Eco-Friendly Upgrades for a Cleaner and Greener Home

What does "green" actually mean?

For political-strategist-turned-eco-lifestyle-expert Ashlee Piper, her mission is to demystify the "green" movement to make it an easily approachable element in anyone's daily life. She says, "My aim is to just really educate folks on everything from fashion, beauty, home, and food in the realm of what's sustainable and environmentally friendly, and make it an inclusive and warm and fun concept."

"Green" is a pretty all-encompassing term, which in its most honest usage can cover anything from ethical cruelty-free or fair-trade practices to GOTS-certified organic cotton sourcing. But probably the easiest step towards this kind of lifestyle is simply to be more conscious with the green that's in your wallet.

"The dollar is really powerful," Piper says. "For me, 'Refuse' is the first R in the run of 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,' so you're not necessarily always going out and buying something - especially if it doesn't meet your own personal standards for what you want to support."

It's important to keep in mind that just because something is denoted as "green," doesn't necessarily mean the product itself is environmentally friendly. "Green" is still an unregulated term, and at times, an ambiguous descriptor used purely for marketing purposes. At its worst, Piper says, "it leads to a lot of misleading consumers and abusing the way that those products are marketed."

While some of us may view eco-friendly products as a splurge, or a trip to the organic grocer as an occasional treat, it's really about making better choices that can actually save you money in the long run. Piper says, "How you eat, how you set up your home, how you travel ... we just don't need as much stuff as we think we do to be happy."

Brands with this same eco-conscious mission have made making the greener choice as easy as possible, too. Looking for certain symbols, such as the Leaping Bunny on cruelty-free beauty and baby products, or the USDA organic seal on food packaging, ensures that your money is being spent in a responsible way. Piper says, "Usually, retailers and brands are really proud of having that designation, and they're going to put it everywhere on their product."

She continues, "It costs a little bit more to pay people a fair wage, it costs more for organic or non-GMO ingredients, so I think being attuned to the symbols and also being willing to buy better, and buy fewer, means shelling out a little bit more money for a product with more sterling quality."

Piper notes that there isn't necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach to this lifestyle, since everyone's situation is different. She says, "I'm a big believer in people doing what feels comfortable for them, that's going to become a positive habit. Everybody has their own unique definition of what that is."

There are few useful green tweaks that anybody can do in the home, that can also help cut down on monthly energy expenses. "Installing dimmer switches can save up to $40 per month, low-flow showerheads save half a gallon of water per minute, and mirrors can enhance a room's natural light as opposed to adding more fixtures," Piper suggests.

For those looking to take a more eco-conscious approach with their purchases this Earth Day and beyond, we asked Piper for the upgrades and swaps that she would recommend to make our homes a little more cleaner and greener: