When it comes to home improvement projects, a lot of things come “in green” that can make a huge difference in the health of your home. Next time you update your indoors, here are some eco-tips on protecting the health and value of your home.

Milk Paint:

The oldest painted surfaces on earth were colored with a form of milk paint. From cave drawings to King Tutankhamen’s tomb, painted surfaces as old as 20,000 years, have survived. These ancient paints were made with a simple composition of milk (casein), lime, and earth pigments. This long lasting, petroleum-free formula is available today in a variety of colors. This type of paint does not emit the same harmful VOCs found in oil-based and latex paints, which may also contain metals.

Recycled Carpet:

Carpeting is now available in 100% post-consumer PET resin. This is the same plastic that the USDA mandates for food and drink containers, creating less off-gassing and greater safety. Recycled carpet manufactures estimate that each square yard of recycled carpet saves 40 plastic containers from the landfill.

Sustainable Hardwood:

Hardwood is tricky. This is another industry that has fallen prey to the ‘greenwashing’ that has infected advertising. Many hardwood manufacturers call their products sustainable or claim they’re from managed forests; however, these terms are relative and self-applied, even by companies that engage in clear cutting or destruction of indigenous lands.

A more secure hardwood option is reclaimed wood, salvaged from older buildings as they’re deconstructed. Many of these woods are of a higher quality because they were made from old-growth trees, use less energy for processing, and have a much shorter distance to travel than hardwoods, which are often exotic.

Fixtures & Faucets:

Updating your lighting and faucets can add new life to your bathrooms, kitchen, and living areas. When choosing new faucets, opt for low-flow and adjustable flow models. The water savings will astound you. Special “frugal” flappers for your toilet tank can often be picked up at your municipal water department for free.

Compact fluorescent lighting can make a huge difference in your electricity usage. Avoid fixtures with many tiny bulbs that suck up energy and dimmer switches that are incompatible with compact fluorescents. Have a chandelier you can’t part with? Unscrew some of those little bulbs when you do use it, and use it only for guests or special occasions. Add a couple of floor lamps with compact fluorescents to light up the room otherwise.

Recycled Furniture:

Top end designers are taking eco to the fashion extreme. Ultra trendy earth-friendly furniture is available at numerous boutiques and e-stores. These pieces employ organic and recycled fabrics and fillings and are framed with recycled metal, reclaimed wood, and sustainable bamboo. If boutique prices aren’t in your budget, vintage and antique furniture stores have high-end taste at second hand prices. Artfully refinished pieces made from quality materials compliment any décor. Restoring your own garage sale finds with low VOC stains can add a more personal flare.

Bamboo:

Because it is a natural, renewable resource, bamboo is an eco-choice for wood in many facets of home improvement. It is an idea material for cutting boards, butcher-block countertop inserts, and kitchen ware like bowls and utensils. It also makes a fantastic floor.

Bamboo is a grass, not a tree. It can reach maturity in as few as three or four years and does not need to be replanted (as those of you with bamboo in your yards know all too well). We can count on a reliable supply of bamboo products in the future without resorting to deforestation or drastic landscape change. When making flooring choices, seek out low-VOC finishes and formaldehyde-free adhesives, and consider a glueless floating floor.

1) Put all your vegetable ends and peels (onions, carrots, outer lettuce leaves, etc.) into water to simmer for soup stock. Strain the remainder and put the rest in the compost bin.

2) Save attractive bottles and resealable metal tins to use as containers for beans, grains, tea, etc., either for storage or gifts.

3) On trash days, put out a box that says “FREE” filled with usable stuff that you don’t want or need. It’s usually gone before the trash folks come. It will save you a trip to a donation spot and likely help out someone in need.

4) Use any plastic containers from take-out dining to store things like salt, peppercorns, seeds, or tiny items that need moisture or dust protection or could be used in an earthquake/emergency kit.

5) Use leftover pieces of carpeting to replace car mats during sloppy winter months. They can take the abuse of snow, sand, and salt. Discard them later and the car is clean.

6) Recycle some of your chipped mugs into planters.

7) Your used mobile phone – whether working or not – can be recycled and used for a good cause. Working mobile phones can be contributed to charity (try phones4charity.org or wirelessfoundation.org) and non-working phones can be recycled for parts. Check with your mobile carrier about their recycling programs.

Donate your used furniture to upholsterers or art schools. Both often need samples for students or apprenties to practice with.

9) Don’t throw away your corks. Instead, place on the tips of knitting needles or the ends of sharp tools to keep them safe.

10) Egg cartons have multiple recycling possibilities, once they become empty. Consider:

• Use them as plant starter trays. Remove the lid; add potting soil and seeds to each mini compartment, water and place where it will receive sunlight daily.
• Use them to sort, organize and house screws and bolts in the garage. Label the contents on the lid.
• Use them to keep small kitchen items organized.

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