Making homes more efficient is the first, most important step toward creating a eco-friendly home—less wasted heat and air conditioning means less wasted electricity or gas; any alternative energy system can be made smaller and more affordable by first increasing the home’s efficiency; and more efficient homes cost less to live in.

So it’s great news that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, recently passed into law by President Barack Obama, is sending $5 billion to the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program. With the money, the Department of Energy estimates it will be able to weatherize 1.4 million American homes (many of them belonging to low-income residents) by the end of 2011 and create more than 35,000 jobs. 

A programmable thermostat can help you save money on heating and cooling bills. Photo courtesy Flickr/ cthoyes 

Weatherizing is easy. Just a few simple changes can greatly reduce the amount of energy your home requires to stay comfortable. First, get an energy audit or do your own home energy audit. These inexpensive tests help you find out how efficiently your home operates. Then, seal obvious gaps in your home’s exterior envelope. A programmable thermostat is a simple way to stop wasting energy when you’re away from home. Plant large trees or shrubs along your home’s south side to block summer sun. And make sure your furnace and air-conditioning are running efficiently.

We all want to do our part right now. Weatherizing your home is a great place to start.

Last week the Environmental Working Group sued Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and the makers of other common household cleaners to make them reveal the ingredients in their products and their research on their effects. We say, why wait for this to make its way through the courts? You can save money—and safeguard your family’s health—by using what’s already in your kitchen cupboard.

These eight main ingredients, when mixed properly, make great natural substitutes to store-bought chemicals: 

1. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
2. Borax (sodium borate)
3. Lemon juice
4. White vinegar
5. Washing soda (aka soda ash, sodium carbonate)
6. Mild liquid soap (castile, olive oil soap)
7. Dry salt
8. Sodium percarbonate and hydrogen peroxide (alternatives to chlorine bleach) 

Baking soda and borax are key ingredients for most homemade cleaners. Photo courtesy Flickr/ Smysnbrg  

Here are some basic tips to get you started on homemade cleaners: 

Baking soda cleans and deodorizes surfaces. For an all-purpose homemade cleaner:

• Dissolve four tablespoons of baking soda in 1 quart of warm water.

• Sprinkle baking soda directly on a damp cloth or sponge, and scrub. Add some dry salt for an extra burst of power. This can replace most abrasive cleaners.

• For removing mildew or stains, scrub the dirty surface with borax or baking soda.

• Naturally acidic substances, such as vinegar and lemon juice, remove mineral deposits and wax or grease buildup. To clean glass or stainless steel, dilute them in water (use equal parts white vinegar or lemon juice and warm water).

• To clear clogged drains, pour some baking soda and vinegar down the drain, followed by 3 cups boiling water. Mixing baking soda and vinegar creates a bubbling, fizzing chemical reaction.

• Do not use this mixture in conjunction with a toxic drain cleaner!

• Washing soda is good for tough jobs, such as greasy ovens and grills. Its alkalinity makes it caustic, so wear gloves when using it. Look for Arm & Hammer’s Super Washing Soda.

To learn more about green cleaning, check our our article on green cleaners.

We cover homemade cleaners a lot in Natural Home. To see more recipes for homemade cleaners, check us out in print or online.

Natural Home magazine has been helping regular people live healthy, sustainable lifestyles for 10 years now. So when you read that the cleaners you use may contain toxic ingredients or the government’s stimulus bill shells out cash for weatherizing, we have something to say about it. We know you do, too. 

The eve of our tenth anniversary is high time to up the ante on our frequency. Green has grown as big as we imagined it would, back in 1999, but that’s also made it tough to sort fact from fiction, whether you’re looking for the most sustainable flooring or just trying to read an Energy Star label. How do you know you’re buying green? Can you keep your home toxin-free? Can green living really save money? 

Save money. Go green! Photo Courtesy Darren Hester

We have answers, and we’re excited to share them—much more often. With this blog, we’ll deliver news, tips (old and new) and green product reviews three times a week. We’ll show you that green doesn’t have to be expensive or overwhelming if you have the information you need to make thoughtful choices. We’ll help you save money by saving water and energy, eat healthy even as food costs rise and turn garbage into cute household projects.  We’ll take you along when we go to Green Festivals and Greenbuild, and we’ll share what we’re working on. 

We hope you’ll talk back. We want to know how you’re incorporating wellness and consciousness into your lives and homes, what excites you, what worries you. We want to hear about how you’re making a difference in the place that we think matters most: your home. 

Buddhist master Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, the founder of Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, pointed out that “The only way to implement our vision for society is to bring it down to the situation of a single household.”

Our vision is long and optimistic. Together with you, we look forward to making it happen, one home at a a time.