It's Never Been Easier to Be Green

Elizabeth Barker

With just a little eco-savvy, creating a greener home can be a breeze for busy moms. Here, Terra Wellington, author of "The Mom's Guide to Growing Your Family Green", shares seven simple solutions for planet-friendly living.

In the daytime, leave the lights off

Let the sunshine brighten up your home. Because they bounce light around the room, hanging mirrors

can help liven up darker spaces without lightbulbs, notes Wellington. And for nighttime lighting, rely on compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs, which are known to use about 75 percent less energy than conventional lightbulbs and last up to 10 times longer.

Skip disposable batteries

Choose the rechargeable variety to power up toys, remote controls, flashlights and other electronics.

Curb your energy consumption

By plugging TVs, DVD players, desktop computers and stereos into a power strip, then leaving the strip switched off when the electronics aren’t in use.

When you’re done juicing up

Your digital camera or laptop, unplug the charger to keep it from leeching electricity.

Select the cold-water cycle

As often as possible: Water heating accounts for about 90 percent of energy used while washing clothes. To make your laundry even greener, Wellington recommends line-drying your clothes when weather permits.

Load up your dishwasher

Instead of scrubbing pots, pans and plates by hand. You’ll not only save time and protect your fingers from pruning, you’ll also conserve a considerable amount of water. For more savings, shut the dishwasher off after its last rinse and open the door to let your dishes air-dry.

In the winter,

Keep your thermostat at 68 degrees while you’re at home and lower the temperature when you leave the house or hit the sack. To stay cozy, seal off any drafts in your windows and flip the switch on your ceiling fan to drive warm air down and heat up the room.

Available at Amazon.com:

The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time

Nutrition at Your Fingertips

Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America

The Ultimate Birthday Party Book: 50 Complete and Creative Themes to Make Your Kid's Special Day Fantastic!

Organized Kidz: E-Z Solutions for Clutter-Free Living

The Mom's Guide to Growing Your Family Green

Sara Snow's Fresh Living: The Essential Room-by-Room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home

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