The fact that people are taking active roles in preserving the environment without anybody forcing them to do it tells us that there has been some noteworthy success when it comes to spreading awareness about this very important issue. This awareness and effort made by people has significantly influenced almost every aspect of our lives, for the better of course. Along with trying to preserve the environment and the Earth’s fragile eco-system, the green initiative has managed to do a lot of work connected to improving work safety, home safety, raising the quality of life in our homes and generally clearing our immediate surroundings of any threatening materials. This does not mean that we should feel like we have achieved our goal. On the contrary, this means that we need to spread the word even more aggressively since so many positive things have sprouted from this.

What you can do to make your home green

A lot of times some designer trends tend to overshadow the main purpose of the original idea. Now while it may be that there is such a thing as a green home design style this isn't the reason to see it just as a style. The green design is first and foremost an idea. In some cases, people do their entire home in green design but do not even follow some basic guidelines about what they can do around the house to preserve the environment. The first thing you need to know is how to redo your home in such a way that you do not produce too much refuses material, which you recycle where you can and so on.

If you have decided to make your home green, here are some pointers on what you can do. Some of these things range from simple tips to construction advice but they are all part of the process and are necessary if you really want to have a green home.

Households tend to be very serious energy users and have a high percentage of energy loss. It is amazing how much you can save by just taking all necessary measures in order to preserve it. Your home will benefit twofold from this effort since not only will you be preserving energy, but you will also save money on electricity and other bills.

Here is a small list of things you can do to save energy:

Heat control and good isolation

This is crucial in order to prevent extensive cooling and heating from your AC or any other source. Good isolation will also help you control the temperature more easily without making you relay on energy or fuel consumption as much.

Energy effective appliances

A lot of older models of household appliance are not energy efficient and may cost you in the long run even more than investing in a new one. Also, it is up to you to try and turn them off when they are unnecessary.

Energy efficient light

CFL light bulbs consume 66% less energy than the standard light bulbs while also lasting 10 times longer. So not only are you saving energy, you are also saving money on replacing light bulbs.

In and around the house, we use all kinds of substances which can damage our health. Those substances also damage the environment. Thanks to the initiative taken by the green community a lot of them were identified and there are valid alternatives for them.

Paint

Lead paint is the primary threat to your family’s health in this case, but you should realize that not all paint is the same. When repainting, try to avoid conventional paint since it can cause health problems during the process, while it is drying and when it is completely dry.

Gardening

All kinds of chemicals are used in order to help plants grow but pesticides and these artificial growth improvers can contaminate the soil and as well as the plants that grown from that soil.

Material Use

Avoiding the overuse of materials that are hard to produce is a good move. For example, the best option for hardwood floors is to use bamboo, since this tree lasts 5-6 years while regular hardwood lasts somewhere between 10 and 20 times more.

Safety first

Safety is an essential part of the green philosophy and that is why we need to stress this point. When you rearrange your home, please follow proper safety procedures when handling power tools, chemicals and so on. Also make sure you have a firm ladder when doing work on higher places, especially while using tools.