setting throughout the day/night.

ECO-FRIENDLY BATHROOM TIPS

n Use a nylon shower curtain instead of a vinyl one — it almost feels like fabric, and you can wash it!

n Purchase low-flush toilets to conserve water, showerheads and faucets.

n Put down the toilet seat when flushing the toilet — micro particles are released into the air when a toilet is flushed.