Nowadays, almost everyone is aware of the environment problems and climate change. Everyone is aware that we all need to be eco-friendly with almost everything. Being eco-friendly will contribute to a sustainable environment and saves money in the long run.
How to start being eco-friendly? It begins at home. So if you’re thinking of going eco-friendly at home, you should consider the following steps:
Replace your traditional light bulbs
The traditional light bulbs can waste 90 percent of its energy as heat. These days, there are other environment-friendly lights such as compact fluorescent (CFL) and LED bulbs. Using them will reduce any apartment or kit homes energy consumption for light. Moreover, LED bulbs are 85 percent energy efficient and can last up to nine years.
Create your own compost kitchen scraps
Have you realized that we throw away so many things that are actually useful in saving our environment? Instead of doing that, why not create our own compost out of them? Sample of these things we throw away are coffee grounds, eggshells, and, fruit and vegetable peels. With this stuff, you can produce compost that can be used in gardens. If you don’t have a garden, you can keep the compost bin a balcony or porch and then sell them online.
Use natural cleaning products
We are all aware that harmful chemicals are bad for the environment. These harmful products we use when cleaning our home are simply flowing into the water supply. When it does, it will take time to purify the water to make it safer to use and drink. However, these days are good because you don’t need to use these products. Simply use the natural stuff you have in your kitchen. They are citric acid from fruits, vinegar, and bicarbonate of soda.
Use cloth dish towels
It’s about time to replace your paper towels with cloth dish towels and rags. In this way, you are now free from contributing with tree-killing habit. Use this cloth towel to dry kitchenware. You can also buy towels that are actually absorbent.
Spend more in proper insulation
If you are building eco-friend home, start with proper insulation. You should invest on this thing because it keeps the area cool during the summer days and warm when winter comes. It also minimizes the need to run the HVAC on a regular basis.
Install efficient water saving fixtures
Water fixtures help in reducing the flow of toilets, taps, and showerheads. You should buy eco-friendly products to save more on your water.
Upgrade the windows
If you are looking for more environmentally-friendly windows, choose the wooden ones. Wooden windows are more insulating, less polluting, and long lasting when compared to other known options like UPVC. Choose a double-glazing too and put a thick curtains.
Purchase a house plant
Having a leafy plant inside your home can aid in absorbing harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC). A recommended plant is called bromeliad that eradicates over 80 percent of nastiest things in the air.
Use eco paints for your wall decoration
Damaging volatile organic compounds are present in traditional paints. They can be emitted into the home’s atmosphere for five years after painting. You should be looking for plant-based paints or paints with label VOC-free.”
Reuse plastic bags and envelopes
These days, plastics bags are being banned to many places. However, there are times that you can’t avoid using it. If you happen to use aplastic bag, you can either reuse or recycle it. If there is a local center near your area that recycles plastic bags, give them those plastic bags you have. If the local center is not available, reuse the plastic bag responsibly. On the other hand, junk mail envelops can be used as scratch paper or list down your grocery items on it.
Consider dual-flush toilets
In saving water consumption, you can also consider a dual flush toilet. This type of toilet is offering two flush options: one is for liquid waste and the other is dedicated for solid waste. Using dual-flush toilet, you can save up to 80 percent on toilet water consumption.
Put an efficient duct system
On the website energystar.gov, it says there that 20 percent of the air flowing through the duct systems is lost because of various leaks as well as poor connections. When installing a duct system, ensure that they are properly mounted and sealed to your home to help saving energy.
Have your own herb garden
If you want fresh herbs for your home, you should be making your own herb garden. Start planting your own her garden and you don’t need to worry about any unnecessary packaging from the grocery store.
Prevent any air leaks
During the winter and summer months, it’s inevitable that air is escaping from your home. You should put weather stripping around your doors and windows so you can reduce utility expenses. When you prevent the cold and warm air from escaping your home, you also prevent the HVAC system to constantly work while maintaining a desirable indoor temperature.
Choose energy-efficient appliances
When buying a new appliance or replacing the old one, check to see if it is certified by Energy Star, which signifies products meetings a high level of energy efficiency. You can also ask your electricity provider if they are offering incentives for replacing old appliances with more efficient ones.
