You don’t have to own your own home to get in on the green living movement.  Green apartment living can range from actually renting an apartment in a green building to just making sure you are practicing eco friendly things like recycling, using eco friendly furniture and so on.  Remember, every little thing helps when it comes to going green so you can lower your carbon footprint no matter where you live!

5 Tips to Green Apartment Living - Even in an apartment there are always more things you can do to be a little bit more green. Here are 5 tips that apartment dwellers can implement that are simple and inexpensive.

Living Beyond Green Eco Friendly Apartments

Take a look at some Eco Friendly Apartments  - these  LEED certified properties truly go beyond green with various environmental, economical, & health benefits unique to each of the “green” communities.

Green Enthusiasts + Urban Living = Rooftop Gardens - Who would expect a lush green garden to be on the roof of a building?  Not many, but one of the disadvantages to living downtown in a high-rise building is not having a yard. Here’s how some building solve that for a new twist on green apartment living.

Thin Flats – Eco Friendly Northern Liberties Philadelphia 

Here are some more green apartments at Thin Flats 147-51 W. Laurel Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 3 bedroom, 3 bathrooms loading images 18 Thin Flats is the Nations first LEED-Homes Platinum Certified residential duplex project. Located in the hea…

How to Be Green and Save Green in Your McDonough Apartment - There’s lots of ways you can go green without having to sacrifice.  Here’s some ideas that you can try even if you live in an apartment..

1 bed apartment to rent at The Greenhouse (eco friendly living)

Welcome to the future. Greenhouse is one of the UK’s most exciting and pioneering new developments! Apartments are furnished to a fantastic standard and parking is available as a paid extra on site.

These days, most everyone wants to do their part to lighten the load on the planet and that’s why the topic of eco-friendly homes is popular.  The thing is that this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to  build your house partially underground or invest in a lot of expensive building practices or even buy a new house at all.

Even if your house wasn’t built to be eco-friendly is still quite a few things you can do to make your house more environmentally friendly.

Benefits of Using Eco Friendly Home Products  - Here’s some of the benefits you will experience when you  start using eco friendly products in your home – going green can be done a little at a time.

Of course, there’s a lot of benefits to building a new eco-friendly home as well as changing some of the things you do in your home or keeping eco-friendly materials in mind when you renovate your home. Doing some eco friendly upgrades can help you save money as well as save the planet.

Reduce, Reuse, Remodel: Eco-Friendly Home Upgrades that Pay You - See how making money-wise and energy-wise home remodeling decisions can make a huge impact upon your return on investment.

Eco Friendly Homes Offer a Glimpse into the Future  - The Greenhabbing101 blog shows you  how Eco Friendly Homes Offer a Glimpse into the Future.

Here’s some eco friendly homes I’d love to live in:

Joyce’s Eco-Friendly Home House Call  -  ”We live in an eco-home that we designed and built on the foundation of a 1959 ranch. It was designed to embrace the beauty of simple natural materials, open spaces, and …

Green, Beautiful & in Control – Not Just an Eco House w/ Sustainable Architecture

Silicon Valley ishome to countless Hi-Tech inventions, so it’s no surprise that we found a house here that is so cutting edge, so environmentally friendly that some people are calling it, “The World’s Greenest Home”……

EcoFabulous Construction – Green Sustainable Eco-Friendly Modular Home in Canada

This EcoFabulous Home was designed by Kanau Uyeyama Architect Inc. an architecture firm that has been researching eco-friendly solutions for many years. In 2008 they put all their  knowledge to the test and designed and built the EcoFabulous Home:

Tour Our Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Green Home

Here’s a tour of one of the eco friendly homes thanks to the joint efforts of Reclaimed Space and Ecofabulous. Dwell on Design Conference attendees are treated to a personal tour and a shot at taking home the prize as the eBay auction begins.

Live in Luxury with Rammed Earth Homes

Rammed earth homes can be interesting to live in and to look at:

I’m often asked the question “What is sustainability?” and I think the answer is perhaps not an easy one.  In short it means not taking too much from the planet, in other words, to be able to sustain the current condition of the planet. So that means that you wouldn’t be stripping forests for their trees or pumping too much oil out of the earth or even putting too much toxins in to the air.

Sustainability is important because we depend on our natural environment for survival, so if we ruin it, we ruin our chances of survival.  Since we depend on the air, water and earth it is critical that we do a better job of sustaining those elements in order to ensure that life on earth can thrive.

