Creating a Greener Home

Believe it, starting an eco-friendly household doesn’t sound as hard as it used to. The green revolution has indeed gone viral – businesses offering greener solutions, blogs and sites dedicated to upcycling and sustainability – everyone can indeed do a head start at the comfort of their own homes.

Plant Herbs

First off, you can start by planting herbs in your kitchen. An indoor herb garden is surprisingly easy to do and nothing beats the smell and taste of fresh herbs you’ve personally grown. Plant them from seeds or transplant them from your local organic farmer and make sure to sue an old bowl, cans or even that old plastic soda bottle you used to throw away. Be creative, and in just a few weeks, you’ll have your favorite herbs on hand, plus a nice green decor in your kitchen.

Green Home Decor

Furniture made from reclaimed wood or upcycled materials is another way to go. Sites like Etsy and Big Cartel had made looking for cool finds just a click away, not to mention reducing your carbon footprint as well. Better yet, visit flea markets, garage and estate sales and you might find something useful. Old frames with broken glass can be turned into wall decors. With just a few coats of eco friendly paint, like Benjamin Moore’s, add a vintage poster you love or your own artwork and voila! You’ve literally turned trash into something you can treasure.

Re-Purpose and Re-Use Furniture

Got yourself an old chair nobody wants to use? Just reupholster it with funky fabric and maybe a new coat of paint. Or put that jar ModPodge into good use – just grab old newspapers, magazines, or what have yous and start decoupaging the whole thing. Decoupaging is a great way to redecorate your home. Use it to cover that ratty old lamp, your bedroom headboard, or – if you’re in for a huge project- start decoupaging your garage door to give it a pop of color! Just make sure that you coat it well with an eco friendly gloss or varnish to prolong it. That way, you not only customize your furniture, you’ve also helped avoid another piece of trash going into the landfill.

Upcycle

You may want to look around your closet as well. Piles of college and concert shirts simply tucked away? Maybe you don’t want to throw it away, hoping that someday you’ll find a need to reuse it. Well, here’s the perfect time for it! Simply cut them into squares, fill it with down or old pillow stuffing (make sure you clean it first) and stitch them up into throw pillows. Got no skills in sewing? No problem, use safety pins to clip the sides together or use no sew fabric glues. You may also opt to bring to quilt clubs and they’ll be more than happy to stitch up a nice pillow or a quilt for you.

Your backyard is also a great source for finding items you can reuse.  Gather that bunch of twigs you’ve got in a pile, give them a quick wipe to clean them off and turn it into a wall mural. Or perhaps a nice wreath for Christmas.

Just look around and get your imagination going, and who knows what next green project you’ll come up with.

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