Green Living Tips for your Home this Earth Day

Living green, building green and surrounding yourself with earth-friendly products minimizes the negative impact you have on the natural world. By abiding by green principles, not only are you keeping your family from getting sick, you are also looking out for Mother Nature’s limited resources

Here are some earth-friendly tips you could bring into your home this Earth Day:

• Install Energy Star appliances certified by the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Use recycled, chlorine-free toilet paper, facial tissues and petrochemical-free cosmetics.
• Use baking soda, vinegar and tea tree oil to disinfect your bathroom as opposed to traditional cleaning products made with harsh chemicals.
• Line dry your clothes instead of drying them in the dryer.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and only turn it back on to rinse.
• Keep your heat low. For every degree that you turn your thermostat below 70, you can save 320 pounds of greenhouse gases (natural gas heat) or 236 pounds of electric heat.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) throughout your house to significantly reduce your electricity bill and the amount of energy used.
• Increase insulation in your attic, walls and flooring.
• When it comes to planting trees or a garden, try growing native plants. This can be much friendlier on the environment since they have evolved to survive in the climate in which you live. These plants do not need much help to grow and require less than half the amount of water to survive as compared to non-native plants.

Did You Know?
If you are considering digging into the ground on your property, put down that shovel. Under federal and state law, all homeowners and contractors are required to notify the appropriate utility companies before doing any excavation work.

Dig Safe
To avoid damaging underground utilities, and harming equipment or yourself, you can simply visit www.digsafe.com or call 1-888-DIG-SAFE to request that a service person come to your property and mark the location of underground facilities. When you call, you will be given a permit number as a confirmation of your request. It is wise to contact the program well in advance of when you plan to start the project to allow for ample time for them to come to your residence and mark the utilities.

If you're going to be digging around with a shovel this spring, stay healthy and get regular exercise so that lifting and shoveling are easier on your muscles and joints! Though it seems like a mindless task, shoveling can put undue stress on your back if you pick up a load the wrong way. To remain injury-free, pick up the slack in your legs and follow these safety precautions while shoveling:

• Stand with your feet planted apart and your knees slightly bent
• Lift the load with your legs and then step toward the spot where you want to deposit the load
• Keep your back straight throughout the entire process