Sears Spring Green

Green by room

ROOF & ATTIC

Cool your home from the top down

Americans spend about $40 billion each year to air-condition our buildings. That's one-sixth of all electricity! Energy Starqualified roof products reflect more of the sun's rays, and help reduce peak cooling demand by 10 to 15 percent. Shop for your roof & attic> Find ENERGY STARqualified roof products > Use the Sears Blue Service Crew > http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=roof_prods.pr_roof_products http://www.sears.com/shc/s/v_10153_12605_Home+Services Are heating and cooling bills through the roof? Add insulation to improve your attic's energy efficiency. Owens Corning recommends an insulation value of R-60 for attic floors, with about 18 inches of insulation. A radiant barrier can help reflect heat away from your home. These materials create an airtight barrier between your attic and your home, reducing energy loss year round. Green roofs are roofs that have been layered with vegetation. The plantings serve as natural insulation, reduce sewage system loads and air pollution and counter the "heat island effect" (raised temperatures in urban areas).

BEDROOM

Cold climate? Build a canopy

Staying cozy and warm in cold climates can be a challenge. Don't turn up the thermostat. Instead, surround your bed with a simply made canopy, to keep drafts out and add warmth and style.

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Save energy when you say goodbye to drafty windows. Custom replacement windows from Sears are stylish, efficient and can help reduce your energy costs. Clean air is particularly important when you sleep. By using a non-disposable (filterless) purifier, you can not only reduce your waste but also remove harmful toxins and impurities from the air you breathe. Your bedroom furniture may be composed of pressed wood, particleboard or plywood that can leak formaldehyde into the air, which is classed as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA. Seal your furniture and placed pressed-wood furniture in a well-ventilated area. Your mattress and bed linen can be more eco-friendly if you switch to organic and natural materials. You'll sleep better, breathe easier and suffer fewer allergic reactions. Organic mattresses have been found to contain less dust mites, too. Don let energy leak out the windows. Insulated window shades and drapery panels can block heat in the summer and help eliminate cold drafts in the winter.

NURSERY

Create a natural nursery

It's only natural to want a safe haven for your baby. Synthetic products can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are known to be toxic. And synthetics trap heat, which can cause skin rash. Decorate with comforting organic products that pamper your baby. Shop for your Nursery > Find organic textiles >

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are toxic fumes that off-gas from commercial paints. Use low- or no-VOC paints and be sure the room you're painting is well ventilated. Sears offers a whole line of zero-VOC paints. Shop low-VOC paints >

Since babies put everything in their mouths, be sure toys are non-toxic. Skip products made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and bisphenol-A (BPA), which has been associated with diabetes, heart and liver problems.

Organic cotton or bamboo bedding is a better choice for baby. Babies can be more susceptible to chemicals than adults so it's important to limit their exposure to synthetics.

Use non-chemical air filters and sanitizers to clean the air your baby breathes while minimizing your eco-footprint.

Conventional detergents made from synthetic petrochemicals are hard on the environment. They can leave residue on clothing, so their toxic ingredients constantly come in contact with baby's delicate skin. Look for detergents that are free of phosphates, petroleum-based chemicals, dyes and artificial fragrances.

BATHROOM

Less is more

Switch to a water-saving toilet and you can save up to $100 per year. Low-flow toilets have gotten a bad rap, but today's models are really high-performance wonders. Manufacturers have made design adjustments that help 1.6-gallon flushers ease the way for waste. Shop for your bathroom >

If you haven't switched yet, now is the time! Use compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs instead of incandescent and you'll improve energy efficiency and reduce waste in every room. Installing low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators is inexpensive and easy, and can result in big savings. Encourage everyone in the family to take shorter showers and to never leave the water running when brushing their teeth. Most toilets use five to seven gallons of water per flush. Installing a low-flush toilet is an excellent way to reduce the water your toilet consumes per flush. If a low-flow toilet is not in the budget, reduce the amount of water your toilet uses. Fill one or two plastic bottles with pebbles and water. Place in the toilet tank away from operating parts. They'll act as water displacers, tricking your toilet into using less water. Shop low-flow toilets at TheGreatIndoors.com >

