Home Improved

Cool new ways to save money -- and the planet.

More on:

• Going Green
• Ways to Save

Create a Green Zone

Get this: Your home is already an ecological wonder. Over the last 25 years the amount of energy used by the typical refrigerator dropped by two-thirds; washing-machine energy needs have been reduced by nearly half; the use of redwood decking has fallen by two-thirds; and toilets use less than half the water that they did in the 1970s.

You had no idea how good you were being, did you? Making choices that help the environment doesn't mean sacrificing comfort and, in fact, many green-home products are downright luxurious. Unfortunately, this contributes to the perception that the products are budget busters -- a myth, says Alex Wilson, executive editor of Environmental Building News. "Certainly there are high-end green homes that demonstrate what's feasible, but the average homeowner can use many green strategies -- and some actually reduce the cost of a home."

Architect Angela Dean, author of the book Green by Design, says even small changes can have a big impact. "Every time you change a light bulb, replace it with a compact fluorescent," she says. According to government experts, if every home in America replaced just one light bulb with a compact fluorescent, the reduction in pollution would be equal to removing one million cars from the road.

On the next few pages you'll find our picks for the best and the brightest ideas in green building. Many of the products you can add to your house right away; others you can save for, and incorporate the next time you need a new roof or deck. Either way, being good has never been easier.

• Are You an Eco Hero?
• 
• The House of the Future
• Talking walls, solar roof panels, moveable rooms. Welcome to your dream house.
• 
• Alternative Fuels That Make Sense
• Six alternative fuels that finally make sense.
• 
• Green Laws Gone Bad
• Are we protecting nature or ruining lives?
• 
• Buying Wood Flooring
• Your options in wood floor materials, with costs and skills needed.
• 

Every year, each employee at my company meets with his or her supervisor to review whether past goals have been met. A woman in the cubicle next to mine received an appointment time for her "Performance Management Schedule," as it's called, and highlighted it on her desktop calendar.

"Wow! I guess everyone knows when to avoid you," said a colleague who was passing by. Puzzled, my neighbor glanced at the calendar. She'd written: "PMS 1:00."

-- Steven Smith

“ Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man. ”

— Francis Cardinal Spellman

See More Quotes

Sponsored Links