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Recycle

The Importance of a Green Home Design

by Green Homes


When you create a green home design, you are contributing to preserving our planet's natural resources. In addition, you are helping to eliminate greenhouse gases, which are the main cause of global warming. Besides improving the health of the planet, you can enjoy savings on your energy bills. This can be done by purchasing appliances that are energy efficient, selecting eco-friendly building materials and practicing energy saving measures.

Using recycled materials are the best way to achieve a green home design. Your builder, local home improvement store, or interior design websites have a wealth of information about instituting eco-friendly materials in every room of your house. For example, in the kitchen and bath, recycled counter tops made with paper stone are gaining in popularity over those made from granite.

The quickest road to a green home design is the use of energy efficient appliances, such as refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, televisions, air conditioners and small electrical items. Whenever purchasing small and large appliances, buy those with the Energy Star label. The seal of approval issued by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Environmental Protection Agency means the appliance prevents global warming by reducing energy consumption.

A green home design extends to a home's contents. One major area is the furniture, such as sofas, chairs, bureaus, tables and desks. Rather than buy new furnishings when they are outdated or when you redesign a room, consider whether the piece can be repainted, refinished, restained, or dressed in a slipcover. For worn out furniture pieces, determine whether it can be reupholstered or recycled.

There are various kinds of flooring that go hand in hand with a green home design. Cork and bamboo are two effective green offerings that provide additional benefits than traditional hard wood flooring. They come in a variety of color and style options, perform well in high traffic areas and look great.

A green home design should include dimmer switches. They can be easily installed in new homes under construction, as well as in existing homes. This simple switch can minimize energy consumption, which is a good thing for our planet. It can also put extra money in your pocket since you're saving on energy use. That translates into a lower electric bill.

Complementing a green home design are other environmentally friendly measures that save our resources. They are the four Rs: recycling, reusing items in other ways instead of discarding them, restoring instead of buying new and reducing waste. Evaluate your home practices to see how you can enhance your go green pledge.

A green home design helps to preserve our natural resources and keeps our planet healthy. Going green doesn't cost anything extra, especially when you consider the cost savings in the long run. Lighting changes, for example, instantly pays for itself. When you replace standard incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient luminescent ones, you conserve energy and realize a significant savings on your electric bill.

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Recycle: The How To Guide

by Green Homes


recycle
Recycling has become one of the best ways to “save the world” today. Why? Because it is in the reach of the average consumer. There are several areas where the earth needs help, but as the average person we do not always have control over those areas, even if we want them. However, by recycling, we are doing our part to reduce, reuse, and ultimately, recycle.

How do I Start Recycling?

Starting recycling is very easy thanks to the many services provided in our communities today. Many households are taking advantage of these services and now, with a little knowledge, so can you.

Here’s How!

1. Save Recyclables – You can tell what is recyclable by looking at the bottom of the container or material. There should be a triangular type sign that indicates that it can be recycled. Within this sign, there is generally a number, this will tell you what type of material it is, which will also help in determining where to recycle.
2. Rinse and Clean – One of the key factors in making a recyclable suitable is ensuring that the container is clean and rinsed out.
3. Recycle – Many communities have drop off locations in several areas. Perhaps in your area this might be a business in which does the recycling for you. On the other hand, such as in my area, we have four stations set up in parking lots of major businesses that gives us the opportunity to drop off our recyclables whenever necessary.

Those are the basics of recycling; however, there is more:

What can you recycle?

  1. Glass
  2. Aluminum Cans – In some areas, you can make money from recycling aluminum cans
  3. Plastic
  4. Tin
  5. Cardboard
  6. Paper
  7. Metals – Generally, must be taken to an approved facility
  8. Motor Oil – At approved facilities
  9. Paint – At approved facilities
  10. Batteries – At approved Facilities

What is great about recycling is that nearly everything we use in our lives can be recycled. When you recycle a material, it is then taken to a facility, cleaned, melted or otherwise conformed into something new. Doing this is actually saving our natural resources and creating a cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable environment.

Other Ways To Recycle

If you do not have facilities such as those listed above or simply cannot get to them, find out if your area has curbside collections. This is different from the weekly garbage collection, but has the same general idea. If offered, many will offer special containers to place the recyclables into and they will pick it up from the curb, just as the garbage men do.

Why Recycle?

1. Saves Space in Landfills
2. Saves on Energy
3. Creates Jobs and Saves Money
4. Creates Less Pollution
5. Saves our Natural Resources

So remember the three “R’s”: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

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