a green renovation.

The following article is a guest post for eBay’s The Inside Source, one of my renovation sponsors. If you love eBay, say hello!

I have a confession to make: when it comes to being green, I could use a bit of a color enhancing treatment. In other words, I’ve never been an eco-friendly kinda gal. Being green is one of those priorities that doesn’t come naturally to me and often slips by the wayside in an effort to maintain comfort and/or convenience. As a kid, we rarely recycled and, to be honest, I grew up neglecting the environment entirely. Even now I find myself forgetting to consider my footprint on this world — in every area of my life.

Thus, I decided to commit to making this renovation as green as possible. It’s more of a personal challenge for me, as I think everything takes practice and I’d love to start making small changes in an effort to better our planet. For me, that begins with awareness and education.

Naturally, I teamed up with eBay and environmental expert Zem Joaquin (founder of Ecofabulous) to brush up on my green knowledge. And wouldn’t you know it? I learned a few things about myself along the way…

As it turns out, I’ve been green all my life; I just didn’t realize it! Because the greenest product is often the one that already exists today, visiting thrift stores and re-purposing existing furnishings is one of the best ways to sustain our environment. Here’s why:

When you give a used product new life, you not only (a) reduce the emissions associated with manufacturing a new product, but you also (b) decrease the need for new raw materials and (c) keep the used product out of a landfill. Bonus? It’s easy on the wallet.

Yet being green doesn’t end with thriftiness. To ensure I’m shopping eBay in the most environmentally friendly way, Zem introduced me to green.ebay.com, a fantastic asset for shoppers and thrifters like myself. Green.ebay.com is essentially an aggregator for ultra-green products, taking the guesswork out of each item’s carbon footprint. The result? Easy, eco products at an affordable price.

Another tip from Zem? Try eBay Classifieds, which allows eBay shoppers to search within a specific mile radius of his/her home, reducing carbon emissions associated with shipping.

It’s true; being thrifty has its perks, and I’m much greener than I thought. Yet how can I ensure I’m taking strides to consider the environment when I’m buying new, rather than pre-owned? After all, a pre-owned mattress does not a happy treehugger make, right?

Turns out eBay has that figured out, too. Zem encouraged me to visit World of Good to shop for sustainably made items (we’re talking jewelry, home accessories, the works!) that are brand new, all created with the environment in mind and avoiding VOCs and off-gassing.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled to start incorporating Zem’s tips into my own renovation. And if you’re of the school of thought that green means cork, hemp and boring, check out Zem’s modern, pre-fab cottage at Dwell on Design, which is as green as it is gorgeous.

Turns out Kermit was poorly mistaken: it is so easy being green.