A common sense approach to Eco friendly living and saving money!

1. Line dry your clothes. Dryers don’t even come with an “Energy Star” rating – that’s how bad they are in terms of energy consumption. Line or rack drying your clothes saves a ton of energy and thus CO2 from going into the environment. If you live somewhere like the desert Southwest it’s quicker too.

2. Wash your clothes only in cold water. We don’t use hot water for anything anymore, and our clothes are just as clean. Also, when available choose the concentrated option. It’s less packaging to manufacture and to recycle and because of its lower weight it is less greenhouse gas generated to transport it from factory to store to your home.

3. Insulate your hot water heater and your water pipes. This can help keep the heat in your house down (in the summer) and help your heater to work less to heat your water. Also, be sure you have a low-flow shower head. Today there are great ones available that actually provide a great amount of pressure but use significantly less water.

4. Replace the weather-stripping on your doors and windows. Stop the cold air from getting in and the heat from escaping during the upcoming winter.

5. Spend some money on houseplants. A lot of plants inside your house both clean the air and provide fresh oxygen. If you don’t have a green thumb, buy a plant that is low maintenance. Trust me. They’re out there.

6. Buy recycled toilet paper. The better brands feel just as good as virgin paper, but save tons of chlorine pollution from the bleaching process and conserve millions of trees and gallons of water.

Being green is easy. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Think progress not perfection. Each individual change when made by the collective can have a great impact. Come on. You can do it. If you have more suggestions, please pass them along to us at Planet Forward. Eco friendly Living tips are meant to be shared with friends!!