As Earth Day approaches I am noticing more and more “green” articles, everything from green cleaning to transforming your office into a green room. However, since I spend a good amount of time at various hardware stores, this article caught my eye: A Green Truth: 5 Things to Buy.

Here is the list….we are currently using two of these items in our home.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs: These energy-efficient bulbs cost less than $4 and are produced by major corporations like GE. If every household in America switched five regular lightbulbs for five fluorescent bulbs, it would be the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the highways for a full year.

Outdoor solar lighting: These yard or patio lights cost less than $20, and they don’t burn any electricity or produce any CO2.

Programmable thermostats: Though these thermostats cost from $50 to $100, they can actually cut your heating and cooling costs. Set the setting so it’s a little bit cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer when you’re not in the house. A difference of 2 degrees can reduce a home’s CO2 emissions by up to 9 percent over the course of a year.

Air filters: Changing the air filters in your heating and cooling systems regularly can knock 2 percent off of your CO2 output each year.

Electric hot water heater blanket: Hot water heaters use a lot of energy and generate a lot of CO2. A blanket costs less than $18 and can cut your home’s CO2 emissions by almost 4 1/2 percent.

Add to del.icio.us!