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Today is Earth Day!  A day dedicated to making the world a better place for future generations to inherit. It began in 1970, when U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson wanted to bring environmental concerns to the forefront of the national agenda. More than 20 million Americans demonstrated across the country, and as a result, Congress authorized the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency later that year.

Today, more than 500 million people in about 180 countries observe Earth Day in meaningful ways.  As a homeowner, your choices inside and outside the home can make a real impact on the environment and your wallet, especially if you are planning on selling your home soon (and taking advantage of great home prices – and low mortgage rates – and buying a new home).  Here’s a few ways you can give Mother Earth a giant hug and give yourself a pat on the back.

Environmental Tips for Inside the Home

Conserve Energy at Home

Insulation and Ventilation: Ensure that all windows, doors and pipes are properly insulated while keeping sufficient ventilation to prevent mold and other toxic buildup. Insulate your hot water heater as well as hot water pipes and ducts that are not in heated areas.  Buy a programmable thermostat to regulate the temperature inside, especially when you are not at home.

Lighting: Try to keep lights off during the day, but if you use them, remember to turn them off when you leave the room.  Choose energy-efficient LED or compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs. If every U.S. home replaced one light bulb with a CFL bulb, enough energy would be saved to light more than three million homes a year! When you can, take advantage of natural light and shade to reduce the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling.

Appliances: If you can’t buy Energy Star-approved appliances right now, there’s still ways you can reduce standby power for items that often sit idle in the wall socket.  When you’re not using your cell phone charger, unplug it from the wall. When your energy strips or surge protectors are not in use, turn them off by a flip of the switch. It’s that easy!  Ditch your clothes dryer in warm weather and hang your items out to dry in the sun!

Use Water Efficiently at Home

Reduce Personal Consumption: Washing your face? Brushing your teeth? Keep the water turned on only while it is needed. Purchase low-flow or dual flush toilets.  Choose a water-efficient showerhead, which can cut the amount of gallons used substantially.  A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, but taking a five-minute shower consumes only 10-25 gallons.

Reduce Mechanical Consumption: Only run the dishwasher when it’s full. Don’t rinse dishes before you place them into the dishwasher, you’ll save about 20 gallons per load. In fact, the latest water-efficient machines use less than 5 gallons per use!  Choose a high-efficiency washing machine and try to only wash full loads.  If you have to do a small load, make sure to pick the proper setting to avoid unnecessary water usage.

Fix Leaks: Don’t pour money down the drain!  Leaks waste thousands of gallons of water every year and it can be avoided by just being aware and taking action at the first sign of a leak.  It is estimated that more than 13 percent of household water is wasted by leaks. Is your water meter moving when no water is being used? It’s time to act!

Environmental Tips for Outside the Home

Lawn and Garden: Plant trees and bushes in strategic areas of your home to reduce the amount of energy used to regulate the temperature inside.  They create shade in the summer and prevent cold wind from penetrating the house in the winter.  Use mulch to reduce water evaporation, reduce weeds and fortify soil.  Don’t fertilize before it rains, not only does it wash your money down the drain, it also pollutes the rivers and lakes in your area.

Compost Waste: Certain types of waste can be set apart from normal trash and collected in a bin outside, where it decomposes and becomes fertilizer, saving you and the environment time and money.  A lot of kitchen waste and yard waste can be used, but to see what exactly can be composted, visit the Homeowner’s Guide to Composting.

Get Creative

We’ve gone over the ways you can reduce your consumption of resources but it’s also important to reuse and recycle the ones we have as well. If you use plastic grocery bags, recycle them as trashcan liners.  Recycle newspapers.  Reuse boxes and envelopes when possible.  Reuse anything plastic, especially your water bottle if you haven’t ditched the bottled water habit yet!

As you can see, there are many ways to make a difference in the routine of life to make the Earth and your environment healthy.  If you are an existing homeowner, do an audit of your water, gas, and electricity usage to see where improvements could be made.  If you plan on being a homeowner soon or simply want to make home improvements, do so with the environment in mind.  Choose paints that have low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are harmful.  Choose re purposed wood for flooring or recycled glass for kitchen counter tops.  Use energy-efficient appliances wherever possible.  A home design expert at your favorite store will have even more tips on ways you can create a green habitat, but hopefully these tips have given you some ideas of your own.

Happy Earth Day!

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