Show Mother Earth You Care

You don't have to build a straw-bale house from scratch to show Mother Earth you care. Turning your home into a haven of environmentally conscious design is doable if you take a gradual approach.

Here are 10 small ways to make your home and the planet a more beautiful place to live:

Color Your World Green
Freshen up your walls with eco-friendly paint. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in conventional paints are bad for your health and contribute to global warming, so opt for low-VOC or VOC-free lines instead. Companies are becoming wise to the growing desire for eco-friendly paints and are producing low-VOC brands such as Benjamin Moore's Ecco-Spec brand, while others such as Pittsburgh Paint's PPG Pure Performance brand contain no VOCs at all. Other options: milk and biodegradable paints, which are nontoxic, and recycled paints, which reduce landfill waste.

Go Au Natural
If privacy isn't an issue, leave your windows unadorned. The airy look lets in light, which can warm a cold room, and also means you have one less item to dispose of when a drapery style becomes passé. If direct sun makes the room too hot or you're feeling shy about naked panes, select window treatments that are made of natural textured materials, like linen, bamboo or seagrass.

Say No to PVC
Instead of buying a vinyl shower curtain, choose a cloth one. The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in most plastic varieties emits carcinogens (bad for your health) and is non-biodegradable (bad for the earth). If you're about to embark on a bathroom reno, consider designing a shower area with a glass door or partition, so you don't need a curtain at all.

Watch What You Toss
Take eco-friendly waste disposal beyond the recycling bin and compost heap: keep your renovation garbage and old furniture out of landfill. First, consider reusing items: Do you need new cabinets or just doors? How about reupholstering that chair instead of discarding it? If you can't use an item, donate it to a charity or used-building-materials supplier like Habitat for Humanity's ReStores. For unwanted refuse, it's surprising what's recyclable these days: most metals and plastics, yes, but did you know asphalt shingles, concrete and sometimes even drywall can find new life? Contact your local sanitation department to find out more.

Grow Your Decor
Not only does a little greenery make a room look more homey and lived-in, but plants also filter out harmful airborne chemicals. Add palms, ferns or potted gerbera daisies, which all have high ratings for their ability to remove chemical vapours, throughout your home and you'll find you'll breathe easier.

Tread Softly
Chemical dyes, stain-resistant treatments and heavy-duty adhesives in some carpets off-gas harmful toxins. Instead of noxious pile, roll out alternatives like sisal, seagrass or coir (made from coconuts), or rugs with recycled content. Carpet tiles are a smart choice, too: you can replace only the worn or stained sections, reducing the amount that goes to landfill.

Sleep Soundly
Ever wake up feeling a little stuffy? Your bed could be the culprit. To alleviate the problem, choose bedding made of organic cottons or linens; they're harvested responsibly and expose you to fewer allergy-inducing chemicals than ordinary cotton or wrinkle-free sheets. When it's time to replace your mattress, purchase an all-wool or natural latex model.

Furnish With Care
More retailers are taking up the cause, making it easier to find earth-friendly furniture. Look for pieces containing reclaimed wood or wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and organic fabric and upholstery fill. Avoid particleboard, plywood and other wood composites, which often contain harmful chemicals like formaldehyde. Durability is also important—the better the construction, the less likely it will be tossed out adding to landfills. Also consider buying local furniture (which reduces transportation). Buying from nearby vendors will support the local economy and small craftspeople.

Lighting
CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) are a great alternative to traditional lighting because they use less energy and last a lot longer. The fact that they release less heat also means lower bills. LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are another lighting option. They last even longer than CFLs and use even less heat. Both options are more expensive than regular lighting (with CFLs being more reasonable than LEDs), however as they become more prevalent in the marketplace their price point continues to drop.

Lay Down Friendly Floors
There are plenty of options underfoot; for instance, salvaged wood has a beautiful patina, and fast-growing bamboo comes in a variety of looks to suit different tastes. For new wood flooring, look for FSC-certified products. Other options: sustainably harvested cork, polished concrete, stone, recycled-glass tiles or old-fashioned linoleum.

Bamboo
Who knew that that a towering tropical stalk could prove to be such an extraordinary eco-chic material? Bamboo is the darling of the green design world, and its star deserves to shine that brightly because it grows at lightning speed and can be used in a variety of ways. It takes about 4 years to grow, as opposed to trees that can take anywhere from 25 to 70 years. And, although it isn’t wood (bamboo is actually a grass that grows in China), it can be turned into ply boards that match the properties of conventional wood. It can also be spun into fabric for upholstery.

Sustainable Forest Wood ...
If bamboo isn’t your thing you can use traditional wood furniture, but take an interest in where that wood comes from. We all know about the benefits trees provide: they keep the earth cool and they turn our carbon dioxide into much needed oxygen. So, why do we keep chopping down these wonder workers at such an alarming rate? When purchasing wood furniture, look for items that are specifically produced by sustainably harvested forests. Better still, try purchasing items that are made from reclaimed wood which makes use of wood from old furniture and houses.