There are many ways to make your home more green. This article covers five ways to help your home become more green. Feel free to reveiw each one for your home. Making your home more green will help the enviroment and can save you money long term on your utility bills.
1. Lumber from Sustainable Forests
If you are starting from the beginning, and building a new home, we recommend that one of the most powerful choices you can make to help the environment is to use only lumber from sustainably cut forests. As forests are the lungs of the Earth, it is necessary to protect them as the guardian of our oxygen supply for years to come. Human beings and our desire to live indoors can work, but there is a need to bring sustainable thinking and action to our building processes. By buying and using sustainably cut lumber, you are sending a message to the industry that will be heard as more and more people make choices that favor our long-term future.
2. Non-VOC Paint
Today, it is easy to find paint that is without VOC, also known as Volatile Organic Compounds. These chemicals seep into your air stream, not just for the week or so that your paint is put on your walls; it seeps for years–the life of your house, actually–into your children’s bedrooms, your family room where everyone gathers to watch television and in the kitchen where you eat, as well. VOC’s get everywhere, and once you’ve used the paint, it’s impossible to get rid of completely. We suggest that you start with non-VOC paint for the safety of you and your family and pets.
3. Reused Insulation
People are often surprised that there is a cheap and safe alternative to noxious insulation that is used in most homes: recycled blue jeans! You can actually use jeans to have a high rating of insulation for your home. You can even make it into a fun project, by enlisting your neighbors and friends to donate some old jeans and other clothes to your housing project to save money.
4. Reconstituted Roofing Materials
There are so many new roofing materials that have been made out of post-consumer waste that you can use to create a new roof. They are just as durable, and they can be made even cheaper. A green advantage is that you save all that plastic from going to the landfill, as well!
5. Solar Panels
Want to save on your energy bill? Install solar panels on your roof, and you will have an ample supply of energy for your home, especially if you live in an area with lots of sunshine. You may need to cut a tree down (or two) to maximize sunshine, but the end result will be well worth it. You can generate your own energy, and if you create enough, you can even sell your surplus energy back to the grid! Imagine: a negative energy bill!
There are many ways to make a home more enviromental friendly. This article covers five basic ways to make a home more green and enviromently safer. WhoKnowsaContractor.com has helped many homeowners find local contractors that can provide green contsrtuction services.
