If your New Year’s resolution has been “get fit” for the last five years, it may be time to pass on the gym membership in 2014 and spend your energy going green, instead! You don’t have to grow dreadlocks or start a granola-only hippie diet to reap the benefits of a green lifestyle. Here are a five easy ways to be eco-friendly in 2015:

Make Your Own Non-Toxic Dish Soap
Store-bought dish soaps are expensive and many of them contain toxic chemicals like ammonia. In fact, the leading cause of poisonings in the home for children under the age of six is liquid dish soap. Protect your family and your wallet by home brewing your suds!

Make All-Natural Air Fresheners
If you’re using store-bought aerosol fresheners to cover up nasty smells, you may also be spreading two toxic chemicals around your house: benzene and formaldehyde.  Both of these chemicals are harmful to humans and animals, and can cause problems such as eye irritation, respiratory trouble and – at higher exposure levels – more serious conditions like cancer. Fortunately, all you need are a few kitchen staples to replace those aerosol cans.

Reduce Waste
Waste means more than the bag of trash sitting by the back door. By paying attention to water and energy usage, you’ll do a solid for the environment and for your wallet.

Reuse and Recycle
You probably know that recycling is an easy way to go green, but did you know that it can help you save some money, too? These five tricks will help you conserve cash and help the environment along the way, so it’s a win/win. 

Switch To CFLs
They’re bright, stylish and will save you money! Yes, CFLs have a slightly higher purchase price, but they only use one-fifth of the power and last up to ten times longer than your current light bulbs. Plus, these new bulbs give you design options that don’t exist with standard light bulbs.

Information provided by BrightNest.com.

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