More & more people are embracing living green. It's a responsible, forward-thinking outlook that declares, "There's no place like home - so save it." The key to living green is sustainability: living comfortably while minimizing your home's carbon footprint, lowering energy, and minimizing consumption and fuel needs. By giving consideration to green practices, everybody can play a part as a responsible citizen of the planet, aligning oneself with this ever-growing eco-friendly demographic. If you haven't already, get ready to go green.

MINIMIZE your paper usage. Through the use of email and the Internet the work has almost been done for you but you can take it a step further. Ensure that you use electronic transaction management systems for payments. Think twice before printing off every email and or invoice, request. If you have a copy electronically don't waste paper by duplicating. No one needs a paper trail following them (literally).

RECYCLING is essential to any home. Don't throw in the trash what can be recycled such as glass, plastic bottles & cans, newspapers etc....

COMPOST bins should be part of every homeowner's landscape, except for those who live in appartments. If your area doesn't pick up composting then visit your local hardware store for a compost bin, it'll cut your waste down significantly.

BEEF UP INSULATION, which can help cut your heating and cooling energy costs and consumption.

CHANGE your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs will cut your energy costs drastically.

REDUCE water consumption may not be as hard as you thought; gray water systems reuse rainwater by circulating it into the sewage system.

UPDATE YOUR APPLIANCES. The newer ones are now going green as well: dishwasher, ovens, stoves, refrigerators, freezers are now becoming energy efficient. By replacing your appliances with energy efficient ones you are making a great investment for the environment.

LOW FLUSH toilets are the new rage, wasting less water in volume per flush.

USE NATURAL LIGHTING. Thinking about renovating? Nature's answer to interior lighting is the skylight: they help to illuminate rooms so you can keep those lights off.

CHOOSE sustainably produced materials: bamboo & cork floorings, non-toxic paint, non-bleached fabrics... surround yourself with products that leave a small carbon footprint.

Most importantly, going green is the way of the future. And it's here to stay. Green homes are not only less expensive to maintain, they also guarantee that there will be resources for generations to come.