Ashley Cecil

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11″ x 14″ watercolor
SOLD
See all artwork available for sale.

Maybe like me, you’re not in the market for a new LEED certified eco-savvy home. There are still a multitude of ways you can reduce the amount of energy your house consumes and wastes. With a little research I found a broad list of renovations, repairs, upgrades, and projects you can take on to strengthen your green-home-owner muscles.

1. Swap your inefficient incandescent light bulbs for fluorescent ones that last up to 10 times longer and uses 2/3 less energy, saving you money.
2. Install a recirculating pump under your sink.
   
3. Replace weatherstripping seals around your windows and doors that are either letting your heat or air-conditioning out, and the undesirable outside air in.
   
4. Planting trees around your house provides shade that will significantly cut your utility costs, eat the carbon in the air, and add value to your home.
5. If you’re in need of new appliances, paying the extra price for an energy efficient model will more than pay for itself in what you will save on your utility bills.
6. If you can’t pronounce what’s in the bottles under your sink, it shouldn’t be there. They’re not good for you, your family, or the environment. Here’s a link for those who want to go the home-made route. For the rest of us, try products by Seven Generation or Simple Green.
7. Install a programmable thermostat that knows your schedule so you’re not paying to heat or cool your home while your not around, or when it’s otherwise not needed. Why pay to heat or cool your empty house?
8. What better way to engage your kids in this process than to build a compost pile? They’ll gain a clear understanding that trash has to go somewhere, how much we create, how long it takes to decompose. Maybe now they’ll start taking out the trash on the lookout for worms.

This is truly a short order, but if you’re interested in digging deeper, this is the complete list of “15 Green Projects for Under $500” from which I pulled most of these suggestions. And finally, this is slide show of 25 home products, such as artsy “storage boxes salvaged South African railroad ties,” that will surely get you excited about going green in your home.

11\" x 14\" watercolor SOLD See all artwork available for sale. Maybe like me, you\'re not in the market for a new LEED certified eco-savvy home. There are still a multitude of ways you can reduce the amount of energy your house consumes and wastes. With a little research I found a broad list of renovations, ...