A crisp Autumn evening and a comfortable porch swing make for a truly relaxing evening.  Here’s a 100% recycled plastic porch swing with a classic Nantucket look.  It’s large enough for two adults and it holds up to 500 lbs.  You could hang this swing from your porch or gazebo, or hang it from a frame in your backyard to add more seating around a copper fire pot or a patio set.

This recycled porch swing measures 49W x 30D x 23H and there are optional springs available to make it more comfortable.  What I like the best about this recycled porch swing, available at Patio Furniture USA, is the fact that you can just hose it off when it gets dirty.  If your house is like mine, there’s already plenty of painting and other home maintenance to keep up with.

Here’s a convenient way to prevent endless trips to your outdoor compost pile.  Recycle kitchen waste in a compost jar.  This ceramic compost jar has a tightly sealing lid and a built-in filter to prevent odors.  Plow & Hearth recommends using biodegradable kitchen bags with the compost crock to allow heat and moisture to escape.  Counter top compost jars and compost pails are also available in brass and stainless steel.

Preventing you kitchen waste from being sucked down the garbage disposal or washed away by the dishwasher is beneficial to the environment.  Composting enriches soil, helps absorb pollutants and heavy metals, and reduces the need for pesticides.  Find more information on the benefits of composting from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Whether you use a dishwasher, or you do your dishes the old-fashioned way, there are a few things you can do to conserve energy and save water in your home.

Dishwashers:  If you use a dishwasher, you can save water by scraping your dishes rather than rinsing them before you put them in the dishwasher .  If your dishwasher has a heat dry option, turn it off to save energy, and allow you dishes to air dry.  Also, wait until you have a full load of dishes before running your dishwasher.  Your dishwasher uses the same amount of energy and water regardless of the load size, so make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.  Choose a phosphate-free dishwasher detergent to reduce pollution. Need a new one?  Here’s help for selecting a  green dishwasher.

Kitchen Sink:  If you do your dishes in the kitchen sink, fill one side with soapy water, then one side with rinse water, and rinse by dipping the soapy dishes into the water on the rinsing side.  Avoid letting the water run the entire time you are doing dishes.   You can also install a sink aerater on your kitchen faucet for conserving water. Phosphate free dish soap for doing dishes by hand is widely available.

Source:  Care 2 Make a Difference

If you’re looking for an energy- efficient kitchen stove, make sure you check out convection ovens before making your final choice.  Did you know that convection ovens are much more efficent than traditional ovens?  In fact they use one-third less energy, because they continuously circulate air around food, causing it to cook faster.

Convection ovens are available in counter top versions which are about the sames size as a microwave oven, or as a feature on full-size kitchen stoves.  My Frigidaire range can be used as a regular oven or a convection oven. It has a switch for turning the convection fan on and off.

And since we’re on the topic of green kitchen appliances, don’t forget to use your microwave oven whenever you can.  Microwaves use two-thirds less energy than traditional kitchen ranges!  There are also many microwave/convection oven combination units on the market today.

Find out more about energy efficient appliances at Energy Star.

Is it environmentally friendly furniture or is it art? Perhaps both. This custom-made rocking chair is made from surplus stock of car seat belts, and certified sustainable wood . Clean lines and simple design give this sustainable wood furniture a look that would complement nearly any green home decor.

Made by Atmos, the rocking chair is available in three wood finishes including oak, ebony, and mahogany. You can also choose the color of the seatbelt straps which are stretched across the frame of this rocking chair like webbing.  Color choices include red, tan, silver, black, and olive. Atmos makes other styles of sustainable wood furniture including arm chairs and side chairs.   I found this eco-friendly chair at Green and More.

It’s hard to believe that school is back in and Halloween is right around the corner. Have a green Halloween this year by making your own Halloween costumes. Here are three ideas for homemade Halloween costumes that you can make by reusing things you may already have lurking around the house.

Fairy Halloween Costume: Make your little girl the Queen of Green with a homemade fairy costume. Simply twist wire coat hangers into the desired wing shape and size, stretch pantyhose or tights over your homemade wire frame and decorate with glitter, sequins, or any other ‘bling’ you may have around the house. Need a fairy gown or princess dress? Used clothing stores are full of prom dresses and flower girl dresses that might fit the bill.

Zombie Halloween Costume: An old flannel shirt, a worn out pair of jeans, and an old wig make a great Zombie. Top off the homemade Halloween costume with a pair of monster teeth and one of dad’s broken power tools for some added spookiness. (Just remember to remove all blades or other sharp edges.)

