ecotopics

Environmental Tips for Individuals: Your Home and Finances

Separate page: Sustainable Solutions for Getting Around Town

Your Home and Finances

Create a non-toxic, safe home for your family and pets. Gather up all products in your house or garage that contain unsafe chemicals and drop off at your local hazardous waste facility. Switch to alternatives containing nontoxic and biodegradable ingredients (some products labeled 'green' aren't really safe - look for green certification labels).

Nontoxic Home

Hazardous Waste: Dispose of the following products at a hazardous waste facility:
- Building Materials - paint , varnish, paint thinner, solvents, rust remover, wood preservatives and driveway sealer
- Automotive products - gasoline, transmission oil, brake fluid, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, power steering fluid, used motor oil,used oil filters, used antifreeze
- Household cleaners - spot removers, rug cleaners, metal cleaners, bathroom cleaners, oven cleaner, drain cleaner
- Pesticides - insect killers, weed killers, flea products, moth crystals, fertilizers with weed killer
- Miscellaneous - photographic chemicals, acids and corrosive chemicals, pool chemicals, compact fluorescent lightbulbs (mercury) , mercury thermometers, Ni-Cd batteries
Home-Made Products: Suggested recipes for home-made cleaning products:
- Make Your Own Nontoxic Cleaning Kit
- All-Purpose Spray Cleaner
- The Healthy Home
- Better Basics for the Home is a great resource book
Dry Cleaning: If available, clean your "dry clean only" clothes at a dry cleaning facility that uses nontoxic cleaning techniques. You can also use nontoxic "dry cleaning" products such as Dry Cleaner's Secret (free sample pack) to clean your less soiled clothes using your dryer.
Clothing: Whenever possible, buy clothing made from organic cotton and/or hemp. Locate a store that sells organic cotton products through the International Organic Cotton Directory.
Soap Nuts: Check out environmentally-friendly soap nuts (Sapindus) to replace your laundry detergent. It can also be used as a general cleaning soap.
PVC: Avoid purchasing plastic #3, PVC/vinyl. Information: PVC Alternatives Database and U.S. facing waste crisis from disposal of PVC.
Plants: Learn about the top plants for removing toxins from the air in your home in the article: Using Plants to Clean Indoor Air Pollutants.
Books: Books on eco friendly living.

Natural Body Products

Natural Products: You can find nontoxic products at SkinDeep: Cosmetic Safety Database. Head over to your local natural products store to pick up natural, cruelty-free body products.
Cruelty-Free: To learn about and find cruelty-free products, check out Animal Ingredients and Their Alternatives and Companies That Don't Test on Animals.
Home-Made: Great book on safe, home-made personal care products.

Building or Remodeling Your Home

Contractor: Find a building contractor who will follow the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Homes Program. You can locate a "green building" professional through the Green Building Professional Directory.
Resources: Access the Sustainable Building Sourcebook and/or Green Building Concepts for information about building an environmentally-friendly home. Also, check out books on building green.
New Home Location: If you are considering building a new home, seek out a location that has already been built on in the past (vs. building on "pristine" land).
Building Materials: Building material ideas (no endorsement of any company intended):
- straw bale
- bamboo -- two sites to check out: Plyboo and Teragren
- true (natural) linoleum
- previously used wood -- one site to check out: Vintage Timber Works
- cob -- three sites to check out: Cob, Cob Cottage, and EcoBusiness-Cob Building Resources
- composite decking -- The Latest Trend in Decking
- samples of sustainable flooring material
- rammed earth homes
- greenroofs.com -- plant-based roofing
- sustainably harvested wood -- search for suppliers through the Forest Stewardship Council
Buy/Sell Green Home: If you are looking to buy or sell a green home, check out ListedGreen.

Personal Finances

Roadmap: The New Roadmap Foundation's Your Money or Your Life program offers a wonderful nine-step program for personal financial transformation.
Investing: Information on environmentally and socially responsible investing can be found at:
Books: Books on socially responsible investing.