LAUNDRY

Show your laundry room some love

Kenmore Elitehigh efficiency washing machines can save up to 77% water and 81% energy. And did you know that more Americans choose KenmoreEnergy Starqualified appliances than any other brand? Get ENERGY STARrebates > Shop Kenmorelaundry > If your water heater is warm to the touch, it needs additional insulation. Insulate it with a water heater lanketto reduce costs. Hard water can cause your water heater to work harder and wear out faster. Extend the life of your appliances by installing a water softener. High-efficiency water heaters use 10 to 50 percent less energy than standard models, saving you big money. Savings depend on family size, heater location, and other factors, but replacing your old heater with an ENERGY STARqualified water heater will definitely make a difference. The average family does 400 loads of laundry a year. You can cut related energy costs by 33 percent, and water costs by more than 50 percent, by buying an ENERGY STARqualified washing machine. As your heating and cooling system ages, it can lose its ability to cool and heat your home. Energy Starqualified systems can help save 10 to 30 percent of your annual heating and cooling costs. See Sears for a full assortment of Energy Star qualified heating and cooling systems.

LIVING ROOM

Protect against the elements

If your windows are drafty and old, you're wasting money on energy. ENERGY STARqualified replacement windows can be custom made to fit perfectly. You'll reduce heating and cooling cost and protect fabrics from fading, too. Shop for your living room > Learn more about Sears replacement windows > http://www.searshomepro.com/windows/index.aspx?lst=362 Installing a programmable thermostat helps you save energy by turning off the heat or air conditioning while you are at work, and kicking it on just before you arrive home. Youl never know the difference until you see the drop in your electric bill! Buy furniture made from sustainable woods, recycled materials and organic fabrics. You'll breathe easier and help protect the planet. The average American watches 150 hours of television a month! If your TV is on that much, it a good idea to have one that's Energy Starqualified. Sears has a full assortment online. Houseplants are natural air purifiers. NASA scientists recommend adding one houseplant for every 100 square feet of home to help remove toxins and indoor air pollutants. Your entry door reflects the warmth and friendliness of your home and provides security for your family. Give your home charm and style with an Energy Starrated custom entry door system from Sears.

KITCHEN

Conserve more with Kenmore/h4>

Whether you're replacing an appliance or remodeling your entire kitchen, Sears and Kenmore can help you save on energy and water bills. In fact, more Americans choose KenmoreENERGY STARqualified appliances than any other brand!* Shop for your kitchen> Sears Home Services can help you remodel > http://www.kenmore.com/shc/s/dap_10154_12604_DAP_Kenmore+Roots+Shoots?adCell=A3 http://www.searshomepro.com/kitchens/index.aspx?lst=362 *Based on 2008 unit market share of ENERGY STAR-rated major appliance purchases, excluding dryers. If you drink just one latte a day at the coffee shop, you spend over $1400 and place 365 paper cups into the environment. Buy a quality espresso maker for your home and you'll save enough money to take a vacation. Non-organic cleaners can contain harmful chemicals. If you have small children or pets, it's a good idea to use organic floor cleaners, since little ones spend a great deal of their time right on the floor. (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_04990424000P?vName=Baby#desc) Don't turn on the stove! Save energy and keep the kitchen cool when you use your microwave instead. Some microwaves can grill, bake, fry and brown in a single model! Every year Americans spend $11 billion on 30 billion disposable water bottles! Instead of bottled water, buy a sink-faucet filter or whole-house water filter; or a refrigerator with a built-in water filter and dispenser.

