Eco Friendly Lighting Tips

When it comes to saving the planet and saving some money on your energy bill, lighting can play a key role. Lighting can account for about 30% of your energy bill, so changing your lights to more energy efficient options can save you quite a bit. Not to mention the positive impact on the environment. Here are some tips for more energy efficient lighting:

The first thing you should do is switch to compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). Thats those swirly lights that have a whiter glow to them than the incandescent lights. While these might cost a bit more than the regular incandescent lights, they use only about 25% of the electricity so they can have a big impact on your lighting bill. They last a lot longer than regular bulbs too so you wont have to replace them as often.

LED light bulbs are a newcomer to the energy efficient lighting market and have a few advantages over CFLs. They have a brighter light and dont take time to warm up and reach their full lighting. They also cost less to run and last even longer than CFLs reducing your energy usage by 80-90% and lasting over 100,000 hours.

When it comes to lighting outside the home, the energy conscientious consumer might want to consider solar lighting. Lights for walkways, driveways and outside the front door can collect energy from the sun during the day and use it to power their lights during the night. A great way to light up your home without using any energy at all.

In addition to using more efficient light bulbs, there are some things you can do to help reduce the amount of energy you use for lighting. First of all, you want to be sure that you dont use lights unnecessarily. When no one is home or when a room is empty, be sure to turn the lights off. During the daytime, open the blinds and let the sunshine in instead of using indoor lighting. Using motion sensors can help to insure lights turn on only when needed.

When it comes to lighting, you need to have the right amount for the tasks you intend to do. While you dont want to skimp or have poor lighting in important areas like the kitchen, you also want to be cognizant of when to use the lights and when to flip the switch. Remember reducing your use of electricity helps to reduce CO2 emissions into the air since the plants that produce electricity are largely coal burning plants which can add to global warming. A little bit of prudence on your part can make a big difference in the stability of our environment.

Using Eco Friendly Products

One mainstay of green living is using eco-friendly products and today, almost anything you want to buy can be had in eco-friendly version. Eco-friendly simply means that the product is made in a way that is friendly to the environment. It could mean that it is made of sustainable materials such as bamboo flooring or that it takes an old material that would be dumped into the landfill and gives it new use such as recycled glass countertops.

Eco-friendly products aren’t just reserved for major home remodeling however. You can get eco-friendly bamboo laptops, belts made from recycled bike inner tubes, and even shoes made from recycled quilts.

Whenever you look at buying something, you want to look at how it is made. Is it manufactured in an environmentally friendly manner? There are actually a couple of levels of eco-friendly products. One is that the product itself is made from renewable or sustainable materials and the other is the method of manufacture and its effects on the environment. The best of both worlds is to be able to get a product that is made from renewable materials and manufactured in an earth friendly manner.

You can take the concept of using eco-friendly products down to any level. For example, even your grocery shopping can be made more eco-friendly by buying locally grown, organic produce and using recyclable bags to carry it in.

When it comes to home renovations, you have a lot of great options. Everyone has heard of bamboo flooring which is both beautiful and made from a renewable resource but there other types of flooring that you can use as well. Cork flooring is also renewable and can be very beautiful and it is warm and soft on the feet. Marmoleum is a type of flooring that’s actually been made for quite some time using earth friendly methods and has a great industrial or retro feel that fits right in with today’s styles.

Even clothing can be eco-friendly. Choose items made from organic cotton, hemp and even bamboo. Even big name manufacturers are getting on the green bandwagon with Levi Strauss using recycled zippers and buttons as well as organic cotton. Today’s eco-friendly clothing can also be trendy so when you’re in the store pay attention to the labels and try to help out the environment while you are picking out your new wardrobe.

Even things like cosmetics and cleaning products can be eco-friendly. You want to choose items that are made from organic materials that don’t have toxic chemicals in them. In fact, using these products will be better for the environment as well as for your health so it’s worth your while to seek them out.

Some of the best eco-friendly products also help you conserve resources like water and electricity. Showerheads and faucets that help conserve water are great choice as well as compact fluorescent bulbs that lower your electric bill and help reduce the strain on energy worldwide.

Today there is a large demand for eco-friendly products so you will find more and more choices as time goes on. Look at your product labels carefully and take the time to make sure what you’re buying really is eco-friendly and you’ll know that you’re doing your part to keep the planet healthy.