Conventional flooring products are often not eco-friendly and bad for your health as well. For instance, most carpet in the US is made of nylon. This material doesn’t wear well and tends to off gas volatile organic compounds, which are hazardous to our health. To make matters worse, nylon carpet is not easily recyclable and will end up in the landfill, since it’s not biodegradable.

Another conventional option, vinyl flooring, which is common in bathrooms and kitchens, has similar problems. Pthalates found in this material have been blamed for problems in child development. Synthetic laminate woods aren’t much better. While they use recycled lumber waste, this mostly goes into them in the form of fiber board, a short lived product that contains a lot of formaldehyde.

Hardwood floors are healthier and fully natural, but may not have been produced sustainably. You should also pay attention to the finish that’s used on any hardwood floors – most are petroleum based and bad for air quality.

Since so many people love the look of hardwoods, consider reclaimed hardwoods. Reclaimed hardwood comes from old structures, such as dilapidated libraries, barns, schools, etc. Many companies nowadays specialize in reclaiming the wood that would otherwise end up in a junkyard. It is possible to have a new hardwood floor without any new trees being cut down.

You’re probably familiar with the cork used as a stopper for wine bottles, but have you ever walked on cork flooring? Cork is becoming a more attractive flooring option of late because it’s sustainable. It’s the same material in your wine bottle cork, just formed into planks or tiles and applied to the sub-floor. Since it is lightweight, installation is fairly painless.

Cork has a lot of great qualities as a flooring choice — sustainable, hypoallergenic, and naturally antimicrobial — making it a good choice for damp basements. Cork also solves many insulating problems for both for heat and sound. It’s gentle to walk on, sparing your back, knees, and feet. Remember that cork can be scratched and needs to be replaced after about ten years. High traffic areas will wear faster, and lower traffic ones may last longer. Resealing your cork floor may also be necessary, but a well sealed floor can be mopped or cleaned with gentle, non abrasive cleansers.

Another green option is bamboo flooring. Bamboo is considered green because it’s fast growing. Also, it’s a grass rather than a tree. Bamboo farms can grow a shoot to maturity in just a few years. It is a sturdy material that will last just as long as wood. Though there aren’t as many varieties of bamboo as there are species of wood, different finishes can create a myriad of looks for you to choose from.

Since the average person spends 12-15 hours in their home everyday, flooring is an important consideration. For health reasons, you’ll want to take a look at how it will affect the air quality in your home. A green floor will look good as well as reduce allergies and headaches.

Whether you like it or not, doing the laundry is an ongoing necessity. But from an ecological standpoint, it’s a good opportunity to practice some earthy friendly habits. Making a few small changes can make a big and positive impact on your family’s carbon footprint.

No dry cleaning
Dry cleaning typically is done using perchloroethylene (or perc, as it is known in the industry). It’s a toxic chlorine-based solvent that is a known carcinogen, can contaminate air and water, and is classified as hazardous waste by the EPA. So aside from the damage it can do the environment, just think about what you’re doing to your body when you wear freshly dry cleaned clothes next to your skin. Or think about the air quality in your bedroom when your closet is full of dry cleaned clothes.

Dry cleaning alternatives
Tailored suits and formal gowns may need to be dry cleaned (or at least professionally cleaned to keep everything in its proper place and shape), but almost everything else can be cleaned with biodegradable soap and water. Even wool and delicate silks can be hand washed using water and a small amount of mild shampoo.

After all, they are natural fibers and don’t need the kinds of heavy duty commercial detergents that are made to remove grass stains. And they really don’t need dry cleaning chemicals, either. Just learn to gently squeeze the soap through them instead of wringing them or agitating them so that you don’t shrink the wool or cause abrasions on the surface of that shiny silk.

Air drying
When the planet had cleaner air, people used to hang their laundry out in the sun and let it dry in the breeze. Sadly, if you tried that today in many urban areas your laundry would dry with an extra layer of soot and particles. But you can still air dry some of your lighter weight clothing in the bathroom or utility room of your house or apartment. Use inexpensive wooden folding racks to maximize space, and airs dry your silk or synthetic lingerie, spandex workout clothing and any other clothing that you would use the dryer’s gentle cycle for.

I was shopping in a home store this week and saw a really nice carpet. When I read the tag to see what it was made of, the tag said it was made of unknown man-made fibers. I kid you not. Not exactly compelling advertising, huh? Of course I left it in the store. If the manufacturer doesn’t know what the product is made of, who does?

Although carpet is a traditional floor covering in most homes in the United States, contemporary carpets are not a healthy or environmentally sustainable product.

