Going Green: At Home

How Green Is Your House?
The home should serve as a shelter and an escape from the cares of the world, not a settling place for pesticides and toxic metals. But everything from carpeting to the paint on the walls may emit dangerous chemicals.

The air indoors can be five times as polluted as the air outside, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Paradoxically, the cleaners we use to maintain spruce, germ-free interiors give off smog-like vapors that can induce asthma attacks, spark headaches, and in some cases are linked to cancer. You may cut down on such toxins by buying and using products that are free of harmful chemicals whenever possible. Common household materials such as baking soda and vinegar can be used for cleaning instead.

The average home actually contributes more to global warming than the average car.

This is because much of the energy we use in our homes comes from power plants that run on fossil fuels. There are many ways to cut energy use, including replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs; buying energy-efficient home appliances; caulking and weather-stripping homes; and installing solar panels for heating and cooling. Recycling paper, glass, and plastic cuts down on harmful waste.

From: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

holywood

toxic [tox•ic || 'tɑksɪk(l) /'tɒk-]
adj. 有毒的, 中毒的

spruce [spruːs]
n. 云杉; 花旗松; 云杉木
v. 把...打扮得整洁漂亮; 把自己打扮得整洁漂亮
adj. 整洁漂亮的

germ [dʒɜrm /dʒɜːm]
n. 细菌, 根源, 种子


asthma [asth•ma || '鎠mə]
n. 哮喘, 气喘


vinegar [vin•e•gar || 'vɪnɪgə(r)]
n. 醋, 尖酸味


fossil [fos•sil || 'fɑsl /'fɒsl]
n. 化石, 古物
adj. 化石的; 守旧的; 陈腐的

incandescent
/ ˏɪnk鎛ˈdesnt; ˏɪnk鎛ˋdɛsnt/ adj glowing or shining when heated 白炽的; 白热的. > incandescence / -sns; -sns/ n [U].