Here’s what some other think:

What is Sustainability?

www.ecolandscaping.org12/16/11

by Ronald G. Dodson To my way of thinking, sustainability is an individual and personal ethic that informs, guides, and inspires actions in daily, personal, and professional life. Practicing the tenets of sustainability is motivated …

In My Own Words::Sustainable Living Defined art 1

frugallysustainable.com12/8/11

“1: capable of being sustained 2a : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged…

Here’s how some people are practicing sustainable living:

Smaller, more sustainable living in neighborhoods that fit in | Kaid …

switchboard.nrdc.org1/3/12

When talking about reducing the footprint of our living patterns on the landscape and the earth’s limited resources, I always stress that this does not necessarily mean high-rises or even multi-family living at all. Those can be …

Renaissance Garden: Sustainable Living 4

renaissancegardenblog.blogspot.com1/12/12

Continuing with documenting the ways I try to live a sustainable life, I want to emphasize the need to stay out of stores. During my no shopping challenge last year, I only went to the store when I knew I needed something; …

6 Tips For Sustainable Living That Are Easy To Do | Apartment …

www.apartmenttherapy.com10/23/08

Last weekend we had a sustainable living coach stop by our house. We’ve always recycled in our apartment and used scratch paper for printing but it never really went beyond that. Toying with composting recently we …

News On … What Is Sustainable Living

The number one event for smallholding, gardening and sustainable living – Smallholder

news.google.com

The number one event for smallholding, gardening and sustainable livingSmallholderDr Fred Slater looks at the number one event for smallholding, gardening and sustainable living In most walks of life it is often a help to have started at the bottom a …

What is Urban Sustainable Living

Patti Moreno the Garden Girl explains her Sustainable Living methods. Check out www.gardengirltv.com SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE MAGAZINE visitor.constantcontact.com

The Hillside Home is Sustainable Living at Its Best

The Hillside House by SB Architects Nestled in the hills of Mill Valley, California, this custom home is the first LEED for Homes Platinum certified house in Marin County, and one of only a handful in the state of California. The versatility of Eldor…

Living Outside The Box Sustainable Lifestyles

Does GDP really correspond to happiness? is our happiness tied up with ”stuff”? here are some ideas about sustainable living — how many planets do we need to sustain our lifestyle? The Division for Sustainable Development is holding a Seminar Seri…

Green architecture is becoming more and more mainstream as more people take an interest in having an active role in preserving our planet. Indeed, building green homes and furniture is probably one of the most interesting and rewarding jobs today.

But what is green architecture, really?

Green Architect – Making the World a Better Place to Dwell - We always hear the term sustainable architecture used everywhere, but what does it mean? What should we sustain?

What Is Green Architecture?

Here’s a basic explanation of what green building or architecture is.  Basically it refers to building homes with the environment in mind, such as recessing the home in the ground for natural heat, strategically placing windows to gain natural heat or planting large trees to shade and cool the house. Find ways to …

There are some people coming to the forefront of the green scene when it comes to architecture and design:

Green Designers & Architects to Watch in 2012 - The search for sustainable solutions often yields the most innovative results—and that’s what keeps us forever fascinated with green design. From furniture and accessory visionaries to the brightest modern architects, take a …

…Of course, if the government has it’s way, green building will be stifled as evidenced by this article over at TreeHugger:

Congress Goes Through With Ban On Green Building at Department - Can this government do any more damage to the green movement?

Green Architecture In The News:

Lynchburg wins the gold for going green – Lynchburg News and Advance

news.google.com

Lynchburg wins the gold for going greenLynchburg News and Advance”To date, there have been some gold buildings in Virginia, but not a lot,” said Amanda Adams of CJMW Architecture, who served as the project’s LEED consultant. “So this is very signific …

Seattle’s Bullitt Goes Green With Toilets, Cooling Hat: James S. Russell – Bloomberg

news.google.com

BloombergSeattle’s Bullitt Goes Green With Toilets, Cooling Hat: James S. RussellBloombergEnlarge image Bullitt Foundation Bullitt Foundation Miller Hull Partnership via Bloomberg An architectural rendering of the Pike Street side of the Bullitt Foun …

Choi Jeong Hwa’s Artistic/Architectural Approach to Life – Green Building Elements

news.google.com

Choi Jeong Hwa’s Artistic/Architectural Approach to Green Building and reusing commonly found goods that would otherwise be added to our growing waste facilities are the very fundamental concepts of green architecture and some really cool looking homes and designs.

