HOME AND GARDEN GUIDE TO GREEN LIVING

Your home is one of the easiest places to start going green. Check out these ideas that go beyond turning off the lights but are just as simple:

Ø  Reduce your water flow to a pencil-width when you turn on the water to wash your hands, dishes and fruits and vegetables. Two-thirds of the water we generally use to do most washing jobs is wasted down the drain! Reducing the flow won’t create more work or take more time—it simply saves a resource that is becoming more and more valuable.

Ø  When tending your garden or patio, use mulch, plant drought-resistant and native plants, and be sure to water wisely. Small bits of bark (mulch) will help to reduce water evaporation, while planting native species will save water, since plants that are indigenous to your region won't need to be watered as much as others. When you do water your plants, make sure you do it before dawn or after dusk: Water evaporates quickly in the heat of the day.

Ø  It’s a no-brainer to turn off your TV or stereo to conserve energy when you leave the house. But most people don’t realize that many appliances in your home still suck power from the wall—even when the devices are turned off. Unplugging them will save as much as 40% of the wasted electricity. Start by unplugging the chargers to your cell phone, MP3 player, digital camera and PDA when they're not in use. Then get into the habit of unplugging your TV, VCR, DVD, stereo, coffeemaker, microwave and anything else that has an internal clock or remote control, as these products are designed to remain in a “ready” state until needed—which means they continually drain electricity.

Ø  Your whites will be just as white and clean, but you won’t waste 35 gallons of hot water to do each load of laundry. Using cold water helps preserve the color of your garments, and you'll see a noticeable difference on your gas bill as well.

Ø  Set your computer to go into sleep mode when it's not in use, and shut it off each night. Shutting down your system every night will help save energy and also prolong the life of your computer (it’s actually better for your computer than leaving it on). As a next step, adjust your settings so that your screen goes dark when you're not using your computer. Screen savers prevent your computer from going into sleep mode and (contrary to popular belief) are not needed to preserve your screen. You can find your computer's sleep settings and energy management settings in your System Preferences.

Ø  Most people don’t know when they have a leaky toilet. To easily find out if your toilet leaks, add food coloring (or instant coffee) to the tank water. Wait 30 minutes to see if any color has leaked into the bowl. If you find you have a leak, turn off the water and flush the toilet once. Then remove the toilet flapper and bring it with you to a hardware store to find a perfect match. Expect to replace your flapper every four to five years. If you use detergents to clean your toilet, however, you may need to replace your flapper every year, since chemical cleaners can damage, warp or erode the plastic.

Ø  Gas mowers use two-stroke engines that do not burn gas efficiently—they're actually far more polluting than your car. Instead, get a little exercise with a good old-fashioned push mower. Be sure to leave the clippings on the lawn instead of collecting them and throwing them out, as cut grass is a natural and nutritious fertilizer for your lawn.

Ø  Switch all the light bulbs in your home from standard filament bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). This new technology creates the same amount of light but uses only a quarter of the energy—plus, a CFL bulb lasts 10 times longer than a regular bulb. CFL bulbs are available at hardware stores and supermarkets, and come in all shapes, sizes and wattages. Give them a try, and watch your electric bill shrink significantly.

Ø  A tub bath can waste up to 50 gallons of water. A shower uses a fraction of that, especially if you keep it short—around five minutes is best (try using an egg timer). If five minutes sounds ambitious, you can still save water by getting in the habit of turning off the water spray while lathering up, shaving... or singing. If you're in the market for a new shower head, look for one with a shut-off valve, or install an inexpensive shut-off valve on your current faucet head. The valve will allow you to temporarily turn off the water flow mid-shower—without losing that perfect balance of hot and cold water you worked so hard to finesse.

Ø  If you have a gas wall heater in your home, you may already know that the unit contains a small pilot light (like the pilot light on a gas stove). While that pilot light is essential during the cold months, the bad news is that it burns continuously during the warm months, too, adding up to a lot of wasted gas—and about $6 per month (per pilot light) on your gas bill. Each year when spring arrives, call your gas company and have them come out to turn off the pilot lights in your wall heater.

Ø  Visit the United States Department of Energy's online resource, the Green Power Network, to find out if your utility company offers the option of purchasing electricity from clean energy sources (wind, geothermal, solar or hydroelectric, for example). The Web site lists alternative energy options by state, and notes whether each alternative power source has been certified by an independent environmental organization.

Ø  Start your organic garden out right with seeds and starter plants raised without pesticides and herbicides, available at most garden supply centers.

Ø  Wrapping your water heater in an insulating blanket, available for about $10 at any hardware store, can help lower your energy bill by retaining more of the heat produced by the water heater. Another valuable trick is to turn down the thermostat setting on the unit to WARM, or 120 degrees. This will keep kids from being scalded by water that is too hot to touch, and will also save you money on your heating bill.