Going Green At Home:
1000's of Ideas for Healthier, Sustainable Living

1000's of Ideas for Greener, Healthier Homes #green #eco, via SustainableBabySteps.com

Going green at home is often one of the first steps to a sustainable lifestyle. It's where we eat and sleep, where we connect to our loved ones or center ourselves. It's only natural that it be the first thing to which we turn our attentions.

Much of what we do to live green isn't something that fits on a list of ideas. In our every choice, we attempt to decrease our footprint by turning off the faucet a few seconds faster or choosing not to use a light when possible. We may buy the smaller laptop to save resources or make sacrifices that aren't necessary to our lives. All of these daily choices may seem overwhelming, but with time they work together to simplify our lives.

"Home is an invention on which no one
has yet improved."
~ Ann Douglas

Simplify Your Life

Simplifying our life goes a long way in going green at home. Looking back to simpler times for inspiration (while using innovative alternative technologies) can help guide us in environmentally-responsible actions. Here are a few principles behind simple living:

Minimize:
Use less, conserve more. What can you use less of? Makeup, toilet paper, printer paper, etc just to name a few.
Maximize:
Use it up, wear it out, get the most out of your clothing, food, personal energy and more.
Prioritize:
Make time for what matters. Eliminate things that don't. Don't waste time, money or natural resources on the wrong things.

Keeping in mind these principles of simple living will keep you on track as you peruse the following articles and begin going green at home.

What would you like to learn first?

How to conserve water, energy, and other resources?
How to green your cleaners, pesticides, and home care?
How to go green in the kitchen?
How to go green in the bathroom?

Home Conservation

Conservation begins at home by considering the true value of what we use, how we use it and why. It's important to understand the sources of energy and natural resources, like water, and it's also important to consider the affects our over-consumption causes to our environment.

Water Conservation

According to the University of Nebraska, approximately 30% of the nation is reporting drought conditions⁸⁴ and yet few people are conscious of their water usage. Reducing water waste is easy with the tips in the article below.

Read More:
110+ Ways to Save Water

Greywater Recycling

We use purified water for everything we do. But we only use it once before we send it back for more purification. This is where home water recycling comes into play. For instance, did you know your washing machine water can sustain your garden?

Read More:
How To Start Greywater Recycling

Conserving Energy

The price of energy is going up and our natural resource reserve is dwindling. It's not possible for everyone to pull off the energy grid but it is possible for everyone to reduce their personal consumption. From electricity to natural gas, these tips will help.

Read More:
85+ Energy Saving Tips

Home Heating

Perhaps one of the greatest consumers of energy, heating our homes can be expensive and inefficient. With a few tips you can find sustainable and affordable ways to stay warm and save money while conserving energy.

Read More:
26 Home Heating Tips and Alternatives

Home Cooling

Depending on where you live keeping cool may be an even bigger concern for you, especially as energy prices rise and our dependence on finite resources increases. These tips will help you cut back on your air conditioning usage, save money and lessen your carbon footprint.

Read More:
28 Home Cooling Tips and Alternatives

Natural Home Care

With the damage caused by chemicals, it's important to rethink the way in which we care for our home. Cleaning and managing pests shouldn't increase our risk of disease. Going green at home increases your health by removing harmful chemicals from your environment.

Organic Pesticides

There are many natural, more sustainable options to controlling household pests. Through prevention and the use of organic pesticides almost all home pest issues can be prevented.

Read More:
The Most Effective Organic Pesticides
Get Rid of Flies and Fruit Flies

Natural Household Cleaners

Keep your home and family safe by using non-toxic, all-natural alternatives to chemical cleaners. Make your own natural cleaners easily, inexpensively and efficiently.

Read More:
How to Use Natural Household Cleaners

Air Purifying Houseplants

Why invest in expensive electrical air purifiers when you could purchase a few types of houseplants to clean and filter your air naturally and inexpensively?

Read More:
19 Types of Houseplants that Clean the Air

Neutralizing Odors Naturally

You don't need harmful chemicals to eliminate odors in or around your home. You just need a few tips on removing odors naturally and safely without adding any harmful chemicals to your indoor air.

Read More:
Removing Odors Naturally (without "Febreze")

All About Soap Nuts

Perhaps the most sustainable cleaning product on the market, soap nuts have numerous benefits (such as being all-natural and affordable) and even more uses (from your laundry to your car and everything between).

Read More:
The Benefits and Uses of Soap Nuts

Spring Cleaning Tips

The sun is shining, the breeze is cool and you're ready to freshen your home with a few spring cleaning tips. Forget the disposable supplies and toxic cleaning supplies, and make your experience fun, enjoyable and eco-friendly.

Read More:
Spring Cleaning Tips for a Non-Toxic Home

Going Green at Home: Kitchen

Now that we've got the big topics out of the way, let's move on to some of the smaller things you can do in and around the house as you continue going green at home, starting in the kitchen.

Sustainable Cookware

Cooking and baking with environmentally-friendly and safe pots and pans is very important. Whatever you use has the potential to taint your food. Instead of teflon, mke the switch to cast iron cookware: it's easy to clean, simple to use, energy-efficient and versatile.

Read More:
Cast Iron Cookware: The Eco-Friendly Choice

Cutting Boards

When searching for a kitchen cutting board, there is one clear choice that is safe, long-lasting and healthy. No harmful cleaners, no worry of bacteria and completely sustainable, too!

Read More:
The Only Naturally Antibacterial Cutting Board

Going Green At Home: Bathroom

Many of the tips for the bathroom are included in the Water Conservation articles above. But let's chat about some of the other things we can do.

Cloth Toilet Paper

It's a topic most people find a little crazy, until they realize just how common it already is, even in their own homes! Yes, cloth toilet paper is considered a big step, but this article will show you just how easy it is to implement and why you'll want to.

Read More:
The Dangers of Recycled Toilet Paper

Personal Care

When we're talking about going green at home, and specifically in the bathroom, we cant help but overlap with the others sections of this site, such as the personal care we do in the bathroom. In this section we give ways to green you self-care practices.

Read More:
Personal Care for Organic Living