Green Architecture – Part 1

How do we design for a sustainable future? Check out why some of the leading pioneers in the green field have to say when Leadel.NET takes a look at the future of Green Architecture

These videos below show some cool homes made with green in mind:

GREEN ARCHITECTURE

Green architecture is also the title of a very interesting book by James Wines, which was the basic inspiration for this video.

Green, Beautiful & in Control – Not Just an Eco House w/ Sustainable Architecture

Silicon Valley, is home to countless Hi-Tech inventions, so it’s no surprise that we found a house here that is so cutting edge, so environmentally friendly that some people are calling it, “The World’s Greenest Home”……

7312 Annette Modern Green Homes Austin Texas

Modern Contemporary Green Home in Austin Texas in award winning modern neighborhood. Awarding modern architecture and award winning modern subdvision. Unique Modern Home in Modern Home Subdivision 5 miles from Downtown Austin. This is an Agave Archit…

Learning how to “go green” should be part of any teaching curriculum which is why I hope that eco friendly schools will become a big part of the future.

In fact, the number of them are growing exponentially and have been for the past 10 years.

Not only do most of these schools incorporate green living into their teachings but the thing that makes them cool is that the buildings themselves are designed to be more eco friendly. Everything from using solar panels for energy to using less water. It’s a great way to help reduce the overall strain on the planet as well as show students how being green can be cool.

Eco friendly schools aren’t use a fad either. May communities are requiring that new school buildings are built greener and many new schools are leeds certified which means that they adhere to certain requirements.

Having a green school is perfect for younger kids because it helps them learn more about conserving resources. But it can also be pretty cool for college kids and there are some eco friendly colleges that stand out.

Arizona State University, for example, has the largest set of solar collection panels of any university campus in the US. Since 2007 this university has offered a School of Sustainability – the first of its kind in the states.

The College Of The Atlantic in Bar Harbor ME has been carbon neutral since 2007 with all of its power from renewable resources. And it should be no surprise since Human Ecology (the relation of humans and the environment) is their only major.

The University of Maine has a unique twist on eco friendly schools – it offers the use of bicycles to faculty, students and visitors so that they can reduce driving.

Virginia Tech is perhaps one of the greenest schools with 15 graduate majors and 17 undergrad majors in the areas of sustainability. They also have huge programs for green building, recycling and alternative transportation.

All this green school stuff is very cool now but it will be even cooler in the future when graduates of all these schools (our future leaders) are much more environmentally aware than the current generation.

In light of increased awareness and mounting concerns regarding the environment, many people are taking drastic measures to reduce potentially negative impacts on the planet and trying to learn how to be eco friendly. Subscribing to the notion of thinking globally and acting locally, consumers are striving to be more eco friendly in their daily activities in the hopes of reducing pollution and greenhouse emissions and slowing global warming. Many of the tips for living an eco friendly life will not only help save the earth, but will also result in substantial monetary savings.

Recycle and Reuse:
Recycling is one of the easiest eco friendly activities to incorporate into daily living. Many communities even encourage residents to recycle by providing appropriate receptacles for recyclable materials and picking them up with the weekly trash collection. Reusing items as opposed to putting them in the trash is another easily incorporated eco friendly activity. Reuse shopping bags on another shopping trip, or use them to line small wastebaskets instead of buying trash bags. Reuse store-bought packaging, like yogurt containers and glass jars, to store leftover food items.

Conserve:
One of the best ways to learn how to be eco friendly is to learn to conserve energy, water and other natural resources. Energy use can be noticeably reduced by turning off lights in unoccupied rooms, switching to energy efficient bulbs, setting the thermostat just a few degrees lower in winter and unplugging unused appliances. Laundry can be washed in cold water and line dried whenever possible for extra energy savings. Well-insulated homes require less energy to heat and cool, so home owners should invest in quality insulation to prevent excess energy waste.

Water conservation efforts include turning off the water while brushing teeth and shortening the lengths of showers (or even showering together when possible). Avoid running the dishwasher or washing machine for partial loads to reduce water waste. Homeowners can also use buckets to collect rain water to be used watering the lawn or garden. Some household even resort to extremes measures like not flushing the toilet unless it’s absolutely necessary, a slight inconvenience but all part of learning how to be eco friendly.

Reducing the use of natural resources, such as petroleum and paper, is another eco friendly habit. Drive vehicles less, and take public transportation more often. Opt for walking and biking as often as possible, especially for short trips. If driving is a must, choose to drive a hybrid or electric vehicle instead and carpool whenever it makes sense. Petroleum is also used in the production of plastic bottles. Instead of buying disposable plastic water bottles, purchase a refillable bottle that can be used again and again. Water purification devices can be acquired inexpensively at most stores and attached directly to faucets for clean, filtered water right from the tap. Disposable diapers are another product made from petroleum that can be easily substituted for other items. Switching to cloth diapers and potty training as early as possible will drastically reduce the number of diapers that end up in landfills.

Reduce paper consumption by canceling subscriptions to newspapers and getting daily news from an online publication instead. Try to avoid purchasing books and magazines that can borrowed from a friend or the local library instead. Don’t use paper plates unless absolutely necessary, and opt for plates made from 100% post consumer materials whenever possible.

Sustainable Materials:
If you really want to be eco friendly you should strive to purchase household items and clothing made from sustainable materials. Sustainable materials include recycled rubber, cork, hemp and bamboo. Recycled rubber can be used to create soft playing surfaces beneath swing sets and jungle gyms. Cork is used to make eco friendly flooring and household items and is completely biodegradable. Hemp is stronger than cotton and is three times more productive per acre compared to cotton. Hemp does not require the use of pesticides, and is used to create paper, ropes and clothing. Bamboo, although technically classified as a grass, is often used to replace timber in flooring and cabinetry. Bamboo is a naturally antibacterial and anti fungal material, so no chemical treatments are needed, which also makes it healthier. Bamboo grows at a very rapid rate, reaching maturity in 4 years or less, and requires no replanting efforts on the part of farmers. Avoid using Styrofoam products at all costs, because it is not biodegradable and releases harmful chemicals into the atmosphere.

Alternative Energy:
Using alternative energy sources is another thing to think about in your journey of learning how to be eco friendly. Solar power and wind power can be effectively harnessed to provide energy for operating household appliances and other items. The power of the sun can be captured by installing solar panels, or using solar generators during a power outage. Solar power chargers can also be purchased for charging cell phones and other handheld devices. Wind turbines, another viable alternative energy source, convert the kinetic power of the wind in to mechanical energy that is in turn used to produce electricity. Wind turbines are readily available and can be mounted on top of a home to supply power to the household, or even fastened to a boat to power the engine and other on board electronic devices.

Natural Cleansers:
Many household cleaners are made with harsh chemicals, acids and pesticides that are harmful to humans and the environment. Using natural cleansers will prevent chemicals, like bleach and ammonia, from washing down the drain and ultimately contaminating groundwater. Eco-friendly cleansers include common household items, such as vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, kosher salt, oatmeal and ketchup. Vinegar can be used to clean a variety of items. Due to its high level of acidity, vinegar kills the majority of mold, mildew and bacteria. Vinegar is also used for deodorizing and cutting through grease and grime, as well. Baking soda can be mixed with vinegar to unclog drains and garbage disposals, and used on its own to deodorize refrigerators, carpets and clothing. Lemon juice can be used in the bathroom and kitchen to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits. Kosher salt and oatmeal are effective scrubbing and polishing agents, not only for household surfaces, but for the face as well, and ketchup can be used to polish brass and copper pots, restoring them to their original luster.

Going green is on the minds of lots of people these days and most of us are trying to put eco friendly practices into place in our homes, but are businesses going green too?

It stands to reason that businesses have a big impact on the environment what with the paper and electricity they use but that’s not the only reason it’s important. You see if businesses go green then that has influence over their employees and even their customers to lead a greener lifestyle and the more people that go green the better it is for the planet!

One would think that in this day of corporate greed and bottom lines that companies wouldn’t be concerned with lowering their carbon footprint, but the truth is that they actually are! In fact, going green can be good for business since a lot of people will patronize a green establishment simply because of its earth friendly practices.

You might be surprised to find that there are some businesses going green that are actually pretty big.

For example, Bank of America has an internal recycling program and has reduced paper use by over 30% (and with company that size – that’s a lot of paper!) Not only that but they give their employees $3000 if they buy a hybrid car.

McDonalds is actually turning greener these days too. Where they weren’t known for their animal friendly practices, they now work closely with PETA to ensure that they are creating more environment friendly practices.

Starbucks is another of the businesses going green that might seem small but because of the size of their customer base can have a big impact. Their recycled coffee cup sleeves saves almost 80,000 trees a year and they also partner with environmental agencies to make sure their impact on communities is positive.

There’s actually a lot of really big businesses that are adopting more eco friendly practices and as time goes on I think customers will demand it so it will definitely be an increasing trend.

But its not just big businesses going green, small businesses are getting in on it too. In fact, smaller businesses are probably more likely to adopt green practices as they are closer to the customer and tend to be run by people (as opposed to boards) who really do care.

