Recently we had Chris from Green Werks come on Operation Renewable Energy Live. Chris was a great guy with a whole lot of knowledge about green remodeling! He was able to answer a lot of our viewer questions and he also left us with some great tips on how to live a greener lifestyle! Here are his top ten:

1) Save Water with Powder Detergents

Liquid laundry detergents are approximately 80 percent water. It costs energy and packaging to bring this water to the consumer. Substitute liquid detergents for powders.

2) Change Your Light Bulbs

Replacing 3 frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs will have you $60/year and approximately 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide.

3) Use Recycled Paper

By switching to 100% post-consumer recycled paper when printing, you save approximately 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

4) Save a Tree

If every household in the United States replaced one box of 85 sheet virgin fiber facial tissues with 100% recycled ones, the savings amount to 87,700 tress, 226,500 cubic feet of landfill space, 31 million gallons of water, and avoid 5,300 lbs. of pollution. Buy recycled paper products for your living spaces, bathrooms, and kitchen.

5) Ride Your Bike

For every mile you ride your bike instead of driving a car, you avoid the production of about one pound of carbon dioxide.

6) Check Your Water Heater

By keeping your water heater thermostat lower than 120°F, you save 550 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $30/year.

7) Change Your Thermostat

Conserve fuel by turning down the heat at night and while you are away from your home. Setting your air-conditioning thermostat at 76 degrees during the summer will dramatically reduce your electricity bill as well as your carbon dioxide emissions.

Manually Mow Your Lawn

Mowing for an hour with a gasoline-powered lawn mower is equivalent to a 350-mile drive in a car. Consider pushing a lightweight reel mower, you’ll burn more calories!

9) Reduce Your Garbage

Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic, and glass. You can save around 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year by reducing, reusing, and recycling.

10) Fill Your Dishwasher

Run your dishwasher only with a full load. Save approximately 100 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year. Eco-friendly modules save even more energy and water!

For more you can check out www.greenwerkspro.com