If you have not already 'gone green' in your household, than this may be your year to do so. It has nearly become a moral obligation to recycle and buy products with green packaging. Just about every industry in America has been affected by this movement; Boca Raton real estate agents with Koolik Group Realty have seen that the housing industry is no exception. The rise and popularity of green homes has changed the way that people think about buying or renovating a home. Thanks to the recent boom in green living, it's easier than ever to make your home green.

The easiest way to make an impact on the environment is to recycle. Hundreds of items can be recycled on a daily basis instead of being sent to a nearby landfill. Palm Beach County's recycling program is lead by The Solid Waste Authority (SWA) which offers plenty of assistance by providing recycling bins to individual homes, multifamily units and businesses. To order bins for the home or office, visit www.swa.org or call 1-866-NEW-BINS.

Inside the home, one can begin with small changes, such as using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and turning off the water when it is not needed. It is also important to check the insulation in your home to make sure there are not any openings or cracks around windows and doors as this can increase your energy consumption. One can take it a step further by investing in tank less water heaters, energy efficient windows, and even solar panels to convert the year-round South Floridian sunshine into functional energy. These are just a few measures that one could take to make an existing home more environmentally friendly.

The rise and popularity of green homes has quickly grown to the point where even homebuilders are using sustainable materials to build houses from the ground up. They are now often using earth-friendly lumber, steel beams and wall supports made from recycled steel, and other construction materials made of sustainable materials. They began offering flooring made from sustainable materials and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints that were better for the environment and the health of the residents of the home. To learn more about the future of green buildings, visit the US Green Building Council's website, www.usgbc.org.

Local companies have even begun offering sustainable landscaping, featuring plants and flowers that are native to the area and, therefore, are able to sustain themselves without any extra watering or specialized treatment. Not only is this friendly to the native wildlife but generally also requires less maintenance and harmful fertilizers. To find out more about achieving a Florida-friendly landscape, visit: http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/yards/.

Going Green this year by conserving energy, using green products and utilizing sustainable building materials inside and outside of the home, can potentially save homeowners a lot of money in the long run by efficiently heating, cooling, and powering a house while being kind to the environment. After all, saving money is a 'green cause' that everybody should support.