Five Easy Ways to Go Green

Going “green” doesn’t have to mean plunking down $25,000 for a Toyota Prius. Although that would be nice. The hybrid is estimated to get about 55 miles per gallon of gas.

But living in a more environmentally friendly manner can be done in small, far less-expensive steps.

If you look around and shop carefully there are easy changes to make and products to buy that don’t require a huge investment. Here are five we found at local stores where you might shop every weekend.

1. BRIGHTEN UP IN BULK. Buy in bulk and you will save money, plus slow the flow of packaging waste. A set of six small Bright Effects energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs costs $10 at Lowe’s. Individually, the bulbs cost about $4 to $5 each.

Compact fluorescent lights use 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs. The U.S. Energy Star program states that if every household in the United States replaced just one traditional bulb with a compact fluorescent, enough energy would be saved to light more than 300 million homes for a year.

There’s a flip side to compact fluorescents: They contain toxic mercury, though only a tiny amount. Even so, clean up a broken compact fluorescent carefully. If one breaks, the EPA says, open a window and leave the room for at least 15 minutes. Don’t use a vacuum cleaner to clean up; it might disperse the mercury. Wear disposable rubber gloves and place the broken bulb in a sealed plastic bag and place in the trash.

2. BREATHE EASY. Limit your exposure to indoor air pollution. Interior paints_particularly oil-based paints_release volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs, that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers unhealthy.

Depending on the concentration, VOCs can cause respiratory problems, nervous-system damage or even organ damage.

Choose water-based paint such as interior latex. Better yet, choose an interior latex paint that is labeled low- or no-VOC.

One no-VOC to try is Harmony interior latex. It is available at other Sherwin-Williams stores. Cost: $35 a gallon.

3. FRESHEN YOUR SHEETS. Help reduce pollution at the point of production. Cotton grown organically reduces the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that have the potential of contaminating groundwater or the food supply.

Certified organic cotton sheets are made without bleaches or chemical softeners, and sometimes with low-impact dyes.

The Skal group, based in the Netherlands, is one organization that certifies whether cotton products are as organic as their manufacturers claim.

We found Skal certified organic sheets at Linens `n Things. A queen-size set by Organic Essentials costs $70.

4. COFFEE-BUZZ ORGANICALLY. Help preserve the rain forest. Organic coffee is grown as an understory shrub in tropical forests. No need cut down trees in a sensitive ecosystem to grow coffee, and no need to spend a lot of money on it.

Yuban uses a minimum of 30 percent Rainforest Alliance certified coffee. Cost: $3.85 at Albertsons Yuban also makes 100 percent organic coffee certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for $4.50 a can. Unbleached HomeLife coffee filters help avoid manufacturing pollution. Cost, 80 cents for 100 at Albertsons. While you are at Albertsons, drop off plastic grocery bags at the stores’ recycling centers.

5. BE PLASTIC FANTASTIC. Shop around. Most products labeled “recycled” or “organic” are more expensive. But some good deals are out there.

The Diamond company launched Renew recycled plastic knives, forks and spoons, 24 pieces for $1.60, in Wal-Mart stores. We also found a 24-piece recycled-plastic cutlery set by Recycline at Whole Foods Market. Cost: $4.70.

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(c) 2007, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

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Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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