How many of us have TRULY made our houses green?

Question

I try as hard as I can to turn my house green! I am only a teenager but I am trying to get my family into it. I recycle weekly and try to buy things that are good for the environment like paper instead of plastic, and if I do buy plastic I make sure it gets into the recycle bin. I have convinced my parents that as soon as we can trade in our car we are getting a new green one! YAY! We also buy cat litter that is internment safe we have a lot of cats!
What have you done to turn your house green? How hard do you try?
And any tips on how to preserve the earth a little longer!?

suzzane m,
I mean truly like if someone walked in ur house would they think :
I can't believe how much they care about the earth
or
Jez, they could help out mother nature a little more!

wooderson,
it's better to use paper because even though u cut down trees paper biodegrades and plastic doesn't rot so it just sites there

Answer 1

Good for you!! Not many teens understand the need for this. Its nice to see people your age getting involved in something, many of us adults should of been doing years ago. Good for you for getting you parents involved to. ~Mother Earth Thanks You~ Im sure. I to had been using Feline pine for my cat, but he decided he nolonger liked it. I had to go back to the nasty clay litter. :( I Personally am an Earth person. I love nature, and all things that come with it. I am at my happiest when i am outside, in the sun, by the lake. My garbage company does not have recycling, but most of my recyclables i use over as either the same thing, or as something new. and when i can use something i take it to a family members/friends place that has recycling available to them. I use the newer lightbulbs, everyone is talking about (hee hee i cant remember off the top of my head what they are called.) I switched from my old washer and dryer with a new front loaders, from Whirlpool that are High Effeciency. My refrigerator, and stove are bot energy star approved also ( they are only a few years old) We are in the process of building a new home, A completley green home. We are building what is called a "Cordwood home." built from all natural materials. wood, cement. ( stone sand and water cement is made from), We will have solar power, and wood heat. ( only when needed.) Im super excited about that. Like i said I love nature. So getting to live that close off nature is gonna be wonderful....

Answer 2

I think its great you are taking steps towards getting your family into going GREEN! I do have a few tips for you. First, stop going with paper, and stop using plastic as well. Obviously you know why not to use plastic. The reason not to use paper: in 1999 the U.S. alone used 10 billion paper grocery bags, which consumed 14 million trees. The best choice, reusable bags. You can find them at reusablebags.com.

The next thing I suggest besides recycling and conserving energy, use environmentally friendly cleaning products like Get Clean from Shaklee. By using these products you reduce waste and it is the environmental equivalent of planting 10 trees. Not only are these products non-toxic and great for the environment but they are safe to use around pets, children, and everyone else. Most cleaning products on the market today are lethal. But Get Clean products clean amazingly and won't cause cancer. Check this website for more info.

www.shaklee.net/kirsten/getclean

Answer 3

Is paper really better than plastic? Paper is made from trees, which means more paper consumption means more dead trees. Processing of wood to pulp creates a lot of pollution as well. When looking at the environmental impact of processed paper, it is NOT any greener than using plastic.

If you really want to go green, use your own re-usable bags at the grocery store, or don't use bags at all.

A green car? What's a green car? If it's not electric, it still creates about as much pollution as a standard car, taking into account manufacturing processes.

Here's what I've done: I cut my commute to work from 20 miles each way to 3 miles each way. Although I can afford a bigger home, I live in a 1200 square foot house. I keep all the lights off unless I'm in the room. I keep the temperature down in the winter time to about 69 degrees. I also choose not to have pet animals, like cats, because they create unneeded pollution in terms of their medications, foods, waste, litter boxes, etc.

Answer 4

As for not using paper, you have a point. BUT I also use paper products made from post consumer materials. I use biodegradeable cleaning products (which are in recyclable bottles) and reuse or recycle everything that I possibly can. I use the high efficiency washers which use less water, and am teaching my kids to be more friendly to the environment. It probably doesn't sound like much, but it's a start.

Answer 5

i consider my home somewhat green because I really don't have a choice...
I live in the country and there is no garbage pickup.. we HAVE to take our garbage to a dumping area where they demand that you recycle plastic,glass, aluminum and paper so we recycle big time!! everything!!
and, I have a compost in my backyard for decomposables. You can reuse the compost to put around your garden. we grow some of our own vegetables.
I live in a small house that is properly insulated and we use electric heat and air which is more economically and green conscience.
I buy all recycled products and I recycle clothes. we even have well water.
can't think of any more but Im sure we do more.

Answer 6

You could look into alternative electricity sources. In Indianapolis the power company gives you the option to "go green". All you do is sign up for the service, it's usually an extra $2-$5 per month and the company buys all of your electricity from alternative sources (wind farms, solar, etc.). It's a really good program and not very expensive. You could look for something like that in your area.

Also you could look outside your house. Is there an organization for people your age to clean up local streams or forests?

Good job on all you have done so far!

Answer 7

We have thought about it, but honestly, we have not made the effort. We are moving into a new home when we relocate to San Antonio. We found it interesting that our new home is "green" built, sort of. Have you ever heard of radiant barriers. Our home has this and I would assume much of the new building there does. The new home rep said it obviously reduces your use in gas/electric, but he also said it keeps the attic space 40 degrees cooler/warmer than the rest of the house. I sort of doubt this but sounds like a good green start.

Answer 8

Over the pass few years we as a family have tried to make our home more efficiently and conserve energy.

cool easy meals in the summer that do not need kitchen appliances.

reading books and sitting on the porch.

cooling off the house with open window and shades to keep out the sun.

biking to the store and using canvas bags for purchase.

my favorite is hanging out the sheet to dry, they smell so clean and fresh!

Answer 9

We're pretty green.
We don't use the dryer anymore; we recently got a clothesline.
Also, we replace some cleaning products with vinegar.
And we bought reuseable grocery bags, to not take plastic.

we can all pitch in some way. Even if it's a little bit, it will snowball into a lot!

Answer 10

I recycle (paper, plastic, glass, cans), but we've pretty much done that my whole life.... other than that, the only thing I've done is purchase energy efficient appliances
Oh, and water... we have the low flow toilets, sinks, etc