Did you ever want to have an energy audit done on your home but didn't know how? With the cold winter months approaching, now is a great time. Here are some details.

• Contact your local utility company (they sometimes offer free audits).
• Contact a local energy assessment professional or home energy auditors (google home energy audit and your city name to get someone near you).
• Do an energy audit yourself. Visit: http://hes.lbl.gov/
• Here is the US Department of Energy's website with information about audits.

A professional assessment runs about $350 to $500 but will pay for itself with the energy savings you will benefit from if you make improvements.

There are some easy ways to save on gas and energy. You can promise to take fewer car trips, and replace them with walking, biking or public transportation (or even riding a horse). One way to keep track of how much you are spending on gas (so you can see it go down) is to start tracking everytime you buy gas. Keep a notebook in  your car and write it down!

Think about all the bonuses you reap if you cut down on car trips. You will get more activity/exercise (burn calories), more fresh air, reading time (if you take the bus or metro), and community interaction.

What's not to love about that?

Here are some great books that will give you lots of green ideas:

Green Guide: The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely

 
True Green: 100 Everyday Ways you Can Contribute to a Healthier Planet (True Green (National Geographic))

True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet

I just found a website that lets you look up by zip code and find green dry cleaners! I am thrilled to know that I have several choices in my immediate area. Check them out here:

http://nodryclean.com/