Mummy Halloween Costume: It’s not Halloween unless there’s at least one mummy roaming the neighborhood! This is a great way to re-use old bed sheets and white t-shirts. Cut them into strips, wrap around your body, and you’ve got a classic homemade Halloween costume. Need a little gore? Toss on some ketchup!

When choosing curtains, draperies, and window blinds for a green home, it’s important to know exactly what you’re buying. Window treatments are an often overlooked source of indoor air pollution due to toxic plastics and sealants. Here are a few suggestions for choosing eco-friendly window treatments and coverings.

Bamboo Blinds: Bamboo is a wonderful and sustainable resource for green living. When choosing bamboo window treatments, it’s important to select styles that do not contain any toxic sealants or wood finishing products. Non-toxic window treatments usually have indicate that on the label or box.

Natural Silk Curtains: Produced by the silkworm, silk is a natural protein fiber that can be found in curtains, sheers, and other household items such as silk bed sheets. Like bamboo, silk can sometimes be treated with toxic fabric protectors and fire retardants, so look for manufacturers committed to non-toxic production.

Flax Linen Curtains: Curtains and draperies made with 100% flax linen are an environmentally friendly window treatment option. Natural flax is a rich beige color that works well with just about any color scheme.

If you’re new to green living, here’s an idea to help you get started in purchasing green cleaning products and recycled household products. It’s a green cleaning starter kit filled with a variety of non- toxic cleaners and recycled paper goods. Here’s what the green cleaning kit includes:

Phosphate Free Household Cleaner: An every day non toxic cleaning spray for cleaning the bathroom sink, kitchen appliances, and counter tops.

Biodegradable Dish Washing Soap: Plant-based soap for dishes and cooking pans.

Recycled Paper Towels: 80% post consumer waste.

Recycled Facial Tissues: 100% recycled, 20% post consumer waste.

All Natural Hand Soap: Biodegradable hand soap made with essential oils.

I think the Starter Green-kit available at Green-kit looks like a convenient way to take some of the initial confusion out of selecting green products, and choosing the ones you like the most.

Don’t forget about your wardrobe, especially your blue jeans, when it comes to household recycling. There are dozens of things you can do to recycle blue jeans just when you think its time to toss them in the trash. Here are just a few ideas:

Make a Reusable Shopping Bag: Ditch plastic shopping bags forever by making recycled shopping bags with your old blue jeans. Here’s a recycled denim bag pattern that looks fairly simple for someone with basic sewing skills.

Insulate Your House: Recycled denim insulation is becoming popular for green building projects and environmentally friendly remodels. Read more about recycled denim insulation at Idaho Blue.

Make a Recycled Area Rug: Need some environmentally friendly area rugs or a door mat for around the house? Clean out your closet! You can reuse your old jeans with this recycled denim rug pattern.

Make a Purse: Who needs a designer handbag when you can make your own one-of-a-kind! Make a recycled denim purse with this pattern.

No one likes the thought of parting with their favorite, ultra-comfy pair of blue jeans, but when yours have reached the point of no return, keep them out of landfill by finding ways to reuse them.

Anyone who’s ever lugged home a jumbo jug of laundry soap, and then lugged the empty jug to the recycling center might be interested in trying Ecoballs. Apparently, you just toss a couple of these into your washing machine and the ionized energy between the balls creates an oxygen reaction which cleans and softens your clothes without laundry detergent or fabric softener.

In addition to reducing your household waste, reducing pollutants in the environment, and saving money by not using laundry soap, you can also save water by skipping the rinse cycle with Ecoballs. Depending on which ones you choose, Ecoballs can last from 100 to 1,000 wash cycles. Ecoballs are manufactured in the UK, and they were voted one of 10 Best Green Household Products of 2005 by The Independent, a British newspaper. According to EcoGadget, Ecoballs are also antibacterial and hypoallergenic.

If you’ve tried this green laundry detergent alternative, post a comment and tell us what you think. Ecoballs are available at EcoGadget.

With all the recent publicity surrounding CFL light bulbs, it’s easy to forget about LED lighting as a green choice for environmentally friendly homes. Thanks to advancements in technology, LED lighting is becoming more affordable and used in more household light fixtures. Here are just a few of the benefits of LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes).

