Making green improvements to your home can have a positive impact not only on the future of our environment, but also on your family’s health and well-being. If one is willing to spend a little time thinking ahead, planning, prioritizing and budgeting for the environmentally friendly changes one chooses to make, both your home and your family will benefit in the long run. Some of these changes can be quiet affordable, while others require an initial investment which is recouped through energy savings over time. Being a good global citizen can be both affordable and fun.

Lighting

Changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs will quickly add up to significant savings for any homeowner. Replacing a single 75-watt incandescent bulb in your home today with a 25-watt CFL will add up to a savings of about $80 over the life of the bulb. The difference between the two bulbs is that CFLs convert most of their energy into light rather than heat.

Cost: CFLs generally cost less than $5.

Security

Many homeowners use security systems throughout their homes. Green security systems are quickly becoming available. For example, Vivint is a home security solutions company offering a green home security system. For homeowners with solar panels, they offer an energy efficient smart home security system. It allows homeowners to program appliances and monitor electricity usage from their smart phone.

Cost: After the initial cost for solar panels, Vivint charges a one-time $99 set up fee and monthly maintenance is under $50.

Recycle Electronics

Electronics disposal in the United States is a looming problem. Using local recycling facilities for electronics is one option. Another is reselling your electronic devices. It is estimated each American household has three cell phones languishing somewhere in the home. Each of these can be sold to organizations like green phone.com, where they are be refurbished and resold.

Cost: Selling your used electronics can net you anywhere from five dollars to hundreds.

Leaky Plumbing

A leaky faucet can waste over 70 gallons of water per day, while a leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons. Repairing a leaking toilet will save a homeowner about $30 per year and will save about 70,000 gallons of fresh water.

Cost: Replacing washers on faucets can cost less than a dollar. Simple toilet repair usually runs under $10, while a plumber’s visit could be closer to $100.

Green Appliances

At first, upgrading appliances sounds overwhelming. Prioritizing which appliances are real energy hogs can help make the decision easier. Usually, the first appliance to consider is the refrigerator. Appliances utilize approximately 18% of the homes annual energy bill but the fridge uses more energy than other appliances. Refrigerators older than 10 years should be replaced with energy-efficient models for a 10% to 50% savings on energy consumption. Changing to greener appliances can be done one appliance at a time.

Cost: New appliances will vary. Watch for sales and compare prices online.

Every homeowner can take simple cost-effective steps towards green home ownership. Every step has an impact on the environment and the health of others, including those we love. It helps to bear in mind that going green doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Small steps add up quickly and results become evident after just a short time.

Peter Brady is a security analyst who also contributes content for Security Systems, a great site to research your home monitoring costs and find reviews of various systems.

How would your loved one feel to know that they are the proud foster parent of a dolphin? The team at Red Balloon have cleverly devised the opportunity of a lifetime for your lucky gift recipient to adopt a dolphin for a year and is available to anyone worldwide.

You have the choice of adopting one of many dolphins where you get to follow its activities throughout the 12 months. Once you adopt your dolphin you will be sent a picture postcard of him or her, your very own personalized adoption certificate, regular dolphin updates and newsletters regarding the conservation of dolphins and whales.

Not only are you giving a great gift but you are also supporting dolphin perseveration, this beautiful, regal creature is never far from the endangered species list. Their numbers are dwindling as the result of our presence and the pressures we place on our environment affecting the balance of their natural habitat.

If you would like to be even more exotic, how about adopting an orca whale instead? The same concept applies with dolphin adoption where you get to monitor your orca through a series of updates while giving the benefit of preservation of this magnificent creature.

Another great gift idea is donating to the WWF Wild life fund for the preservation of endangered species: you can either make a donation or adopt one of their 90 species of animals from the Snow Leopard to the Panda, Polar Bear, Penguin, Tiger, Pygmy Elephant and more. You adopt the cuddly toy version of the animal of your choice and along with it, you receive an adoption certificate.

A breathtaking film called “Earth” created by the BBC  made its way onto Disney’s screens to mark the opening of Earth Day.

It was edited from over 100,000 hours worth of stunning footage and details the lives and direct impact on animals from global warming as a result of human influence. The films conclusion leaves the choice in our hands with a simple website address to visit and learn more about what we can do.

We can preserve some of the endangered species from the film such as the Amur Leopard of Russia the most endangered species in the world. Poaching and the lack of natural prey has driven them to the brink of extinction and there are thought to be less than 30 in existence today.

There are several other animals on the endangered species list that you can choose to protect with your donation. You can either opt to protect a particular species or let the fund decide where the money would bring the most benefit. The Wildlife Fund works in association with local communities, recognizing that working for the protection of these animals with local support is essential to their survival.

The legacy the late, great Steve Irwin left behind was that if we taught people to love nature and our environment then they would want to protect it.

So there you have it, some great out of the box gift ideas that not only preserve nature but make you look like a rock star in the process.

Happy green gift giving.