Many of us are trying to live a 'greener' lifestyle. Making environmentally-friendly choices may sound like a lot of effort, but they can be quick, simple, and part of your daily routine.
Nowadays, more people than ever are making major lifestyle switches to help the environment, including upgrading to an electric car, for example, or even building their own homes with environmentally-friendly materials and energy efficiency in mind, but even small changes can have a big impact!
With these five simple tips below, you can create a more environmentally-friendly home and be doing your part for the planet. Read on to discover how!
1. Recycle Your Waste
Reusing and recycling our waste can be one of the best things we do for the environment. It minimises the need for production, which leads to the use of less power and fewer items going to landfill.
But this approach can extend to your food consumption as well. Switching to vegan and vegetarian options where possible has been shown to be beneficial for the environment. But if you prefer to keep to an omnivorous diet, you can also do your part by ensuring that any food you choose does not go to waste.
This can be achieved by batch cooking and freezing, for example, or even growing your own vegetables if your circumstances allow. Composting is also a great way to use waste positively and can be done even in small spaces.
Recycle what you can and be sure to dispose of any items safely and carefully. Double-check with your council if you are unsure of the specific protocol or bin to use, for example, but even household items like batteries, electronics, and mattresses can be recycled!
2. Insulate Your Home
Where possible, try to ensure that your home is effectively insulated all-year-round. This is much more energy-efficient during colder weather, when you may need to use central heating.
Even when you are not heating the home, insulation helps to prevent against damp and rot — reducing the need for repairs, saving you money, and helping to ensure that you are using only the energy you need.
Double glazed windows can also be a great energy-efficient investment, while smart meters can help to accurately measure your power usage, so you can set limits which suit you and your budget.
3. Switch to Energy-Efficient Appliances
Our electric appliances are one of the greatest sources of power usage in our homes. You can help to save the environment (and money!) by switching to more energy-efficient examples.
These might include LED lights, which last longer and are more efficient than other options, or appliances that use more environmentally-friendly materials or less power.
You can also make switches, such as by using your microwave instead of an oven where possible, as this will use considerably less power. Taking a shower instead of a bath also uses less water, and less energy is needed to heat the water too.
4. Use Natural Products
Making the switch to more natural products in the home can be better for the environment as well as your health. Many people find that some of the ingredients and chemicals in conventional products can aggravate allergies, skin conditions, and asthma.
Switching to more natural products can be less inflammatory to the body, as well as less dangerous for the environment when they are washed down the drain, into fabrics, or the water supply.
Products with microbeads (small pieces of plastic) are especially important to avoid, as they get into the water supply and can cause serious harm to fish and marine plants.
Natural cleaning products and natural beauty products used to be considered niche, but there are more choices now than ever before. Many people are concerned about sustainable practises, supporting the environment, and avoiding testing on animals.
If these issues are also a concern of yours, you will now be spoiled for choice!
5. Turn Appliances OFF
One of the most common mistakes people make in trying to be environmentally-friendly is in forgetting to turn appliances off! That applies to power such as electricity, light bulbs, the oven, and the heating, but also applies to water.
Vast amounts of water is wasted by just leaving the tap on as you brush your teeth! Treat water and energy like the precious resources they are, and get into the habit of turning them off after every use.
By using the tips and tricks above, you and your home will be more environmentally-friendly than ever!