photo credit: Roger Darrow
With all the talk about green living, you probably wonder what else you can do, apart from recycling and saving energy, gas and water as much as possible…
There are many new environmentally friendly home innovations that are unique, stylish, and of course, helpful to the environment. Whether you have been living green for many years now, or whether you recently made the choice to live with less impact on the environment, chances are you will find some of those quite appealing…
Apart from the obvious green innovations such as solar panels, energy efficient appliances, CFL bulbs etc, there are a number of ways to make your home green. Considering the increasing number of houses built each year in the US alone, the best way to go green would be to use eco-friendly building materials. Fortunately, the idea seems to be taking off and more and more places offer recycled or otherwise safer for the environment products. Here are some examples:
• FSC-certified and reclaimed lumber—even though only 1% of the world’s forest are Forest Stewardship Council certified, an increasing number of stores (including the national chains like Home Depot and Lowe’s) now offer this type of lumber
• Engineered lumber—these are composite materials made with wood chips and other wood waste, which are both stronger and more resistant to bending than traditional lumber
• Soy-based adhesives—these replace the commonly used formaldehyde-based adhesives
• Green paneling—there are more and more to choose from these days and the most common green materials include straw and sorghum waste.
• Insulation—cotton insulation made from recycled denim is one of the most popular green kind of insulation for your home that doesn’t decrease indoor air quality
• Bamboo floors—bamboo is one of the best green materials available since it is rapidly renewable and durable and it surely is the best alternative to traditional hard-wood flooring. And the best part, it is becoming increasingly popular and more readily available.
• Cabinets—made from recycled materials such as stems left after harvesting and using formaldehyde free veneer.
• Countertops—made from recycled materials such as glass or paper, to name a few.
• Paint—(last but not least) use low or no VOC. There are about 25 brands of low VOC paint on the market nowadays and they cost nearly as much as the latex paint but are much safer and healthier.
This is just a tip of an iceberg, to be honest. It seems like every day there is some new technology or material that is environmentally safe, which only makes this change easier. So go out there and find out what suits you, your house and your budget (most importantly) and live green.
