GREEN HOME CHECKLIST
Room-by-Room Steps We Can Take, Starting Right Now
by Crissy Trask G
reen living is being embraced by more folks than ever, in ways both large and small, giving the Earth some much-needed kindness. If you’re interested in some good ideas that fall between a total home solar installation and basic recycling—with many delivering big impacts—check out Natural Awaken- ings’ room-by-room green checklist. You’ll find inspired, practical changes that are doable starting right now.
Kitchen
The kitchen can be a hot spot for waste. Eileen Green, with EcoEvalu-
ator.com, says that reducing waste, conserving water and increasing energy efficiency are
all important considerations within an environmentally friendly kitchen.
4 Eat up food. Each year, a typi- cal household discards an estimated 474 pounds of food waste, according to University of Arizona research—at large economic and environmental cost. Buying more fresh food than we can eat before the expiration date is up and allowing leftovers to expire in the fridge are culprits. “Drawing up menus and avoiding buying on impulse can help,” advises Green.
Compost food scraps at home or sign up for curbside composting, if it’s offered locally. Disposing of food in garbage disposals or landfills is not environmentally sound.
4 Dispense with disposables. Re- place disposable paper and plastic products with du- rable, lasting alternatives: cloth napkins instead of paper; dishwasher-safe serving ware instead of
single-use paper or plastic; glass or re- cycled food storage containers in place of throwaway plastic bags and wrap; and natural fiber dishcloths to replace paper towels and plastic sponges.
4 Clean naturally. Chemical pow- erhouses have become the norm in household cleaning products, but they are not essential. Non-toxic cleaners are up to the task, from cleaning a sink to an oven.
4 Shop for the Energy Star logo. Appliances bearing the Energy Star logo are up to 50 percent more energy effi- cient than standard ones. This translates to significant savings in annual operat- ing costs.
4 Filter water with less waste. Bottled water is expensive and waste- ful. Instead, purchase a home-filtering system that uses recycled or reusable filters. On the road, carry tasty filtered water in a reusable glass bottle.
4 Conserve water. Run dishwashers only when fully loaded and fill the sink with water, rather than running it down the drain, when washing by hand. Use water only to wet and rinse; otherwise turn it off.
4 Phase out non-stick skillets. Teflon coatings can leach toxins when damaged or overheated. Play it safe and begin assembling a set of cookware that includes properly seasoned cast iron, which is naturally non-stick.
4 Avoid cheap reusable shopping bags. Flimsy reusable bags end up as trash within a few months under normal use. Buy a set of high quality reusable bags that will give years of use.
Bedrooms
“Most people spend more time in the bedroom than in any other room of the house,” remarks Huffington Post Eco Etiquette columnist Jennifer Grayson.
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Los Angeles
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