Issues > September/October 2005 (#110) > Household Tips to Keep Your Health and Your Savings Intact

Household Tips to Keep Your Health and Your Savings Intact

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Attic

Insulating your ceiling can reduce heating costs 5 to 25 percent, saving approximately $180 annually for a family of four. Innotherm's cotton insulation from recycled denim scrap will also have no impact on your indoor air quality, unlike the formaldehyde concerns from fiberglass insulation.

Basement

Replace or clean your furnace filters monthly. Making sure the furnace is lubricated and properly adjusted will save another 5 percent on your heating bill.

Home Office

With lead and cadmium circuit boards, lead oxide and barium in monitors, mercury in flat screens, and plastics and flame retardants in casings, circuit boards, and cables, computers pose a big "e-waste" problem at the end of their usefulness. When purchasing a new computer, look for companies with "take back" policies for old machines, such as HP, Dell, NEC, and IBM.

Companies that are taking the toxic substances out of their machines include HP, Dell (with its Optiplex line), Apple and Panasonic.

The Green Guide's Computer Product Report provides more options.

The Play Room

When it's the children's playtime, avoiding phthalate-laden polyvinyl chloride (PVC) vinyl toys is both a better choice for them and for the environment. Stuffed toys made of organic cotton from the Organic Gift Shop, PVC-free Lego bricks, the Beka Starter wooden block set from well-managed maple forests, even sports equipment made with health and the environment in mind are all durable items that will give years of play without years of exposure to toxic chemicals.

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