10 Cheap and Easy Tips for 'Greening' Your Home

Here are 10 easy tips to make your house greener. I bet you do most of them without realising!

1) Share your magazines — read them then pass them on. Goodwill, the Kidney Foundation and other used goods collection agencies will usually accept them. You can also pass them along to a doctor's office for the waiting room.

2) Start a compost pile in your backyard.

3) Take your own mug to the coffee shop — some shops will even give you a discount for bringing your own cup.

4) Buy a new houseplant. 

5) Schedule your errands back-to-back to consolidate your trip and save petrol, or ride your bike or walk when possible.

6) Repair any leaky taps, install water-saving shower heads, and only run the clothes washer or dishwasher with full loads.

7) Use cloth serviettes instead of paper ones.

8) When buying tickets for the cinema, flights, concerts etc, always select the 'e-ticket' option if there is one to save on printing.

9) Ask your electricity/gas company if it is possible to purchase green power like solar, geothermal, biomass and wind turbine.

10) Don't heat an empty house! Upgrade to a programmable thermostat if you can.