“My mother loved flowers,” the Waynesboro-area resident explained while comparing features of an Energy Star-qualified washing machine at Lowe’s on Lew Dewitt Boulevard.

“Every month, we’d drive across the county to her favorite greenhouse to buy a new plant. It was her treat to herself. When we couldn’t afford to buy plants, we’d just look. It was such a big deal, I decided that if I could build my mom a greenhouse she could live in, then she’d always be happy, and so would I.”

Fast-forward three decades. Though she eventually came to conclude that neither she nor her mom would be happy living in a house made of metal and plastic, Young has discovered another way to realize her dream. She’s doing it with showerheads, light bulbs, carpeting and appliances. And she’s not alone.

“For the past year or so, I’ve been seeing a lot of stuff in the magazines and on TV about all these new products out there that are environmentally friendly,” she said. “Since I’m planning on building a house in a year or two, I thought I’d try to incorporate as many green ideas as I could.”

From the top of the roof to the foundation of the home, there are plenty of products and construction methods available to help Young create the “green” house of her dreams. But you don’t have to build a new house to have a green house. By making some smart choices for your own home — even if it’s a rental unit — you can reap the positive benefits of this greenhouse effect. Here are some suggestions from the National Building Museum’s green building exhibition, “Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design, that’s making stops at cities across the country though next year:

Turn down the thermostat when it’s cold out, and up when the weather is warm

Lowering your home’s thermostat by just 1 degree during colder months can reduce heating energy costs by about 4 percent. Likewise, for every degree you raise the thermostat setting on your air conditioner, your energy use will be reduced by 3 percent to 5 percent. For maximum efficiency, set your thermostat at 78 degrees in the summer.

Leave your ceiling fan on year-round

By reversing the direction of the blades, warm air is pushed down, helping to keep rooms warm in winter.

Conserve energy by purchasing major appliances with an Energy Star rating

Compared to a 1990 model, an Energy Star-qualified refrigerator would save enough electricity to light a home for more than four-and-a-half months.

Repair leaky fixtures

One drop per second from a leaky faucet can waste as mush as 10 gallons of water each week.

Install low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets

Low-flow faucets reduce water consumption and the cost of heating water by as much as 50 percent; using a low-flow toilet can save Americans 2.1 trillion gallons of water and $11.3 million nationwide every day.

Choose carpeting, rugs, window treatments and other textiles made from natural fibers

Good examples are cotton or wool, which are untreated and free of toxins, such as pesticides or chemical cleaners.

Ask for flooring products made from rapidly renewable resources, such as bamboo

Bamboo is one of the fasted growing plants in the world, requiring no replanting and little fertilization or pesticides.

Select solid woods harvested from sustainably managed forests

Do this when possible, for furniture or cabinetry, rather than pressed woods or composites that may contain formaldehyde or other chemicals that may be toxic and hazardous to your health.

Eliminate waste by choosing products that are biodegradable or recyclable

Consider the “lifecycle” of furnishings and accessories before purchasing: Are they made of materials that can be reused or recycled?

Recycle packing, shipping materials from any new items

Safely dispose of paint cans and other containers with contents that could contaminate the ground or water supply.