This guest-post is brought to you by Miranda.

April 22 marks Earth Day. And, in honor of Earth Day, there are several steps you can take to live a life that is less harmful to the earth. One of those ways is to “green” things up around your house. And you can do it using a home equity loan.

Right now, understandably, it can seem like a dubious idea to get into debt with your home in order to make your house more environmentally friendly. But if you take the appropriate steps, you can increase the value of your home, and save money in the long run.

First, be careful! Don’t take the entire amount you might be offered. Instead, only take what you need to complete your projects. Indeed, the more you can pay for up front, the better. You don’t want to end up with negative equity.

Next, evaluate the most pressing changes, and prioritize them. Replacing your windows with energy efficient panes, increasing the insulation in your home and installing solar panels are all upgrades that are more expensive (and have more of an impact). You can slowly change the bulbs in your home over time as well, but a home equity loan isn’t needed for such projects.

Finally, understand that there are some advantages to using a home equity loan to make your house greener. You will get interest that comes with tax benefits, and many states (in addition to the federal government) offer tax credits for going green. Additionally, before you take out your home equity loan, make sure you check for state grants. In many cases, you can have part of your green project paid for.

Miranda Marquit is a freelance writer specializing in personal finance. She writes for Lending Leaves and is an editor at DestroyDebt.com.

This guest-post is brought to you by Miranda.

When it comes to credit card offers, it is rare that the company boasts about its “green” record. And for many people, the idea of responsible personal finances – from ethical investing to buying fair trade items – is starting to include the credit cards they use.

There are some credit card companies that offer you the option to donate a portion of your purchases to worthy causes. American Express has the RED card, and other credit card issuers, including MBNA, have similar programs. You can get a credit card that donates to the World Wildlife Fund, or a card that gives money to efforts to fight poverty.

But beware! Even though you are donating to worthy causes, some credit card issuers are deeply involved in harmful practices. If you are interested in choosing cards from companies that have better environmental track records, Real Money offers this scoop:

• JP Morgan Chase has adopted a policy to address deforestation and global warming. JP Morgan Chase owns Citibank, Bank One and Chase and Bank of America.
• Morgan Stanley (which owns Discover) is among those dinged for poor rain forest action policy.
• Wachovia, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse First Boston and Wells Fargo also have poor records.

Miranda Marquit is a freelance writer specializing in personal finance. She writes for Yielding Wealth and is an editor at Creditor Web.

Vaccines are a proven, cost-effective tool for controlling or eradicating childhood diseases such as measles, polio, tetanus and meningitis, yet children living in poverty continue to die due to lack of immunization.

Did you know that:

• More than 2 million children die annually because they have not been vaccinated?
• Someone in the world is newly infected with tuberculosis every second?
• It costs only $17 to fully immunize 1 child against the top 6 childhood killer diseases: measles, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tuberculosis and tetanus?

Aid workers in crowded refugee camps immunize thousands of children, while others undertake the dangerous job of going house to house in places like war-torn Iraq.

Others develop innovative ways to ensure temperature and quality control as the vaccines travel around the world.

Global Impact charities, including Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO), Plan USA, Rotary Foundation of Rotary International and U.S. Fund for UNICEF, have made immunizing children a priority and are overcoming major obstacles to reach the goal of eliminating needless deaths.

Your gift of $100 can provide enough vaccine to immunize 100 children against polio.

Global Impact is dedicated to helping the poorest people on Earth. Representing more than 50 of the most respected U.S.-based international charities in giving campaigns across the nation, Global Impact touches more than 400 million lives worldwide through disaster relief, education, health training and economic programs that promote self-sufficiency.