Longer-Lasting: LED lights blast the competition when it comes to longevity. According to some reports, LEDs last 10 times longer than CFLs, and last more than a hundred times longer than incandescent light bulbs. In addition, LED light fixtures can help you save money by conserving energy in your green home.

Cool to the Touch: LED lights, including LED flashlights and LED Christmas lights, operate on very little power, allowing them to burn cool and reduce the risks of children being burned and accidental fire.

Compatible with Solar Panels: If you’re making the green energy switch to a solar-powered home, you may want to consider LED lighting. Because they use such little electricity, LEDs are a great option for use with solar panels.

See more information about LED lighting.

Whether you like it or not, you’ve got to give this one an “A” for ingenuity in water conservation. It’s a sink that replaces your toilet lid. When the toilet is flushed, clean water from the toilet tank is routed up through the toilet lid sink for hand washing. Then the water is stored in the toilet bowl awaiting the next flush. So, the water is actually used twice.

Although this is not a replacement for your traditional bathroom sink, I think the toilet lid sink is a creative addition to any green bathroom, and a great idea for saving water at home. The sink is made of plastic, it requires no tools for installation, and it has a built-in soap dish. The sink fixture is made of chrome. On a personal note-I’d really like to see this as a stainless steel sink. I found the toilet lid sink at Real Goods for $89.

Even if you’ve already made the switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, you may not have seen the “Anti-Bug” CF light bulb for use in your porch light fixture. The 15-watt yellow glow is apparently not-so-friendly for insects that like to swarm around porch lights.

The Anti-Bug CF light bulb comes with a cover to prevent it from shattering. This looks like a nice alternative to incandescent light bulbs, and a good method of non-toxic pest control for your green home. I think these would also be good to use in light fixtures around your outdoor furniture or pool area.

I found the Anti-Bug CF light bulb at Gaiam for $14.

Whether you’re cleaning out the garage, or completing an entire green remodel, chances are you’re going to end up with a few things such as old batteries, leftover building materials, paint, and fluorescent light bulbs that you simply aren’t sure how to safely dispose of . According to Consumer Reports, here are a few resources for recycling those not-so-everyday household items.

Recycle Rechargeable Batteries: From power tools to cell phones, it seems almost everything requires a rechargeable battery, but what do you do with them when they die? The Rechargeable Battery Recycle Corporation (RBRC) has over 50,000 drop off locations for recycling rechargeable batteries including major retailers such as Home Depot, Circuit City, and Best Buy.

Recycle Household Appliances: Switching to green household appliances? Here are two resources for recycling refrigerators, freezers, and washing machines. Appliance Recycling Centers of America offers free pickup of old appliances in parts of California, Georgia, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin. Jaco Environmental recycles freezers and refrigerators for a small pickup fee in parts of California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

Recycle Construction Materials: The Construction Waste Management Database is a government sponsored service which allows users to search by zip code for recycling locations that accept construction materials including carpet, roofing materials, lighting, paint, flooring, etc.

Here’s a quick fix for conserving water and power in your home: switch to a low-flow shower head. If you’re one who relishes a long, high-pressure shower, the thought of a reduced flow shower head may you a little nervous. Don’t worry! Shower heads, like almost everything else, have come a long way in the last decade. Fans of reduced flow shower heads claim that technology now allows for better showers using less water.

If your bathroom fixtures were installed prior to 1992, you could be sabotaging your green living efforts with very wasteful showers! Before 1992, some shower heads flowed at a whopping rate of 5.5 GPM (gallons per minute). These days, that number is federally regulated to no more than 2.5 GPM with 80 PSI water pressure or 2.2 GPM at 60 PSI (pounds per square Inch). If you have an old shower head, you could save more than HALF your usual shower water consumption just by switching to a newer green shower head. And, you’ll reduce energy use by easing the load on your water heater.

Want to go even greener? If you want to go lower than a 2.2 GPM shower head, try a reduced flow 1.5 GPM shower head or one that uses even less water! I found a 1.0 GPM shower head at The Natural Abode.

You can save many trees and reduce the amount of waste in your green household by taking a closer look at some of the everyday household items you have on hand. Here are a few green living tips for reducing paper waste in your green home.

Wipe Out the Wipes: It seems every cleaning product imaginable comes in a handy wipe option. From glass cleaner to furniture polish, Americans have become addicted to grab and toss cleaning wipes. Eliminating cleaning wipes from your shopping list in favor of a cleaning rag and a bottle of environmentally friendly household cleaner can save you money and help you live a little greener.

