Shake Up Your Style

Are you green?
I thought it would be a really cool idea to see how many green tips & tricks we could all come up with for around the house. Here are some that I've learned...........

#1 tankless hot water hearter

#2 recycled roof shingles

#3 cotton / paper insulation

#4 no VOC paints

#5 granite - not laminate

#6 programmable thermostats

#7 solar pannels

#8 cork, wood or natural stone flooring - not carpet

#9 recycled wood (made from sunflower hulls, wheat, straw, sugar cane fiber, newspaper, lottery tickets, paperback books)

#10 glass back splash & shower walls made from old baby, soda &  wine bottles.   

In addition to granite for countertops, there are recycled glass countertops...
http://www.vetrazzo.com/

And there are also recycled carpets now too, made from PET plastics and/or reclaimed fiber!! Here is one resource:
http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Interior-Partitions-Ceilings/recycled-content-carpet

One should check not only to see how much recycled content there is in building and decorating materials but also a) how sustainable the resource is(for example, cork and bamboo are both promoted because they are considered more "sustainable than hardwoods) and b) how much energy is required by and how much waste is generated from the recycling (For example, "The energy a recycling plant consumes and the quantities of fumes it emits into the atmosphere when recycling plastic water bottles is comparable to the expenditure of petroleum that was used to make the offensive item." http://www.lestout.com/article/news-society/the-green-channel/recycling-worth-it.html ). Cost-benefit rations aren't all that easy to calculate...

How about green planters for your green home. We at redflowerpot.com
manufacture over 80 different planter products all from recycled wood

Hi Carol,

Those glass countertops are amazing. I currently have granite but if I ever had to redo them I'd sure look into that.
There are also some beautiful glass backsplash designs!

Hello redflowerpot,

Welcome, I'm glad you joined os over here. Its always nice to have new people jump in.

That red flower pot on your porch is very pretty. It redflowerpot your biz?
What an awsome idea to make flower pots from recycled wood.

Another good recycling idea is to have a flower pot exchange with neighbors, pick some up at yard sales or even 2nd hand stores. Old baskets also make cute flower pots.