Eco-friendly products aren’t just reserved for major home remodeling however. You can get eco-friendly bamboo laptops, belts made from recycled bike inner tubes, and even shoes made from recycled quilts.

Whenever you look at buying something, you want to look at how it is made. Is it manufactured in an environmentally friendly manner?  There are actually a couple of levels of eco-friendly products. One is that the product itself is made from renewable or sustainable materials and the other is the method of manufacture and its effects on the environment. The best of both worlds is to be able to get a product that is made from renewable materials and manufactured in an earth friendly manner.

You can take the concept of using eco-friendly products down to any level. For example, even your grocery shopping can be made more eco-friendly by buying locally grown, organic produce and using recyclable bags to carry it in.

When it comes to home renovations, you have a lot of great options. Everyone has heard of bamboo flooring which is both beautiful and made from a renewable resource but there other types of flooring that you can use as well. Cork flooring is also renewable and can be very beautiful and it is warm and soft on the feet. Marmoleum is a type of flooring that’s actually been made for quite some time using earth friendly methods and has a great industrial or retro feel that fits right in with today’s styles.

Even clothing can be eco-friendly. Choose items made from organic cotton, hemp and even bamboo.  Even big name manufacturers are getting on the green bandwagon with Levi Strauss using recycled zippers and buttons as well as organic cotton.  Today’s eco-friendly clothing can also be trendy so when you’re in the store pay attention to the labels and try to help out the environment while you are picking out your new wardrobe.

Even things like cosmetics and cleaning products can be eco-friendly. You want to choose items that are made from organic materials that don’t have toxic chemicals in them. In fact, using these products will be better for the environment as well as for your health so it’s worth your while to seek them out. One committed company with green products has a whole line of fragrance-free cleaning products for home and personal hygiene.

Some of the best eco-friendly products also help you conserve resources like water and electricity. Showerheads and faucets that help conserve water are great choice as well as compact fluorescent bulbs that lower your electric bill and help reduce the strain on energy worldwide.

Today there is a large demand for eco-friendly products so you will find more and more choices as time goes on. Look at your product labels carefully and take the time to make sure what you’re buying really is eco-friendly and you’ll know that you’re doing your part to keep the planet healthy.

Certainly one of the first things that comes to mind is using “green” products.  Low VOC carpets and floors and cabinetry made from sustainable materials like cork and bamboo should be high on your choice list.  In the kitchen and bathrooms, you could opt for recycled glass countertops that add a unique touch to the kitchen and are a great way to put old glass to use.  These countertops come in many color combinations and resemble artful mosaics which lend a classy air to your room.

Another thing to consider is recycling your old items or, using items from someone else’s home.  These days, wood floors are very popular and if you are considering them for your home you might look around at older homes that are being torn down to see if you can salvage the flooring.  Every item that you reuse from your old design or from someone else’s home is one less item that will end up in the landfill.

If you are redoing your heating, then look into solar or wind power.  Wind power might not be practical for all homes since you need to have quite a bit of land and a high area for the turbine.  Solar power, on the other hand, can be adapted to almost anywhere.  If putting in a solar system is not within your reach, you should at least make sure that you insulate properly and use triple pane windows and tight fitting seals on your doors to minimize loss of energy from your home.

Avoiding use of paints and glues that produce air pollution is another consideration.  This is not only important for the environment, but for your health as well.  Toxic fumes can build up in your home and are bad for your health.  In fact, the EPA estimates that the pollution inside your home can be up to 100 times worse than that outside the home!  In order to have cleaner air inside, use water based paints instead of oil based and avoid products that have a lot of adhesives.  When you do need to use adhesive, try to make sure they are as “green” as possible.

Luckily, there are plenty of exciting options in eco-friendly materials and you don’t have to sacrifice beauty or function to go green.  When choosing the new materials and items for your home, be sure you do your homework and look for eco-friendly options – I think you will find plenty of items that fit in your new design!