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Get a (green) life!
With increasing concerns about rising energy costs and growing awareness about climate change spurred by green moments in time, such as "An Inconvenient Truth" and the Live Earth concert, more and more Americans want to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle these days. Yet, not everyone knows where to start and how they can make a positive impact.
Jennifer Hammons, a certified indoor environmentalist with Lennox Industries -- a leading provider of energy-efficient home comfort solutions -- believes consumers should start at home, where they can easily begin to incorporate an eco-friendly routine into their daily lives.
"Consumers are hearing more and more about the importance of conserving the Earth's natural resources and want to become part of the solution," Hammons said. "There are a number of ways in which consumers can get a green life --from improving your home's energy efficiency to decorating with environmentally friendly furnishings to using nontoxic household products."
To help consumers embark on the path to a greener lifestyle, Hammons recommends starting by making the home more energy efficient and by reducing indoor air pollution. She offers the following tips for getting a green life:
Energy efficiency
Schedule an annual routine checkup for your heating and cooling equipment to keep the system running as efficiently as possible, and check the air filter each month to see if it needs to be replaced.
Seal cracks around windows and doors with caulk or weather stripping to prevent conditioned air from escaping.
Install a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature at certain times of the day, automatically regulating the temperature when you're away.
Consider replacing an air conditioner that is more than 15 years old with a newer, more efficient model. It may reduce annual energy bills by hundreds of dollars.
Add extra insulation to the attic, which will help prevent your home's heating and cooling system from having to work harder to regulate the indoor temperature.
Air pollution
Request an independent indoor air quality test for your home from a qualified home heating and cooling professional to identify potential sources of indoor pollution and other contaminants, such as chemical vapors, and airborne particles like pollen, dust and pet dander.
Store common household chemicals and cleaning supplies in a tightly sealed container or outside of the home to reduce harmful vapors from spreading into the air you breathe.
Avoid burning incense and candles with lead-core wicks, which can release contaminants and potentially harmful chemicals into the air.
Decrease dust and dirt in the home by cleaning with nontoxic, natural household cleaners, such as baking soda, cornstarch or white vinegar, and using a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which will trap small particles like dust that others recirculate back into the air.
Consider using a whole-home air purification system that is installed into your home's heating and cooling ductwork. These systems are much more effective at eliminating airborne contaminants than portable room air cleaners and don't produce ozone, which is a known lung irritant.
-- Courtesy of NAPSI
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