Is your mailbox often crammed full of catalogs selling everything from bath towels to kitchen cutlery?  A quick look at your coffee table or magazine rack should give you an idea of how much junk mail Americans receive on a daily basis.  Here’s the hard truth: almost 40 percent of what we throw away everyday is unwanted paper. (Source: Recycling-Revolution)

If you want to bump up your green living efforts and stamp out junk mail, here are a few links to get your started:

ProQuo:  ProQuo is a free junk mail elimination service that claims to stop 90% of your junk mail by removing your name from junk mail lists.

Green Dimes: Green Dimes is a free service to stop junk mail, and according to their website, they’ll even pay you a buck to sign up.

Stop Junk Mailing. Com:  This is a paid service ($25) that also claims to stop 90% of junk mail.

Don’t forget to recycle junk mail that does manage to make it to your door.

Reusing household items anytime you can is key to any green lifestyle.  From bedroom furniture to kitchen appliances, thrift stores are hot spots for picking up used household items. However, you do need to be a little selective, and buy items that are durable enough to withstand reuse.  Here are a few thrift store shopping tips:

Furniture:  If you’re looking for a sofa or arm chair, check out the condition of the frame by attempting to wiggle the arm of the furniture or looking at the underneath side.  Loose frames made of quality wood can often be tightened up, but beware of furniture made of particle board. Don’t worry about finishes or upholstery; you can always refinish with a non-toxic paint or no VOC wood finish.

Electronics:  Most electronics on the shelves at thrift stores work just fine, and have been left there simply because they’ve been replaced by newer models.  Kitchen blenders, mixers, radios and alarm clocks are usually in plentiful supply.  Avoid items with frayed cords or signs of overheating, unless you know how repair them.

Clothing:  From blue jeans to winter coats and everything in between, green living gurus can find great deals at thrift shops on gently used, and sometimes brand new clothing.  Avoid stains that probably won’t wash out at this point, and fabric that’s already worn out.  Learn how to replace a zipper and sew a button, and you’ll be able to salvage many perfectly good items.   Don’t forget about all the things you can do to recycle blue jeans.  Thrift shops are a great place to pick up  whole bags of fabrics for craft projects.

It’s not just for socks anymore! Wool is often overlooked as a natural resource, but it’s making a comeback as a green living option. If you’re building a green home, one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make is how to insulate it.  Here are some of the benefits of wool insulation:

1) Non-Toxic:  Wool insulation is non toxic, in fact, it’s sometimes used to to clean up toxic buildings because it absorbs toxins. And, since wool fibers are naturally larger than those used in synthetic insulation, they don’t pose a threat to those with asthma or other respiratory problems.

2) Efficient:  Wool insulation has a higher R-Value than fiberglass insulation, and can absorb more than it’s weight in water without becoming wet to the touch.

3) Reusable/Biodegradable:  Wool insulation can be reused, and if discarded, it’s biodegradable.

You can find more information at Good Shepherd Wool, a manufacturer of wool insulation.

Don’t forget about the other ways you can use wool to create a green home, including wool blankets, wool area rugs, and wool upholstered furniture.

If you’re into green living, you’ve probably heard of Freegans, people who scour their communities in search of free household items like clothing, appliances, and even food that have been discarded by retailers and individuals.  Freegans reject consumerism, reduce waste, reuse, and recycle by creating a lifestyle that is entirely self-sustained by the hunting of free goods.  The act of sorting through discarded items in dumpsters or elsewhere is sometimes referred to as “urban foraging”.

Although it may be considered an extreme green lifestyle by some, I think there’s an important point to be raised by the Freegan philosophy.  Instead of throwing away your old clothes, appliances, books, or magazines, why not recycle them by giving them away? If you can’t find someone who needs your items, contact a local church, women’s shelter, or organizations such Goodwill and Salvation Army.  Not only will you be reusing and recycling, you’ll be helping those less fortunate.  Also, check out Freecycle, an organization of community groups for giving away useful items you no longer need. Photo:  Wikipedia.

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.

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.

Putting your kitchen waste and lawn clippings to work through composting is an excellent way to live green. Not only are you making use of would-be trash, you’re creating rich, nutrient-dense soil for your garden. Although many green living advocates use simple barrels or bins for creating compost, here’s an alternative if you want a faster way to create compost.

The Tumbleweed Compost Tumbler claims to create compost in as little as four weeks. With a daily spin, the tumbling bin rotates on a center axis to allow users to spin the tumbler around, breaking down the contents of the bin, introducing more oxygen to the contents, and ultimately creating compost in a shorter period of time. I found the Tumblweed Compost Tumbler at Green Living for $199.

If you’re wanting to create a more energy-efficient home, but you’re not up for a complete green remodeling project, there are some fast and easy projects you can complete in a single weekend. Here are two examples for making your home more energy efficient…in a flash!

Insulate your Attic: For a few hundred dollars and just a few hours work you can dramatically increase your home’s energy efficiency by installing insulation in your attic. Attics are a major source of wasted energy in many homes, especially those that endure cold winter climates. A well-insulated attic will allow you to conserve power, and reduce heating and cooling costs.

Caulk Away: With a $3.00 caulking gun and a tube of caulk, you can be on your way to creating a more energy-efficient, green home. Walk around your home and eliminate any gaps around baseboards and windows with a quick bead of caulk. This will help prevent the escape of air conditioning, heat, and your hard earned dollars.

It’s important to remember that green living isn’t always about expensive alternative products. Sometimes the very best green alternatives are actually quite simple.

Green living isn’t just for the home front… here are two easy ways to go green while at work.

The Eco Button: Here’s a fun way save energy when it comes to computer use. With a simple tap, this cool looking USB device allows you to instantly put your computer into energy saver mode. I read about the Eco Button at The Office Master, a blog all about cubicle survival.

Power Strips: Here’s another green office tip. Plug your computer and any other office equipment into a power strip so you can easily shut them off before you leave. Since computer monitors are especially known for their energy-guzzling tendencies, this is a great way to save power and live green.

Your weekly trip to the supermarket can be a strategic part of a green lifestyle if you plan ahead. Here are a few ideas for green grocery shopping.

Avoid single serving packages: If you’re trying to shop green and reduce waste, avoid food and drinks in single serving sizes. These items cost more and require more packaging materials. When grocery shopping, purchase the largest package of the item you need, and then divide it up into reusable containers when you get home.

Choose items you can recycle: A big part of any green home is recycling. However, all of us at one time or another have been stuck with a package or box that isn’t recyclable. Before leaving for a day of green shopping, make a list of the types of materials you know you can recycle, and look for food in packages made from those materials. By planning ahead, you’ll avoid being stuck with an empty package that cannot be recycled.

Skip the bottled water: Plastic water bottles are a growing environmental problem. Producing and transporting them requires serious fuel consumption, and they’re filling up our landfills. Instead of buying bottled water, invest in a water filtration pitcher and stainless steel water bottles to avoid the waste and expense of plastic.