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Have a read here on how to rewild your garden for some great tips. This is why it’s important to switch to a more ethical savings ISA or even go one step further with an impact investment account. By carrying a refillable water bottle and reusable coffee cup, you’ll be saving resources and money every time. Passive homes make careful use of the sun’s energy to keep a house warm in the winter. They also use ventilation, materials and structural elements to keep the home cooler through the summer. Buying products made with recycled materials is good for the environment and creates more demand that encourages more recycling, fueling the circular economy.
Skipping out on the sausage for just one day a week can have a surprisingly huge impact on the environment. According to the Earth Day Network, eating one less burger a week for a year has the same environmental impact as taking your car off the road for 320 miles. And if you really wanted to commit to the cause and become a full-blown vegetarian, you could potentially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 63 percent. If you’re interested in making the switch, you could always Steal This Firefighter’s Vegetarian Diet for Staying Ripped.
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As with many of the other energy-efficient steps on this list, it’s not only eco-conscious but also saves you money. Solar panels collect ultraviolet energy from the sun and convert it to usable energy. You can have solar panels installed on your rooftop to power household components like lighting. That said, not every environment is suited to solar panels. Factors like the amount of sunlight your home receives, the orientation of your roof, and the presence of shading can all affect the efficiency of your solar panel system. That being said, if your home is located in an area with ample sunlight and minimal shading, solar panels can provide a sustainable and cost-effective solution for powering your household needs.
- Many builders, architects and interior designers specialize in green architecture.
- It helps you save money but is also the perfect, minimalistic approach to heating your home without messy wires and machines.
- Pesticides are not only dangerous to the environment and our health, but also pets and other wild animals.
- If you’re filling the sink up just a couple of times a day, I guarantee you’ll be using more than 6L of water.
Switching to a cold water detergent and doing your laundry in cold or warm water can also reduce water usage. If the stuff you make at home is actually delicious, you won’t be as tempted to pick it up at the coffee shop (paper cup and plastic lid included) instead. No, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on one—a basic French press will do the trick. Think about all the dryer sheets you go through doing laundry—did you know one set of wool dryer balls can do the same work (speed up dry time and fluff out wrinkles) without chemicals? Get a long, skinny brush like this one and use it to gently scrub loose any lint and scuzz from the coils under your fridge. It’s tempting to spring for the dinky incandescents at the corner store, but that $17 six-pack of LEDs will last 13 years each.
Switch to dairy alternatives
Meanwhile, in the UK, heating makes an even bigger impact, accounting for around 55 percent of energy bills, according to the Energy Saving Trust. Every day, the importance of having a green, efficient home is becoming crystal clear. The weather is all over the place, sea levels are increasing at a drastic rate, according to the National Ocean Service, and climate change continues to worsen. Now more than ever, it’s an important time to do what you can to contribute to saving the planet, and making your house an eco-friendly environment is a great start. Having an eco-friendly home isn’t as difficult as it may sound because you can start small and work your way up.
Check out secondhand options before heading to the department store. “Choose quality over quantity by investing in timeless pieces that are made to last, rather than buying into fast fashion trends,» Berg says. Tamara Mayne, owner, founder, and Creative Director of Brooklyn Candle Studio, recommends going a step further—once you’ve burned your sustainable candle, repurpose the vessel. She suggests using them for coffee, cocktails, planters, pencil holders, and makeup organizers, giving them another sustainable second life.
Light Up the House with LEDs
You can start small by implementing one piece per room, such as organic baby bedding for the nursery or an office desk made from non-toxic and renewable resources. If you are looking to save money, you can even make your own eco-friendly furniture from recyclable or reclaimed materials. Roberts suggests replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs to reduce energy consumption at home.
Lasting for up to 720 washes – three years of washing for the average family – an Ecoegg laundry egg is a must-have if you’re looking for an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to laundry detergent. The shell is filled with natural cleaning pellets that completely replace your normal washing detergent, with no other liquids or powder required. https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/how-to-make-your-home-more-environmentally-friendly/ Before you begin to update your home with things like eco-friendly heating or sustainable products, it’s a good idea to see how your home currently rates, energy wise. Since plastic bags aren’t to be recycled, reusing the remaining load as trash bags for small trash bins in other rooms is a great way to get rid of them, according to Earth911.
Insulate Heating Ducts
Monitoring how often you flush and investing in an eco-friendly design that uses less water can save nearly 13,000 gallons of water and nearly £100 on your water bill. While microwaves are quick and easy for cooking, they’re also harmful to the environment. This includes using appliances like your oven and microwave. Avoid wasting energy by leaving the oven door closed while cooking.
This is a simple, basic way to make your house environmentally friendly. Most people turn off lights before leaving their home, but try doing so every time you leave a room. Did you know that your home heating system is one of the biggest sources of wasted energy and one of the best ways to make your house environmentally friendly? It’s also difficult to keep track of how much your heat or furnace is running in the cold, winter months.
