But the good news is that once we're aware of these things, there are options out there and it's just a matter of making choices. The smart choice is to choose to decorate with real sustainability in mind while using less energy, less water and less non-renewable resources while still beautifying your home. So if you are looking to redecorate this spring here is why green design is affordable, beautiful and here to stay-

• Green design can be affordable- While manufacturers may tout their new pieces of green design as pricey why not consider places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army? A major part of eco-inspired or green decorating is to reuse. Many consignment or thrift stores have pieces that with just a cleaning and a coat of paint can last for many more years to come. For a modern take on old accessories, pick up shapely items at these stores and spray paint them white. Focus your "green" design on choosing home decor that's recycled, reused, will last a long time and require very little maintenance. This way you are using fewer resources and creating less trash that has to be dealt with later. While urbanites may have more success locating eco-friendly or green stores keep in mind that many eco-friendly stores are still local and like every other retailer they will have sales. Giving them your business when making purchases for your home goes a long way toward helping the planet.
• You can decorate green and still match your style-No matter your style is there are ways to get greener interiors without turning your home into a forest. If you need a new table try to think of other options besides simply making a trip to the store to buy one. Why not-Buy a table base kit and visit local wood salvage yards for reclaimed lumber to use as a top? This way you can personalize your green design to match your own style. Or for another idea- how about a way to make your home more energy efficient? You can create a water wall with colorful Mason jars on a window that gets a lot of sunlight (preferably west-facing). The water will absorb the heat during the day, keeping the house cooler, and releases it at night. You can use different styles of clear glass jars and even fill them with food-coloring dyed water to make the water wall playfully decorative.
• Using green design lets you know what your home is made of-While food labels let us know exactly what is in our food as homeowners we are often unaware of the surroundings we spend most of our time in. While no one is advocating completely ripping out the interior of your house and starting over there are changes that you can make when redecorating. If you are considering replacing your carpet why not use modular carpet tiles? Several eco-friendly companies, offer stylish carpet squares that use non-toxic dyes and are made from recycled materials. In addition carpet squares are a huge eco-improvement, because they are modular. When you are done with it, you can ship it back to the manufacturer to recycle. In addition, these squares involve little labor; they are easy to lay down by yourself, and do not need support from toxic padding.
• Eco-friendly decorating has incentives other like tax breaks-If you make eco-friendly improvements to your home, reporting these on your yearly taxes can earn you a tax break. Be sure to check with your tax professional to see if this applies to you. But you may be asking yourself-After remodeling, what should you do with all those materials you ripped out? Rather than taking them to the landfill, there are several organizations that will check over your refuse for reusable parts, and then will be shipped to their warehouse for distribution to other charitable organizations. This then provides you with another tax write-off.