The bathroom uses more water and energy than almost any room in the house, besides the kitchen of course. Because it is such a large consumer of resources, it is one of the most important places in the home to focus on when going green. With a little research and effort, you can have a bathroom that is not only healthier for the environment, but healthier for you and your family as well.

Photo: Sunset Magazine

If your toilet was installed before 1994, it’s time to replace. Toilets made before the federal regulations put into place in that year use almost three times as much water as standard models today (5 gallons per flush compared to 1.6!) When you consider that toilets use roughly a quarter of the water use in your home, buying a low flow toilet is an important investment that will quickly pay for itself.

Your shower accounts for almost a fifth of the water usage in the home. A shower head designed to save water will cut your use by almost seventy percent without sacrificing the quality of your shower. Low flow models are available in most home improvement stores and comparable in price to your standard model.

You could also consider installing a low flow aerator on your faucet. When placed on each of the faucets in your home, this can reduce your household water consumption by up to 50 percent, also cutting down your energy bill as less water is heated.

Once you have installed low flow toilets, shower heads, and faucets, or decide to keep your old models, there are other tricks that you can use to further cut your water usage.

• Install a shower head shutoff valve. This reduces water to a trickle while you are lathering to save gallons upon gallons of water. This is the same principle that you employ while turning off the water while brushing your teeth.
• Place gravel or a 2 liter bottle into your toilet tank to displace water and reduce the amount that is used with each flush.
• Check your tank for leaks. This is a major place for water loss in the bathroom.
• Turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees. Turning it down from the average 140 degrees will save 5 to 10 percent of the heater’s energy consumption

A little research and knowledge about the best ways to reduce the water consumption in your home will make an enormous difference in the efficiency and eco-friendly quality of your bathroom. Both your utility bill and the environment will thank you!  Next week, we’ll look at some of the other aspects of the bathroom that can go green.

This green showhouse in New York is a beautiful example of just how well designed green homes can be.  The kitchen is a particularly good example of green products used to their full advantage.  Enjoy these aesthetically and environmentally pleasing images and try to incorporate some of these ideas into your own home!

The natural bamboo floors have been stained a darker color to resemble a more traditional wood look.  Fast-growing, renewable bamboo is an excellent choice wherever you would like to see hardwood in the home.

The woven shades made of natural grasses filter light and stop the hot daytime sun from warming up the room.  Ceramic tile in the main work area of the kitchen floorspace is slow to heat and slow to cool.

The appliances are both energy efficient and well designed.  Made by Bosch, the manufacturing process also aims to reduce energy and waste.

Natural quartz has an extremely low rate of toxic emissions compared to other countertop options.  The countertops also have natural anti-microbial properties that reduce the growth of mold and bacteria.

This gorgeous kitchen is a shining example of green design at its best.

Photos: Traditional Home

As interior designers, there are some things that we can do to help our clients’ projects run in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way.

1.    Re-purpose a client’s old pieces.  Recover a sofa or chair.  Refinish or repaint a table.  Reuse the fabric or trim from curtains.  The amount of pollutants released and the materials used during the manufacturing process are far greater than what it would take to reuse a similar piece.  The cost may not be dramatically different, but the carbon footprint certainly is.

Photo of "Green" Home from Coastal Living

2.    Tying in to the previous tip, shop antique stores rather than showrooms.  When new furniture is a necessity, pay attention to who is coming out with new lines that are eco-friendly.

3.    Show your clients options that include woods such as bamboo, which are quickly renewable.

4.    Use dimmers on all lights.  Not only do these work to create a mood in the room for a dinner party or an evening at home, but they use less energy when turned down.

5.    Find manufacturers and suppliers that are local.  This cuts down on money and resources used in shipping, and helps out the economy in your own community.

6.    Recommend low VOC paint to your clients.  Benjamin Moore’s Aura line is great.

These tips should help you begin to guide your clients towards a greener project.  You will feel better about the impact your work is making on the environment, and your client will feel better about the home they are living in every single day.

With green design being the “it” thing these days, many people are looking for ways to incorporate eco-friendly aspects into their home.  However, one of the things that can hold people back  is the fact that green design can often carry with it connotations of extremely contemporary style.  This does not have to always be the case.  Below are examples from Coastal Living Magazine of eco-friendly rooms with a traditional look.

These rooms utilize techniques such as protecting the mechanical systems and ductwork from extreme temperatures, bamboo floors, formaldehyde-free fabrics, all natural plaster free of VOC’s and mold, and sustainable furnishings.  When you use green as the backbone for the construction of the room and take care to use the most sustainable products possible, even recycling and re-purposing antiques, you have the freedom to create a room that is traditional and pretty in style while using contemporary ideas for eco-friendly homes.

Photo: Coastal Living

Photo: Coastal Living

Photo: Traditional Home