Modern carpets are made of synthetic fibers such as nylon, acrylic, polyester, or polypropylene. Carpets are also treated with fire retardants, anti-static treatments, fungicides, and dye — of course. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) containing adhesives add to the dangerous chemical mix. Adding insult to injury, it’s backed with polyurethane, synthetic latex, or PVC. Since it can’t be recycled, it goes into the landfill. These materials can be toxic, and contain a number of chemicals that often leach into the ground and water supply over the years.

If you’re concerned about your decor’s ecological impact, avoiding this kind of carpeting is important. Instead of a traditional carpet, think outside the box and look for other options. There are healthier, greener carpets out there that will work just as well.

You can improve the situation by buying carpet with a low VOC adhesive or by installing modular carpet tiles, so that a single piece can be replaced instead of the entire floor. Keep in mind the resources used in making carpet are still non renewable and not the healthiest of options. Fortunately, there are some ecologically friendly alternatives available.

Carpets made from recycled materials are becoming more popular. These carpets are made of discarded plastic bottles, wool, cotton, nylon, and even old carpet. These products would have otherwise gone to the landfill. You can also get recycled carpet pads. Tacking your carpet to the floor instead of gluing it removes concerns about VOCs from adhesives, and the carpet remains attractive and soft.

Before the age of synthetics, carpets were made from cotton or wool and vegetable dyes for color. You can still get natural fiber carpet made from wool or cotton which are biodegradable and renewable. This carpeting has a richer texture and lasts longer, as well as naturally being resistant to dirt, fire, static, and moisture.

Synthetic carpets became popular because of their resistance to stains, but this comes at the price of chemicals. Wool carpet is also less hospitable to dust mites than synthetics. However, most wool carpeting is treated with an anti-moth chemical, which may off gas. Look for untreated wool carpet with a jute backing that is dyed with natural colors. This material is more expensive than a synthetic, but it’ll last longer and feel better.

Plant fibers are another option. Since they are biodegradable and VOC free they are a green choice. Also, sisal and sea grass carpeting also a possibility. Carpeting made of jute, coconut fibers (coir), and abaca are also popular. They’re usually backed with urethane or latex, and may be undyed. That’s because many plant fibers don’t dye well. If you like the natural green or tans of sisal and coir, however, they make excellent choices.

If you’re thinking about a sustainable building product, a good place to look is your roof. Most people don’t think about roofing material, but just the best deal you can get for you money. However, since most homes have asphalt shingles, a material with a high environmental impact, and low reusability, and with a short life, roofing is area that needs a second look.

For starters the water runoff is not safe to drink, but there’s no regulation about letting it run into the soil. If your roof is starting to show its age, that presents a perfect opportunity to replace it with a greener option. There are a number of options when it comes to environmentally friendly roofing. Here are a few.

One of the most popular choice in green roofing material is the living roof. Quite literally it is green. A living roof contains a layer of soil or a soil substitute and plants grow on top of them. The first benefit is that they significantly increase the insulation factor of the house which will reduce your heating and cooling bill. Additionally green roofs help the home blend into its surroundings, and they’re quite beautiful. If the home is new, topsoil that’s been displaced during construction can also be recycled as part of a living roof.

You can also reduce your grocery bill by growing vegetables and herbs. City dwellers will especially appreciate this type of roof sinceit provides a park like space to spend time. In cities, they reduce the urban heat island effect somewhat, and they also keep storm water from running off onto the street or ground. Plants can help remove pollutants from the air and water while on your roof, and they’ll help increase the local wildlife population. These roofs are really catching on in in large cities where green spaces are fewer and government incentives are being offered to place a living or green roof on buildings.

Green roofs have a few negatives though. They are much heavier than a traditional roof which means the infrastructure may need to be strengthened to hold them up. If the supporting structure is poorly designed, the roof may leak or attract animals to to set up housekeeping. However, this won’t happen if the structure is properly designed.

Another choice is the metal roof. You should know there is some debate about the sustainability of metal roofing. The positive aspects are that it is a material that lasts a long time, almost never needs to be replaced, and can be recycled after removal. On the other hand, metal production is an environmentally damaging process. For the best of both worlds, recycled metal can be used, but that’s not always possible. However, for those who want to collect rainwater for use around the home, enameled metal roofs are a good choice, as they don’t contaminate the water. They’re lighter than living roofs, but heavier than a conventional asphalt shingle roof. Metal roofs also interfere with signals from satellite antennas.