Break the Paper Towel Habit: Try using a cotton dish towel or washcloth instead of paper towels to clean up spills. You’ll save money and reduce the amount of waste coming from your home. Not sure you can live without them? Try cutting back when you can and using recycled paper towels when you must.

Discover Micro Fiber: Micro fiber cleaning cloths (shown above) are a must when it comes to green cleaning products. I use these all over my home and am always amazed at the results. You can use them to remove stubborn stains on furniture, carpet, and all around the house for general cleaning. Using micro fiber cleaning cloths often eliminates the need for paper towels, cleaning wipes or harsh cleaners.

Yesterday, I spoke with a friend who said she tries to recycle glass, plastic and newspaper, but she hates the unorganized mess it makes. The conversation inspired me to search for recycling organizers that might help her and the rest of us enjoy recycling as part of a green lifestyle.

Turns out, there are all sorts of products on the market for organizing recycling materials. My favorites are stacking recycling bins. This style allows you to save precious space, and still separate glass, plastic, aluminum, and paper.

Other green home ideas for recycling include buying a few stainless steel trash cans and dedicating each one to a particular recycling material, or installing an under-cabinet, slide out waste bin with two compartments- one for trash and one for recyclables.

Don’t forget, you can build or create you own customized recycling organizer with a few plastic organizer bins and a wooden rack or bookshelf.

The stacking recycle bins shown above are available at Brylane Home for $39.99.

Need to replace your shower curtain soon? Before you head to the store for the usual vinyl/PVC variety, take a look at these green shower curtains made from natural and sustainable materials.

Hemp Shower Curtains: Shower curtains made from hemp are naturally mildew resistant and they’re machine washable. Hemp is a sustainable natural resource, as it has a short growing cycle, requires little water, and yields more per acre than cotton. Hemp shower curtains absorb water, but will not leak through.

Linen Shower Curtains: Organic flax linen shower curtains are a beautiful alternative to vinyl/PVC shower curtains. Organic flax linen is grown without the use of pesticides or other harmful chemicals, and the material is machine washable.

Organic Cotton Shower Curtains: Organic cotton shower curtains are another green alternative to vinyl shower liners. Like hemp, the all-natural fabric will absorb water but not leak through and they are machine washable.

Why switch? Choosing an all natural, non toxic shower curtain is a smart choice, because PVC and vinyl are associated with emitting toxic gases which reduce the air quality in your home and the world around you. In addition, PVC and vinyl do not recycle well, so vinyl shower curtains often end up in land fills where they hang around for decades, or end up being burned-which releases even more toxins into the air.

There’s nothing quite like bamboo area rugs to add texture and warmth to a green home. Bamboo rugs are increasing in popularity and are available in more colors and prints than ever. The area rug shown above is made from Anji bamboo, which is harvested from the Anji Mountain region in China, known for producing some of the world’s finest bamboo for furniture and other household items.

Whether you need an outdoor area rug to compliment a new patio set or an indoor rug to complete your green living room furniture, bamboo will fit the bill. Made from one of nature’s most plentiful and sustainable resources, Anji bamboo area rugs like the one above are kiln dried to prevent warping and cracking due to climate change, and are treated with a UV sealant to reduce fading.

Bamboo rugs are easy to clean; simply wipe with a damp cloth. I found this all natural area rug at Backyard City priced between $29 and $299 depending on size.

Of all household appliances, refrigerators are near the top of the list when it comes to energy consumption. If you’re looking for a green refrigerator to help you save energy, consider the following tips:

Read the Labels: A great first step in selecting green household appliances, refrigerators included, is to narrow down your search by reading the energy consumption labels on the appliances. By doing so, you’ll quickly be able to determine which appliances are the most energy-efficient.

Don’t Buy More than You Need: Larger refrigerators require more energy than smaller ones. Buying a large refrigerator when a small one is sufficient, results in wasted energy due to continuously cooling space that you simply don’t need. On the flip side, if your family currently requires two refrigerators, you might want to consider upgrading to a single, but large, energy-efficient refrigerator, because one large refrigerator requires less energy than two smaller ones.

Style: When it comes to saving energy, the greenest refrigerators are typically top or bottom freezer models. However, you should always pay attention to energy saver appliance labels as manufacturers are continuously developing new styles of green appliances which consume less energy than their predecessors.