| Green Home Design | | | | your house is also a key factor in its energy |
| When designing and decorating your home, you | | | | efficiency -maybe you need to add another to let |
| always want the best and highest quality | | | | some more natural light in. |
| products. An Eco-home design is clearly a good | | | | Shop for GREEN PRODUCTS |
| and smart choice. | | | | Your local flea market is a great place to start. |
| Good for you and your family's well-being and also | | | | Here you are sure to find a lot of cool cheap |
| good for the environment | | | | green products that just need a bit of TLC and |
| Smart? Absolutely! you can save a lot of money | | | | they are good as new again. Flea markets are the |
| by GOING GREEN! The following are tips on how | | | | ideal place for used and recycled products such as |
| to give your home that eco-friendly look, making | | | | used furniture, flower pots, paintings, handy |
| it cleaner and greener. | | | | crafts, glassware and other "green" materials. |
| Where do you start? | | | | Pay special attention when shopping and get |
| You need to have a Design Plan; | | | | eco-friendly paints and adhesives; they contain no |
| Have the "perfect design" all planned out in order | | | | or very low levels of environmental contaminants |
| to have a good idea of what your end result will | | | | and toxins they produce no adverse effects on |
| be. A good idea might be taking a few shots with | | | | health. Regular paints may contain volatile solvents |
| a digital camera -if you have one- of the areas in | | | | such as aromatic hydrocarbons that are linked to |
| and around you house that you wish to | | | | cancer. Eco-paints are not only safer, but they |
| transform, then upload them to your personal | | | | are also biodegradable, affordable and will look |
| computer. Open the paint or photoshop application | | | | very nice on your walls. |
| and start playing around with colors for the walls | | | | A fundamental rule to keep in mind while designing |
| until you find one you really like. Try not to | | | | and doing the actual work is, "maximum use of all |
| choose a very dark color, as they absorb more | | | | materials and production of very little or no waste |
| light which means more energy use. However, if | | | | if possible", two words sum this up; Reuse & |
| you do not have access to a PC or digital | | | | Recycle. |
| camera, you should not let that deter you, grab a | | | | Green Tips |
| sheet of paper and pen, get creative and draw up | | | | 1.Use left-over scraps of wood and paper as |
| a sketch of what the end product of your green | | | | compost for your garden. |
| design should look like. | | | | 2.Use only plastics that are biodegradable - |
| The number, orientation and size of windows in | | | | decompose in far less time than regular plastics. |