We know the environment needs our help, but what difference can we make as individuals?
One of the best ways to help the planet is by changing our homes. If we can create an eco home, with a focus on sustainability, conservation, and recycling, it can go a long way to reduce our footprint on the planet.
If you’re wondering how you can change your home to make it more eco friendly, the good news is that it’s simpler than you might think. Keep reading to learn the best ways you can make your home more eco friendly.
Improve Your Insulation
Eco-friendly homes are energy-efficient. If your home is drafty or poorly insulated, you’re likely using more electricity than you need to, since heat and air are escaping from the gaps in your home.
Reduce your electricity consumption by reducing the drafts in your home. You can install weatherstripping, use door snakes, or replace any doors or windows that don’t fit tightly into the frame.
It not only helps the planet, but it will eliminate cold and wind coming in, keeping you and your family more comfortable at home.
Use Natural Cleaning Products
Another great way to help the environment at home is by using eco-friendly cleaning products. Many grocery-store cleaning products contain chemicals that are bad for the environment and are toxic to both humans and animals.
Run-off from these products can get into gardens, drains and waterways, and onto lawns. They can destroy vegetation, harm pets and wildlife, and pollute your waterways.
Plus, if they are bad for the planet, they aren’t good for your family either. Switch to natural cleaning products instead, or make your own.
Household items like baking soda, vinegar, salt, and hot water can clean just as effectively as many other products, but without the environmental damage.
An Eco Home Is Powered by Renewable Energy
If you want to truly embrace the eco-friendly life, switch your home to solar power. Solar power is the ultimate in renewable energy—if you install solar panels, your home can convert rays from the sun into usable electricity to power your home.
Solar helps the environment and reduces our dependence on fossil fuels and coal, which pollute the planet and emit dangerous greenhouse gases that damage the ozone layer.
It’s easy to get started with solar power. Simply search online for ‘solar near me’ and find a solar panel installer in your neighborhood.
Start a Compost Pile
To help ease the amount of garbage that goes into landfills, why not start your own compost pile? It’s easy to do and can be a lot of fun for kids as well.
Composting at home reduces the amount of food scraps that are thrown away by your household. It also adds rich nutrients to your soil, which you can use for flower beds or growing crops.
Grow Your Own Veggies
Another fun way to help the environment is by starting your own veggie or herb garden. Often, the product we buy at the grocery store travels a long way to us, via truck, which increases smog and road pollution.
If you grow your own veggies, or even shop at a local farmers’ market, it’s a great alternative than shopping at the main grocery stores.
Commercially grown crops also tend to contain pesticides, so it can be healthier to grow your own as well.
In addition to vegetables, herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, and mint are easy to grow at home or on a window ledge and mean you have fresh and tasty herbs to use in your cooking.
Reduce Water Consumption
Another top way to help out is by reducing water consumption. This is easier to do than you might think!
You can make sure to only run the dishwasher and washing machine if they’re full loads and never let the kitchen or bathroom taps run longer than they need to.
Also, try repurposing water. If you put a bucket in your shower to catch water, you can recycle it by using it to water plants or the garden, or even wash your car.
Water shortages and drought are not uncommon in America, so if we all did our part, we could save millions of gallons of water.
Switch to Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
If you’re looking for a simple way to make your home more eco friendly, why not switch light bulbs? It’s an easy thing to do that will make a big difference.
LED bulbs use less energy than traditional incandescent lighting, which means your home will lower its electricity consumption. You can read reviews to learn which bulbs are best for your devices, but you can also learn more by looking for products rated with the ENERGY STAR, which means they are lower in electricity use.
You’ll also want to make sure you always turn lights and appliances off when you leave a room. That way, you’re not paying for energy you’re not using.
Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly with These Top Tips
Are you ready to create your own eco home? With the tips above, it’s easier than you might think.
You can get started by incorporating some of the suggestions mentioned into your own home. Even small changes can make a big difference, so don’t feel like you need to do it all!
Instead, bring in changes that you can commit to, and before you know it, you and your family will feel great knowing that your lifestyle is helping the environment.
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