Aside from the fresh herbs, veggies, and beautiful flowers, managing your own garden can be beneficial in several other ways. Kelly Lerner highlights some of the best

Kelly Lerner's whole concept of water recycling basically explores the following thought topics: * Where your water is coming from * How is your water being used * Where is the water going once its been used After determining these things or at least considering a few of them, you might then be able to approach water recycling. An excellent question Lerner proposes is this: does water serve more than one function for your household before it returns to the earth?

Kelly Lerner has earned an award for her work introducing energy efficient straw-bale construction to China, in her book Natural Remodeling for the Not-So-Green-House, she tells the story of Matts Myhrman and Judy Knox, pioneers of the straw bale revival, when the couple used densely packed bales of waste straw to build their highly insulated, thick-walled home in Tuscon, Arizona.

According to Kelly Lerner, air movement isn't predictable in the way that the sun's path is. In order to work with air in your home, trying to observe its local ways and whims would be best.

According to studies done by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, standard showers average about 7-10 gallons per minute (gpm). And if you have an old toilet it can use approximately 5-7 gallons per flush!. Another 12 gallons to brush your teeth and 2 to wash your hands...

       If there's one brand that deserves a shout-out for helping make a difference, it's Seventh Generation.    Seventh Generation is the leading brand of non-toxic and environmentally friendly household products today.  From their biodegradable cleaners to their plant-derived laundry...

Air conditioning uses 5% of all energy produced in the United States, and costs homeowners over $15 billion. This results in about 140 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Heating and cooling costs the average homeowner roughly $1000 a yearly--almost half the total energy bill.

In California, lighting accounts for approximately 28% of home electricity use. As a nation, we spend about one-quarter of our electricity budget on lighting, or more than $37 billion annually.

According to architect Kelly Lerner, the simplest way to heat your home with the sun is called passive or direct-gain solar heating. Passive is referring to the fact that a well-designed house is just sitting there accepting solar heat through glass, with no moving parts.

Climate zones basically summarize the magnitude of available sunshine and rain in your area. The better you understand your home's surroundings, the easier it will be to make decisions about design, comfort systems, and materials.

The movement towards a more environmentally friendly existence has become increasingly important to many people today, yet some people do not know where to begin making healthier personal choices. Some strive to become better recyclers, and others have grown interests in organic foods, alternative energy and hybrid cars. Among the emerging trends in the green movement, it is important to remember to conserve one of our most precious resources: WATER. Though big companies often exploit or contaminate our water supply, there are a lot of great ways that we can conserve water through our daily personal choices.

Look for wood products that have the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) seal indicating they come from sustainably managed forests....

Environmentally friendly rugs come in a number of forms; they can be made from recycled materials and materials that are considered renewable resources--those that are quickly replenished without a lot of strain on the environment, which usually come from a plant or animal.

Synthetic carpets, those found in most homes, emit Voltatile Organic Compounds into the air, called off-gassing, polluting the air in homes and the enviornment. By replacing your old carpet with natural, organically derived carpets you can create a healthier living enviornment within your home as well as in the planet at large.