Tips for building a "green" home
Making a home that is friendly to the environment is not an easy task. As Kermit the Frog said once, "It's not easy being green." Creating a "green" home for your family is one way to show them the importance being aware of the effect we have on our surroundings. Here are some tips for building a "green" home.
If you are building a home from scratch, try building the house from recycled materials, such as plywood made from scrap wood and insulation made of plastics developed from plants. Even seeking alternative designs can help make a house more environmentally friendly. People are still building homes that are insulated with hay. This may seem a little backward; hay and straw actually can keep a house warm, if not warmer, than traditional insulating products. Another way to build a home that keeps at a nice constant temperature is underground houses. The basic design is exactly how it sounds, underground. What you do is dig a large hole in the ground that is as large as the perimeter of your house. Lay the foundation in the ground and then build. The earth acts as a natural insulator. It keeps the house cold in the summer and warm in the winter. This may sound like a silly solution, but it has been done quite a bit and there are professional opinions that have been published concerning these homes.
If you have the room in your budget, looking into alternative sources of electricity can make your home that much better for the environment. For example, solar panels can be laid on a rooftop where the sun's natural rays are converted into usable energy. This energy is then stored into batteries that can be used to power household appliances. While it is true that this technology needs a lot of improvement, it is a good place to start to save a little money on electricity. There are also options in burning alternative fuels for energy. There are designs on the internet on how to convert your generator into a device that can burn grease as a fuel. The grease that it burns can come from a deep-fryer. Most fast food places just dump the grease and do not care if you come and pick it up. They store it in little units behind the restaurant where it is picked up and disposed of. Think about the possibilities if you could be the one who picked up that grease and burned it in your converted generator. The money you could save on electricity would certainly add up.
How about considering making a compost pit in the backyard? All you have to do is put your trash that can break down naturally into a pile and mix it with dirty and maybe even add a few worms into the mix. The trash will break down into a natural fertilizer that you can use in your garden and lawn. With this natural fertilizer, you will improve your home-grown vegetables and make that lawn a new shade of green that you never thought was possible without professional grade fertilizers. It is true that compost piles tend to be on the stinky side. If you can, however, mix it around a bit and use it often, maybe your neighbors can get used to the idea of a big pile of rotting garbage sitting in your yard.
These are just some ideas on building a "green" home. There are plenty of ways of making your already existing home a place that conserves energy and is mindful of the environment. Simply adding plants into the home will improve the air quality and make living a more pleasant experience.
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