Home & Garden...

Here are some easy tips for going green in your home.

Stop incoming trash. At home we produce enough trash, there's no good reason to have trash delivered as well. Stop all that junk mail with two quick visits to both Green Dimes and Catalog Choice. These are free services that allow you to opt out of junk mail and excessive catalogs.

Re-doing your kitchen? Is a total cabinet remodel really necessary? Maybe you could simply refinish, paint, and add some new nice knobs to brighten the space. It takes trees and energy to create new cabinets. If you truly need new cabinets, aim for sustainable wood and non-toxic finishes.

Shorten your showers or try something even better along side of shorter showers. Place a Tupperware bin in the side of the shower you don't stand on, allow it to fill and use that water plants, wash your car, or mop the floor.

Stock your kitchens with local fare. If you can go organic even better; but overall, you'll save massive transport energy and support local companies by eating foods grown and made within about 100 miles of your house. It may seem hard, but if you live in a thriving area, it's not. See if you have a local co-op in your area to search for deals.

To freshen up your walls without harming the earth, consider the Grasscloth collection or Bamboo wall covering collection by Phillip Jeffries. Both are lovely, and the grasscloth collection is made with jute or reed fibers, 100 post consumer paper, and cool natural veggie dyes.

[Image of Grasscloth and Sea Grass Grasscloth collection via Phillip Jeffries.]