When it comes to building green homes there are many companies that will accommodate you.  Of course, there are different levels of green building so you’ll want to make sure you know exactly what you want and are on the same page with your builder.

If you are considering a green home, the first thing you will probably want is to get a hold of some green home plans.  One of the best places to look is Leap Adaptive:

Clipped from: www.leapadaptive.com (share this clip)

You might also want to educate yourself on green building technology and the practices that are available in your area.  Some areas of the world are more advanced than others when it comes to building green homes so you really need to read up on what can be done in your area.

Once you have a good idea of what you want, the technology available and your price range, then you need to look for some builders in your area that adhere to green practices.  There’s actually a directory of green builders you can use to find ones in your town:

http://directory.greenbuilder.com

What's it like to build a green home?  Here's a video that outlines the experience from a couple of different viewpoints:

Once a rarity, building green homes is becoming more and more mainstream. If you are having a home built, there is no reason why you can’t incorporate at least some “green” elements into the design and building materials of your home!

Here’s some quotes about going green that I found in my travels – definitely food for thought!

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” 
-Mahatma Gandhi

“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.”

-Benjamin Franklin

I have no doubt that we will be successful in harnessing the sun’s energy…. If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago.  ~Sir George Porter, quoted in The Observer, 26 August 1973

The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun.  ~Ralph Nader, quoted in Linda Botts, ed., Loose Talk, 1980

The earth we abuse and the living things we kill will, in the end, take their revenge; for in exploiting their presence we are diminishing our future.  ~Marya Mannes, More in Anger, 1958

Here’s some cool going green quotes found in magazines:

It wasn’t the Exxon Valdez captain’s driving that caused the Alaskan oil spill.  It was yours.  ~Greenpeace advertisement, New York Times, 25 February 1990

Don’t blow it – good planets are hard to find.  ~Quoted in Time

Little did Thoreau know about how we would clutter up the skies with satellites and space junk when he wrote this:

“Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.” 
-Henry David Thoreau

I find the Native American quotes for going green to be probably the most interesting:

“Only after the last tree has been cut down…the last river has been
poisoned…the last fish caught, only then will you find that money cannot be
eaten.”
- Cree Indian Prophesy

“The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.”
- Native American Proverb

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

-Native American Proverb

Eco friendly fashion – also known as sustainable fashion – is the art of designing and creating apparel without harming the environment. This harmless procedure involves not only discarding the use of materials that provide harm to the environment or its inhabitants but also using more responsible methods during the course of its production. Moreover, the fabric or material used is more renewable and can be replaced in a short period of time than others while the working conditions of those involved in the production process are much more friendly than in opposite situations.

While designers are slowly trying to incorporate the use of eco-friendly fabrics into their work, they do face a fair amount of glitches on the way. That is mostly because using only sustainable fabrics greatly reduces the variety of textures they can work with and this sometimes proves to be more expensive. However, with awareness about the positive points of renewable fabrics on the rise, fashion magazines and other forms of media are trying to propagate the concept of being environmentally friendly in all walks of life!

Some of the fabrics that can be classified as eco-friendly are:

Wool

If produced responsibly, wool is one of the top resources for eco-friendly fashion. However, due to irresponsible treatment of sheep in the process of raising and shearing ill effects of this are more wide spread than the good points.

Recycled fibres

Recycled fibres are a product of fabrics collected from various factories which are processed back into short fibres or spun into new yarns. However, this brilliant technique is not as widespread as environmentalists wish it would be – but is slowly gaining pace.

Natural fibers

These include cellulose/plant fibre and protein/animal fibre. They are found in nature and are not chemical or petroleum based.

Organic Cotton

This variation of cotton is way more environmentally friendly than traditional cotton as it uses no pesticides, chemicals, insecticides or herbicides during its growing process. Even though it was previously not grown in large quantities, it is slowly gaining popularity as the growers increase.

Soy Silk

It is said that in the 1940s Henry ford made a suit made of Soy silk but the US government of the time decided to go with rayon instead. Recent trends, however, point sharply towards soy silk as having greater potential.  Soy silk is created from the by-products of the tofu-making process. The liquefied proteins are extruded into fibres which are spun and can be used like any other fibre! Moreover, soy silk is receptive to dyes and is available in a variety of colors!

Conclusively, with the range of eco friendly products on a steady rise, it gives environment-loving geeks like us a good variety to choose from. No longer do people working towards the health of the environment need to dress like hippies because style reformed in more acceptable forms is chasing after them.