Things to Make Your Home Eco Friendly

Lighting

• Change any standard light bulbs in your home to Energy Star -rated compact fluorescent bulbs. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), if every household in America swapped regular bulbs for energy-efficient ones in just the five most-used light fixtures in the home, it would save the same amount of greenhouse gases each year that 10 million cars produce in the same time frame.

Insulation

• If your home is well insulated, it's much more eco-friendly, as you use less energy and fuel to heat it. Usually, the parts of your home that need the most extra insulation are your attic and basement. You should also check your windows and outer doors for any gaps that allow heat to escape, and make sure they get sealed. If you're going to replace your windows, choose Energy Star -qualified ones for the best insulation.

Green Power

• Green power is electricity that has been generated by renewable sources of energy such as the sun or the wind. You can have someone install solar panels or a miniature wind turbine at your house, which should harness enough energy to power your home. As well as being eco-friendly and reducing carbon emissions, it will also save you money. Look out for any incentives or grants in your state for using renewable energy sources.

Diet

• Switching to a plant-based, or vegan, diet can make you have a more eco-friendly household, by reducing carbon emissions and lessening water pollution and the destruction of rain forests. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the farming of livestock used for meat, eggs and dairy takes up a third of the land on our planet and causes 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gases. Huge areas of rain forest are torn down each year to create farmland to grow food for livestock. The U.S. EPA also states that agriculture, most of which is animal-based, causes almost 75 percent of water quality issues in America's rivers.