HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOME MORE GREEN, AND MORE EARTH-FRIENDLY

SUMMARY
Having a greener, more earth friendly home is the best thing you can do to reduce your carbon footprint and save money at the same time! Making your home a greener place is a commitment - to yourself, your family, your community, and to the world. A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste and is healthier for those living inside and outside.
BODY
A home can be built green, or you can make it green later. A green makeover can happen all at once, or it can be a gradual process. But what it all comes down to is a new way of thinking - and a new way of living. From a more energy-efficient kitchen to a tree-filled backyard paradise, your home can be green from top to bottom, front to back, inside and out. And it doesn't matter whether you rent or own, live in an apartment or single-family home, live in the city, the suburbs or the country.
There are many very real benefits to living in a green home, and every day, more and more Americans are discovering those benefits. Green homes are healthier, more durable and more cost-effective. That's why green homes are expected to make up 10% of new home construction by 2010, up from 2% in 2005, according to the 2006 McGraw-Hill Construction Residential Green Building Smart Market Report. Owning or renting a green home is good for your health, your wallet and our environment.
Beyond the health and environmental benefits of living in a green home, many local and state governments, utility companies and other entities across the country offer rebates, tax breaks and other incentives for adding eco-friendly elements to your life.
An Environmentally Friendly Home
• Residential cooling and heating alone make up 20% of the United State's yearly energy use. Throw in household lighting, appliances and other electronic equipment, and homes are clearly a major source of energy consumption. Most of that energy comes from greenhouse gas producers like oil and coal, contributing to global climate change. Green homes use 40% less energy than comparable standard homes.
• Some green homes further reduce our dependence on conventional energy sources as they generate some or all of their energy needs through alternative energy sources like the sun, wind, geothermal energy and biomass.
• Efficient plumbing and bathing fixtures, drought-tolerant landscaping and water-conserving irrigation systems help green homes use less water than standard homes.
• Far fewer natural resources are used in the construction of a green home. Many green building materials have significant recycled content. Some companies, for example, now make carpets and floor tiles from recycled tires and bottles. Green homes can also be constructed with salvaged materials from demolished buildings. Green homes use materials made from rapidly renewable materials, like bamboo, hemp, recycled plastics, agrifibers and soybean-based products. And the use of wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council helps promote socially and environmentally beneficial forestry practices.
• Building a standard 2,500-square-foot home creates approximately 2 tons of construction waste that ends up in landfills. Construction of a green home, however, generates very little if no waste at all.

Resources:
To begin making your home greener and more earth friendly, please visit http://www.HaveAGreenerWorld.com