and use them for cans, plastics, glass, and paper. It depends on how far you want to go. I don't care for bamboo cabinets or flooring. It's a personal choice.

Lighting is a great way to start. Change out lamps as they burn out with fluorescent. They last longer and save energy. But you can't beat natural light. Try a solar tube or skylight. We have a total of nine of them in our home. You can't see more than two on any one side. We also put solar tubes in the showers and ran a 4'' dryer duct vent from the solar tube to an outside vent to get fresh air in and keep the shower dry.

There are lots of little things to do to make an older house perform better than its original design, solar heating for water, energy efficient appliances, and heating and air conditioning systems that don't leak air into your attic. Use low-V.O.C. paints, charcoal filters on water systems, new