Green DIY Projects – On The Cheap
Tara V. publishes GoGreenStreet.com, a light green living blog dedicated to offering tips on eco-conscious living. Mother of five beautiful kidlets, ages 3 months to 12 years, Tara loves all things eco-chic and natural. She considers herself “light green” among the shades of being green and enjoys organic coffee to keep her going. Visit GoGreenStreet.com today for more tips on going green! Tara V. will soon be joining us as a regular contributor to Focus Organic!
Most of us think of “going green” as a cost-prohibitive step. However, there are a lot of small and inexpensive changes you can make around the home. Not only will they help you help the environment, but they will also help you keep more “green” in your pocket.
Here are some suggestions for DIY projects that can be completed for around $300 or less:
- Build a clothesline. Your dryer is the second-largest energy consumer in your home (other than your refrigerator). An old-fashioned clothesline will allow you to give your clothes the scent of the outdoors, and it will make a big dent in your energy consumption. You can use a pulley kit (available both in hardware stores and online) or you can build your own with square, pressure-treated posts and cotton cord. All the materials for a basic wooden clothesline should cost less than $70. With Spring upon us, there is no better time to get this green project started!
- Add a skylight. There’s at least one spot in your house that doesn’t get enough light in the daytime. That’s a good spot for a skylight, which allows you to make use of the sun’s rays. They capture light through a plastic, roof mounted lens, and reflect it down through a tube into a regular-looking light fixture. A tube light kit (complete) will set you back about $300.
- Add a recirculating pump. Standing around waiting for the hot water tank to fill up so you can do dishes or take a shower is a hassle! And letting the tap run while waiting for the water to heat up is wasteful and expensive. With a recirculating pump, you can capture the water before it exits the tap and return it to the hot water heater. They save water and energy and allow you to get your hot water a lot faster. A good recirculating pump will cost about $270.
- Insulate your pipes. Without being insulated, your house’s pipes work as a huge radiator, letting heat out into the air so well that any water remaining in the pipes gets cold fast. Insulate your pipes wherever possible with rubber or polyethylene tubing, and seal the seams with duct tape. This should all cost less than $100.
These are just some suggestions to start with- by thinking a little harder, you can probably come up with a few more. Think of these steps as a small initial investment that will pay off later!
