Have you been feeling like you need to be more concerned about the world's environment, but not sure how to start contributing to being more green.  My Wednesday wisdom tip is focused on three easy ways to make your home be more green and help the environment. Not only will these suggestions make you feel good about being green, but they will make your pocket book more green by saving you money.

1) Replace energy hog appliances:  If just 10 homeowners replaced their older appliances with EnergyStar®-qualified ones, it would be equivalent to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees.  Replacing an older refrigerator or appliance with a newer one can save you up to $150/year.

2) Install EnergyStar®-rated compact fluorescent bulbs: Replacing your old bulbs with energy efficient bulbs requires an initial investment that reaps a cost-saving of $100 per year.  The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), a voluntary partnership between leaders of the homebuilding, product manufacturing, insurance, and financial industries calculates that if every family in the U.S. did this, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by one trillion pounds.

3) Perform an energy audit: Areas that contain limited or no insulation can significantly decrease overall effectiveness leading to a waste in resources and added cost to you.  It is worth it to perform an audit and then recoup the cost of the audit by implementing the recommendations they give.

What are ways you can be more green in your home?