GARAGE

Work wisely

If your garage is your workshop, you can save money and energy by installing ENERGY STARqualified work lights and fixtures, which use about 75 percent less energy. And don't throw old kitchen cabinets in a landfill: reuse them in the garage for organized storage (or find them at a garage sale). Shop for your garage > Get garage ideas at ManageMyHome.com > http://www.managemyhome.com/mmh/ideas/ViewCategoryNavigationAction.action?level1=Rooms#level2Index=3 An insulated garage door is good, but insulation won't make the garage warmer. The garage will still be drafty, so weather-strip the door that leads to the garage in order to cut down on drafts inside your home. Garages are storage spaces for hazardous chemicals whose fumes can seep into your home. Remove harmful products like gas cans, paint remover, etc. and place them in an outdoor shed to ensure that your family is breathing toxin-free air. Your garage is your workspace. By choosing energy efficient tools like the Energy Starrated Craftsman Nextec Battery Powered Line, you can green your garage, cut energy costs, free your hands from dangerous cords and produce professional-level work. By keeping your vehicles in optimal shape, you can cut down on harmful emissions and improve gas mileage, too. Sears offers a variety of diagnostic car tools to help you keep your machine running clean.

YARD

Use safe lights that save

Of course you're concerned about home security. But instead of leaving outdoor lights on all night, install motion sensors. You'll stay secure while you save energy. Find them on Sears.com > http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00977132000P?keyword=motion+sensor Shop for your yard > Using gas-alternative lawn and garden equipment is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Gas-alternative power lawn and garden equipment is better for your neighborhood air quality, quieter than gas alternatives and cheaper to operate, too. Growing your own food lets you control chemicals and pesticides, reduces travel to the grocery, lowers your food bills and is a fun, healthy hobby. Sears offers a large assortment of green houses that will allow you to grow organic vegetables year round. De-thatching and aerating your lawn helps it stay green and healthy without the need for artificial chemicals. Sears sells a range of tractor attachments and garden tools that do the trick! Use natural fertilizers such as compost, bone meal and blood meal, all of which are available at Sears Lawn and Garden. Composters can reduce your personal waste that goes into landfills by 20 to 30 percent! They help reduce waste, reduce transport by waste management, reduce carbon emissions and reduce the need for store-bought fertilizers. Xeriscaping is a gardening method that uses regionally appropriate vegetation to reduce water consumption and unnatural pests. Tons of great articles are available on the web about xeriscaping check it out!

BASEMENT

Water worries

Seepage. Condensation. Leaks. If your basement has any of these, your indoor air quality may be affected, not to mention the integrity of your home's foundation. The Sears Blue Service Crew can assess and improve your basement conditions.

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Find advice on ManageMyHome.com >

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Air ducts can become clogged with years of accumulated dirt, debris and allergens like pollen, dust and pet dander. Having your ducts cleaned can greatly improve the indoor air quality of your home, and help keep your heating and cooling system working right. An unheated crawlspace can send cold air up through the floor of your home, making your heating system work harder and waste energy. Adding fiberglass insulation batts between the joists in the crawlspace ceiling can keep the rooms above comfortable and lower your energy bills. Insulating your hot water pipes reduces heat loss and can raise water temperature 2 to 4 more than uninsulated pipes, allowing for a lower water temperature setting. You won't have to wait as long for hot water when you turn on a faucet or showerhead, which helps conserve water. Unless your water heater storage tank has an R-value of at least R-24, adding insulation to it can reduce standby heat losses by 25 to 45 percent. This can save you four to nine percent in water heating costs. If you don't know your water heater tank's R-value, touch it. A tank that's warm to the touch needs additional insulation. The biggest energy expense in a typical American home is heating and cooling, which uses about 56% of the energy. As your heating and cooling system ages, it can lose its ability to cool and heat your home. Energy Starqualified systems can help save up to 20% of your annual heating and cooling costs

Kids

CHECKLIST COPY

At home

• Conserve water. Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl filled with lukewarm water.
• Keep your shower under five minutes long.
• Fix it, don throw it out: the shoe repair shop can fix your backpack, zippers and shoes.
• Too hot? Open windows on opposite sides of the house to get a cross-breeze.
• Too cold? Put on a sweater and socks or slippers.

At school

• Pack school lunches in reusable containers, instead of in plastic bags.
• Did you take the bus today? You can help cut down on carbon emissions if you take a bus instead of a car.

