We spend a lot of time in our homes: building them, decorating them, cleaning them so we could relax, play and entertain others in. We want our homes to be peaceful, relaxing, safe, and now, one more item to add to this list - environmentally friendly. There are many lists and ideas on what can you do to make your home more "green". The list below will give you some tips you can implement and enjoy a healthy, safe home while reducing your environmental footprint:
Insulate your home. Good
insulation is fundamental. An average home wastes up to 30%
of energy used for heating and cooling due to leaks through the wall
and roof. Insulation helps to keep you warm in winter and cool in
the summer. Look for environmentally friendly and non-toxic
insulation.
Windows. Warm or cool air also
escapes through windows. Replacing old single pane windows with the
dual pane windows with better thermal performance will reduce energy
costs and greenhouse emissions.
Lighting. Lighting represents a
large energy use. By installing energy-efficient alternatives such
as LED lights, you can reduce the cost of energy bills by 25-50%. And LED lights lasts up to 10-20 times longer that incandescent lights.
Kitchen. Kitchen is one of the
energy heavy rooms in the house. When selecting appliances for the
kitchen choose most efficient, Energy Star rated appliances. If you
have an option, remember, that electric cooking uses at least twice
as much energy as gas cooking. When the weather permits, make use of
your grill for everyday cooking, as cooking outside saves you from
switching lights, exhaust fans and cooling the warmed up house.
Microwaves. While not always a best alternative for healthy cooking, microwaves are very efficient
cooking appliances, because they use smaller amount of energy to
achieve the required results. If you have an option that allows you a healthy meal cooked in the microwave, take it. You will save energy and time. Regular maintenance will help keep
your microwave last longer.
Washing dishes. An energy
efficient dishwasher typically uses one third less water than
washing dishes in running water by hand. Ensure your dishwasher is
Energy Star rated, and run the dishwasher when you have a full load.
Cleaning the right way. More than
300 man-made chemicals can be found in our bodies- chemicals that
people weren’t exposed to just three generations ago. Use natural
alternatives to clean your house- baking soda and vinegar are very
effective for almost all clean ups around your home. Lemon and
hydrogen peroxide is a good alternative to bleach and chlorine.
Water smart. Hot water accounts
for about 13% of your home electric bill, yet, a lot of the energy
is wasted along pipes and tanks. Insulating your pipes and your
water heater will help reduce the heat loss. Replace faucets and
shower heads to low flow alternatives, that are WaterSense labeled.
They could save up to 30% of water and lower your water bill. Use
shower instead of bath and limit shower use to 7 minutes. You can
also place a bucket in the shower to catch used (“grey”) water
and use it to water plants or garden.
Flush away. Toilet flushing is
responsible for about one third of all water used by the average
household. Replacing older toilets with new Dual-flush models could
save a good amount of water. If you are stuck with an older model,
you can install an inexpensive toilet dam (available from hardware
stores) in the tank to reduce the amount of water in each flush.
Check for leaks and don’t forget to use a recycled, unbleached,
chlorine-free toilet paper.
Laundry overload. The average
washing machine produces nearly 90 kg (200 lbs) of greenhouse
gases a year. If you add hot water production- that’s another 125 kg (275 lbs) of emissions. Front loading models can use 50% less energy
and 40-75% less water than top-loading models. Front loaders also
use less detergent. And whichever model you use, make sure to run it
at full loads and use biodegradable detergent.
Cloth Dryers. Cloth Dryers are such a
convenience item, that Americans can’t imagine living without it.
Make sure your dryers are energy efficient. Gas dryers are generally
more efficient than electric, or better yet, line dry your clothes
and use a free dryer- Sun. When using your dryer, avoid the use of
fragrance dryer sheets and use the biodegradable, chemical free
alternatives.
Sweet dreams. You spend more time
in your bedroom than just about any other room in your house. Make
sure your bedroom is environmentally friendly and doesn’t contain
chemicals. Use natural mattresses, recycled or fast growing wood
(like bamboo) furniture, natural fiber (cotton, wool, feather down)
bedding and unbleached, chemical free cotton sheets.
Freshen the air. Reduce air
pollution in your home by airing your home regularly. Choose
environmentally friendly products to keep your home smelling fresh.
Avoid artificial deodorizers, especially those that use electricity.
Use soy wax or beeswax candles instead of paraffin wax or make your
own freshener, by combining a teaspoon of baking soda and lemon
juice, or add a few drops of essential oil to two cups of hot water
in a spray bottle.
Say NO to Plastic! Plastic
containers are available in all shapes and sizes. They are also full of
chemicals and take hundreds (or even thousands) of years to decompose in
landfills. Use environmentally friendlier dishes and containers
like- ceramic, glass or steel. If you absolutely have to use
plastic, use the new biodegradable grade plastic and plastic free of
harmful chemical compounds called plasticisers (phthalates) and bisphenol A (BPA).
Antibacterial products.
Antibacterial soaps and washes are becoming an everyday item and
becoming a growing environmental and health concern. Not only it
goes down the drain (and into the rivers and lakes) with all
dissolved compounds, it’s overuse have been encouraging the
development of resistant bacteria, superbugs. Stick with
eco-friendly soaps and prevent contamination of surface waterways
and underground water.
Beauty and beyond. Almost everything in your bathroom, including shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, deodorant, fragrances and cosmetics, contain phthalates. On top of that, products containing fragrances (as well as some furniture, carpets, paint and plastic toys) contain volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) that cause allergic reactions and poor indoor quality. Actively research and choose products that are natural and fragrance-free.
Paperless home. Sign up for online
banking, e-bill pay and auto payments to reduce your paper use and
save trees. If you need to print, make sure to use recycled paper
and always print on both sides. When using pens, pencils and
packaging, think of them as reusable, not disposable. “Disposable”
pens are not disposable- more than 1 billion plastic pens end up in
landfills around the world every year. Bring some old style back
into your world and use good refillable pens and reuse envelopes,
tape dispensers and packaging.
Reduce, reuse, recycle. Before you
rush to buy, ask yourself if you really need it, or if you have
something already that can be repaired, reused, recycled or borrowed
from a friend or neighbor. On the same token, share your stuff with
those who may need it for a few days and recycle what is unusable.
If you have to buy, buy second hand and help your wallet and your
planet!
The scoop on electronics. There
are 2.6 televisions per U.S. household, plus video games, computers,
ipads and other electronics used for entertainment. They use a large
amount of energy even when not used and left in a stand-by mode.
Electronics are also toxic to environment and are very energy and
water intensive to manufacturer. Constant exposure to screen has
contributed to sedentary lives and has become a big reason of health
and obesity epidemics.
Less is more. We became a society of consumers. We have an unhealthy need to “keep up” with the neighbors; we rush to acquire the latest gadget, fashion fad or another “got to have” item. Many of us don’t think about or have the knowledge that every item we buy contains embodied energy, water and waste in its production. Every new item costs our planet! Achieving a sustainable lifestyle means buying less.
The power of You!
One of the most simplest and most effective things you can do to
address climate change is to become energy efficient in all aspects
of your life. You may not be able to make all these changes in your
lifestyle at once, and that’s all right. By starting with small
changes, step-by-step, you will be making a large impact to our
environment. One by one will make millions of people, each of us
doing our part to save our Planet from destruction and humanity from
extinction.
