How to Update Your House and Stay Green

Going green is not just a passing trend. It is turning into a way of life for millions of Americans. Homeowners are usually at odds with their desire to update their home without sending unnecessary waste to a landfill. Here are three common home repairs that are Mother Earth approved.

1. Even though it still works, do hate the brass ceiling fan in the bedroom? Or the wrought iron chandelier in the dining room? Why not just give it an easy update with a coat of paint. There are plenty of amazing paints out there...from flat colors to shimmery metallics. Find one that matches your style and take down the fixture. Lay it out on a tarp and paint away. For ceiling fans, if you hate the design or color of your fan blades, just flip them. Many blades offer two different color/design choices. For chandeliers with tons of dangling prisms, simply remove them for a totally different look. Instead of throwing them in the trash, resell them on eBay.

2. The hideous carpet in your basement has got to go, but what do you do with it? You have two great options:

Thanks to the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) landfill diversion efforts, thousands of tons of post-consumer carpet is being recycled into auto parts, soundproofing materials or even new carpet. Though the majority of the carpet reclamation partners are on the east side of the U.S., the demand is growing. Visit carpetrecovery.org to find a partner near you.

If there is not a partner in your area, put up a posting on your local CraigsList for free carpet. You might even be able to find someone willing to remove it for you.

Now that we have dealt with the old carpet, what about the new carpet? There are many recycled carpet options available, but the most eco-friendly option is Flor modular carpet tiles. For the same price as traditional carpet, you can get an ultra-chic artisan floor. There are hundreds of craveable designs, patterns and textures available...even ones by Martha Stewart. At flor.com, you can custom design an entire room or just a small "rug." Each of the 20" square tiles are 100% recyclable, so no Flor tile should ever end up in a landfill! The best part is that with modular carpet, you can simply replace a tile here and there without having to replace the entire room.

3. Your bedroom or closet doors have probably seen better days or just feel dated. If they are just a little dinged up, refresh them with a new coat of paint or touch up marker. If, however, they are in really bad shape and you are anxious to swap them out, there are plenty of uses for old doors.

A standard sized door is the perfect size for a desk. Take off the door knob. You can leave the hole open to serve as a great place to hide and contain computer cables or measure it and find a plug to fit. For legs, you can get yourself some pre-made table legs or better yet, get two identical file cabinets. If your door is not flat, have a piece of glass cut to the same size (but you won't be able to use the cable hole).

If you replaced bifold closet doors, you can make yourself a fun room screen. Take down the doors and repaint or cover them in a fun fabric. Make sure to leave the hinges intact. Find some matching (or coordinating) hinges at your local hardware store. Lay the doors on the floor with the front sides together and install hinges along one edge. Now you have a cheap and stylish room divider.