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As concerns about the environment and the planet's health continue to grow, homeowners have been more interested in figuring out how to live green, eco-friendly lifestyles. Besides the numerous environmental benefits that green living can bring, it's also convenient and affordable and can increase your home's value. 

Summary

• Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Changes
• Buying a Green Home
• Green Features
• Green Homes are High in Demand
• Green It Up and Save (Yourself and the Earth)

Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Changes

A great place to start when going green is to ask yourself what household items could be replaced with eco-friendly versions. There's a lot of small items that might be slipping past your notice:

• Cleaning tools. Rather than plastic or synthetic sponges, try a natural loofah; it's sustainable and naturally anti-bacterial.
• Natural, handmade soaps can remove the need for plastic containers and are gentler for your skin. You can make some your own, or purchase it from small businesses.
• Personal care items. Things like cotton balls for makeup removal or exfoliating cloths can be replaced with naturally sourced, gentle items like reusable cotton rounds and konjac sponges.

Switching to these products also supports small businesses.

Of course, don't forget to stick to the classics; recycling, composting, and unplugging devices can all reduce your carbon footprint. In fact, unplugging unused devices can save you hundreds of dollars each year and cut back on the huge amounts of power used by such devices.

Eco-Friendly Appliances

Consider eco-friendly appliances too. Things like fridges, ovens/stoves, and washing machines are among the most power-hungry devices in homes.

Fortunately, you don't have to think about washing everything by hand; a number of brands provide high-quality eco-friendly appliances, such as those from Miele or Smeg. They're pretty stylish too.

Buying a Green Home

Small lifestyle changes are one thing, but starting out with an eco-friendly home brings massive environmental benefits.

Green Features

One of the more popular features for green homes recently has been solar panels; these provide clean energy and save money over the long term as your energy source is free. Plus, simply having them installed can add around 3-4% to the value of your home.

Other great green features include quality insulation, underfloor heating, and the liberal use of skylights throughout the home. Most of these benefits come in the form of better energy efficiency. Skylights let you use sunlight during the day, reducing your electricity consumption and bill.

Green Homes are High in Demand

Not only are green homes affordable to build and cheap to maintain, but they're also in high demand, especially in Canada. With so many green home features tied to conserving heat, it's no surprise that with Canada's cold winters, more and more people are looking to buy eco-friendly homes.

So, if you're planning on turning yours green, you can expect to sell it for a good price. As mentioned above, just adding solar panels alone can add 3-4% to your home's value. Imagine how much value other improvements might add?

Make sure to track all your eco-friendly improvements and save your receipts to set your added values in stone when it comes time to sell.

Green It Up and Save (Yourself and the Earth)