Green living continues to grow in popularity, and while there are big things you can do around your home to make it more environmentally friendly, even a few little details can make a big impact. The following tips come to us from Alison Shoemaker of Alison Designs. She is a renowned expert in Green Interior Design and one of the few with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation.
1. Pitcher this: Keep a water pitcher near a faucet to conserve water when running the tap. Placing a decorative glass or ceramic pitcher can add a personal design touch to the space, the same way a beautiful vase does in another room. The bonus is saving the water in the pitcher for future use, such as watering house plants.
2. Two in every room: Continue living green by placing one ornate waste basket in every room for recycling biodegradable items accompanied by a second one for non-biodegradable matter. The baskets can either be uniform or different in style, but the key is to focus on getting creative with everyday household items while helping to save the environment.
3. The Zen of the shoe basket: Establish an area near the front entry where people can take their shoes off. Approximately 85% of dust, allergens and chemicals in the home are from shoe traffic, and keeping these irritants out of your home environment is the key to green living. Here’s a tip to get that clean entry look, place the shoes in a low woven square basket with a lid. Maintaining a shoe-free space will also prolong the flooring as it controls the pollutants in the home.
4. Rolling in bamboo sheets: Using bamboo bedroom sheets in lieu of synthetic ones provides temperature control. This means they keep you cool when you are warm and warm when you are cool, helping you to save on energy costs as a part of green living. Bamboo is one of the softest fabrics in the world and offers a drape-like silk look. And it comes from a rapidly renewable resource that does not require pesticides to grow.
5. Get your green thumb on: Adding house plants to the home naturally cleanses the air of indoor toxins, while contributing to the aesthetics of a truly green living home. House plants, such as Lady Palm, Peace Lily, and English Ivy, are known for their ease of growth and maintenance, removal of vapors and resistance to insect manifestation.
To see Alison Shoemakers design tips in action, check out the pictures at Alison Designs.
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