7 Ways to Use Green Products

By Kathryn Haley

More and more people are concerned about the environment and individuals are asking what they can do. While doing a home improvement project may not seem to be eco-friendly, there are ways you can improve your home and be green at the same time. Here are 7 ways you can go green.
1) Use Green paint. No I don't mean paint everything green. I mean use zero VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint. Many leading brands are now using these zero emission paints. You can find these paints in a wide variety of colours and they are available in both interior and exterior grade.
2) Use Eco-friendly flooring. Consider using Bamboo or cork. Bamboo has a modern feel to it and Cork is comfortable to walk on. There are also eco friendly hardwood flooring options that are easy to install and look great. For carpet, look for wool or linen and consider sisal or grass for area rugs.
3) Purchase Energy Star rated appliances. Most of the top brand appliances are offering energy efficient options. They allow you to save time and money and you can get rebates back from the government.
4) Recycle materials you already own. Have fun and get creative with the things in your garage. Break up old tile and create an interesting table top or backsplash. Take old scraps of fabric and create colourful throw pillows or a piece of wall art.
5) Use HardiPlank siding instead of vinyl. Vinyl siding is flammable and toxic to produce. HardiPlank is made from wood pulp and it comes either pre finished or ready to paint. It won't rot, crack or split.
6) Buy Green furniture. Again I'm not referring to the colour, not that I have anything against a green sofa. More and more furniture designers are getting into the green movement and creating pieces made from recycled materials and eco-friendly fabrics.
7) Change your lights. You can now find a great selection of fixtures that use LED lighting or Fluorescent bulbs. They both use 75% less energy than incandescent fixtures. If you aren't planning on changing the fixtures themselves you can still be green. Switch the bulbs to CFL's or compact fluorescent bulbs. They last 10 times longer than the incandescent bulbs.
Hopefully you can incorporate some of these tips in your next renovation project. Ask your favorite retailers to show you their eco-friendly lines. I think you will be surprised how much is out there now in green products.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com

Green Products in Our Day to Day Life

By William Suburn

Many people are concerned about the environment and the future generations and due to this apprehension they feel the need for green products. There is some effort involved in locating green products. Green products are environmental friendly as they do not cause any damage to the environment at the time of their production. But, we have to appreciate the green products and their production to have a correct balance of thinking.

When an organization claim that their products are free from environment damages, it does not mean that they are totally free from any damage to the environment. They only try to impress that the products are not going to cause any permanent damage. In other words, their assurances are that their actions to produce such a product do not have any lasting effect to the future generations.

But the fact remains that most of the environmentally safe products claimed, cause some sort of damage at the time of production with varying degree. This may be at the time of transporting the products from the factory to the warehouses. Or it might have defaced the land they have acquired for the purpose of making the plant, buildings, installing of machineries, and allied materials.

The creating of infra structural facilities for the production is an inevitable requirement. Certain amount of damage does occur. But what we have to insist is to understand as to what the after effect is. After effect does not just mean for the consumers only, but to the environment when the product and its accessories are disposed off. We have to see the products after use whether they biologically degrade or disintegrate into separate entity or not. The bio degradable products break themselves and form a part of the earth itself.

The capability of the products to breed itself and get into the earth due to biological process as its own part is the property of bio degradation. These properties are for the sustain-ability of the environment. These products are much easier for their disposal. There are certain green products which make other products safe in our own home and children. The creation of such secondary products which are safe within our home is the counter point against certain products which are chemical oriented but are essential for healthy living.

The example for this act is the chlorine content in our drinking water. The chlorine is an essential product for purifying the drinking water but it also has the properties of skin irritation. So removing the chlorine content after its purifying act by the green products will help to enjoy your bath and the original taste of water.

There are many products which are friendly to the environment, shampoos and tooth pastes based on organic compounds also the recycled paper products. What we have to do is to make a little alteration in your thinking when you visit the grocery stores. This alteration of thinking will indeed make a difference to the environment to the positive effect. If the demand of the green products go up the production will go up, more production means more availability and this will in turn help environment to be healthy.


Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/