In the yard

• Wash your bike or the family car with a bucket of soapy water and a sponge, instead of letting the hose run. Use the hose just for the final rinse.
• Start a garden. Grocery produce uses lots of energy and oil to get to the store. Grow can your own and eat better, too.
• Does your family have a compost bin? Anything that came out of the ground can go in it.

Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth in the morning and at night, and you can save up to 8 gallons of water! That's more than 200 gallons a month enough to fill a huge fish tank holding six small sharks!

Turn off the tap when you help wash the dishes. Scrape dirty dishes into the trash, then put them in the dishwasher without rinsing them.

Showers use a lot less water than baths: 10 to 25 gallons compared to 70 gallons! If you do take a bath, plug the drain right away and adjust the water temperature as the tub fills.

Save water when you shower: keep it under five minutes. Try timing yourself with a clock the next time you hop in!

If your toilet has a leak, you could be wasting 200 gallons of water every day. That's like flushing more than 50 times for no reason! Try this: ask your parent to help test for leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the tank. If the color shows up in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak!

The best time to water your yard is in the early morning or late evening when it cool outside. Watering when it hot and sunny is wasteful, because most of the water evaporates before the plants have time to drink it.

When youe helping your parents water the yard, make sure not to water too much. An hour is usually good for a soak.

Wash your bike or car with a bucket and sponge instead of a hose and save a lot of water. A hose can waste 6 gallons per minute if you leave it running, but using a bucket and sponge only uses a few gallons!

Some car washes recycle water instead of letting it run down the sewer drains. Ask your parents to check if a car wash near you recycles its water.

Fix it, don throw it out! Visit the local shoe repair shop. They can usually fix broken zippers, backpacks, anything leather and, of course, shoes!

When your family wants to spend time together on the weekend, suggest a bike ride instead of using the car. Don't forget your helmets!

You should never microwave plastic or Styrofoam. Those materials are toxic. Ask your parent which dinnerware in your home is okay to go in the microwave.

Use natural sunlight to light your room. At night, be sure to turn lights off when you leave the room.

Green Did You Know? Tip Ticker

Did You Know?

Bring on the batts

When an unheated crawlspace sends cold air up to other rooms, your heating system works harder (and uses more energy) to compensate. Add fiberglass insulation batts between joists in the crawlspace ceiling to lower your energy bill.

Did You Know?

Hard water can harm

Clothing and linens can be harmed by hard water. Hard-water minerals are abrasive and break down fibers. Hard water can cut the life of your clothes by as much as a third and wear out your linens at twice the normal rate. Add a water softener system and save your clothes!

Did You Know?

Outside vs. inside

Your indoor air could be two to five times more polluted than what's outside! To keep the air your family breathes clean and healthy, have air vents cleaned regularly and place air purifiers in your living spaces.

Did You Know?

Lighten up!

Artificial lighting uses almost 15% of your household electricity. New lighting technologies can reduce energy use by 50 to 75 percent. Choose energy-efficient lighting install lighting controls.

Did You Know?

Wash less, wear more

You can consume up to five times less energy by if you wear your jeans three times before washing, use cold water in the washing machine, and skip the dryer and the iron.

Did You Know?

Soft, naturally

Instead of fabric softener, try a cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle. The vinegar will naturally balance the PH in the soap leaving your clothes soft and without chemical residues.

Did You Know?

Save the whales

When doing laundry, choose a detergent that is made from natural ingredients, is non-petroleum based and contains no phosphates. you'll help the aquatic environments where our wastewater eventually goes.

Did You Know?

Blame the sun

The majority of your home's heat gain is caused by radiant heat from solar rays. Along with proper insulation, install radiant-barrier reflective foil in your attic to eliminate up to 97% of radiant heat. You'll enjoy a cooler attic during summer months, and lower electric bills too.

Did You Know?

Shop and save

Buy a new ENERGY STARqualifed washing machine and youl save enough money in operating costs to pay for a matching dryer! Plus, the water you'll save could fill three backyard swimming pools.