Although cedar shake roofs require harvesting of trees, they are another popular roofing material. The shakes are made of untreated cedar, and they won’t rot the way other woods do. In general, they last longer than asphalt shingles. The cedar shake industry says this material is renewable, sustainable, and recyclable.

Finally, a long standing roofing tradition in the Southwest is ceramic tile which is nontoxic and long lasting. Kilning clay into tiles requires a reasonably large investment of energy. That means that, like a metal roof, there’s a large investment in tile. However, the durability and nontoxic properties of this material offset the problems for many. Tiles tend to be expensive and very heavy. Although single tiles may need to be replaced periodically, the roof as a whole is quite durable. Unglazed tiles are the most popular, but glazed is an option as well.

Whatever roofing material you choose, keep in mind that the term green is not regulated or monitored. You’ll have to do your due diligence to make sure the products you choose are environmentally sound based on science rather than hype.

If you’re looking for a way to get started using solar energy in your home, small solar panels are an affordable and easy way to begin. Since they use relatively few materials and require tools that many people already have in their toolbox, small solar panels are easy to build. With the help of a good set of instructions and a few video tutorials, people who are handy with a screwdriver, saw and soldering iron can build their first solar panel over a weekend, and create a solar panel that can recharge a 12 volt battery or serve as the beginning of a larger solar electric system.

Books about how to build your own solar panels

Since solar energy has become so popular, there are now several do-it-yourself solar panel guides to choose from. Paperback or hardcover books from your local library or bookstore will take you through topics that include the history of solar energy, how solar cells are manufactured and how to calculate what size solar panel system you will need in order to supply your electricity needs and live off grid.

DIY solar panel guides

There are also some very good downloadable products that include ebooks and videos. Being able to store on your hard drive makes it easy to consult them during the solar panel building process. The written reports can be printed out for general reference or to use as a checklist to follow to stay on track during your project. The combination of ebook and video addresses the different learning styles that people have, and also provides useful tools for do-it-yourselfers.

Solar panel videos

Video tutorials provide a good overview of the solar panel building process and can shorten the learning curve that intimidates many people who would like to try building their own solar panel, but may think the process is too complicated for them to try. When people are unfamiliar with the technical terms, the materials and the tools that are used to build solar panels, pictures really are worth a thousand words.

Also, videos can be helpful for experienced home improvement fans, too, because they can be reviewed when a specific technique is needed. Even if you are a highly skilled crafts person, when learning a new technical skill, it’s often easier when you can watch someone else performing the task, and then try it yourself while using the hard copy instructions for reference.

Compost is one of the most eco-friendly fertilizers there is, and since you can make it yourself, it’s totally free! I like to mix a variety of natural materials together in one of my garden beds, and let those decompose on their own. Coffee grounds make wonderful food for almost any kind of plant or flower. I sometimes spread them around the base of my indoor container plants, and sometimes I mix them into my soil when planting something new.

In the winter time, I tend to have a lot of fireplace ashes. Since I’ve got a fire going regularly in my fireplace, it needs to be cleaned out every week or so. When it’s time to clean out the ashes from my fireplace, I simply scoop them into a bucket. Then I take that bucket to a garden bed that’s right outside my office door, and I dump them in the corner.

I have coffee every day too, but I don’t always remember to dump my used coffee grounds, so this is done randomly and occasionally. The same simple proceedure applies though: Just empty the coffee grounds into a bucket, and take them outside. I dump them into the same corner as the fireplace ashes. Then once in awhile I may stir, mix or spread the pile if it’s gets a little big.

If you drink tea instead of coffee, tea grounds work just as well. In fact, you can toss the entire tea bag into your compost pile, but it will take longer to decompose that way.

These everyday household items are all I tend to use for enriching my garden bed soil. In the spring when I start preparing the beds for planting, I simply mix the ashes and coffee grounds into the soil itself. I then scoop out some into buckets and spread it around to other beds around my yard, and mix it into the soil in each of those too.

Creating compost or enriching your soil in this casual manner does take a bit longer, but it works wonderfully over time. If you’d like to speed up the process you can of course create a full fledged dedicated compost pile in your backyard, or buy a commercial compost bin. Some of them turn your scraps into rich compost within just a month or two.

Other every day items that you can add to your pile include:

Newspaper scraps – they’ll decompose faster if you shred them first.

Fruit and Vegetable scraps – These also will decompose faster if you chop or shred them first. Be aware though: Adding these to your pile can be a bit “smelly”.

If you don’t have enough of your own compost to start, you can buy compost, preferably the organic variety, if you’re growing organic fruits and vegetables. Adding compost to your garden soil, will give your plants nutrients and makes the soil richer and easier to work with.