Climate change is a huge issue these days, and it’s important for all of us to do our part in protecting the environment. You may have thought that living an environmentally friendly lifestyle is difficult, but it really starts with the small things you do!
Ready to go green? This article will go through the ways you can create an eco-friendly home easily.
Table of Contents
Use LED Light Bulbs
According to the Department of Energy, LED light bulbs are highly eco-friendly products because they use around 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs. The reduced energy consumption also means that your utility bills will be less expensive. You can kill two birds with one stone by swapping your light bulbs with LEDs!
Use Cloths or Rags More Often
Using paper towels is indeed a necessity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reduce your usage when going green. When trying to reduce your consumption of paper towels, you can use cloths or rags as replacements.
They can be useful when you just need to wipe your hands after washing them. If you want to clean up a mess, you can use old t-shirts or other rags instead of paper towels.
This will create an eco-friendly home because the amount of waste you’re throwing out will be substantially reduced.
Use Solar Energy
Most homes are powered by non-renewable energy, which will harm the environment. Using non-renewable energy sources such as coal for energy will result in higher emissions of greenhouse gases. This will cause pollution and worsening climate change impacts on the environment.
You can do your part by switching to a renewable source of energy for your home. One of the best alternatives is solar energy. This involves harnessing electricity from sunlight to power your home.
Sunlight is not something that you can ever truly run out of, which makes it a renewable source of energy. All you need is to install solar panels on your roof from experts such as bluenergysolar, and you will have access to continuous, environmentally friendly energy.
Even more so, since you can source your own sunlight with the panels, you won’t have to pay for energy. This means your utility bills will be a lot more affordable. What a win!
If you want to find out how to use solar energy in California, you can visit Simplysolarcalifornia.com.
Don’t Always Use Your Dryer
Drying your clothes in the dryer seems very convenient. All you have to do is take your load from the washer and put it into another machine, and then press start. That’s it, and you’d get warm, dry clothes after a few hours.
Using your dryer, however, is not exactly environmentally friendly. It uses a lot of electricity and water. You may not think the impact is significant, but when you add up all your usage, you can see how much energy and water you are consuming.
Instead, air-dry your laundry where possible. All you need is a clothing line or a drying rack, and you can hang most of your laundry out to dry. This may take a lot longer, but the amount of energy you will save will make it more affordable and eco-friendly!
Have a Compost Bin
A compost is made of a mixture of ingredients that contain various nutrients. This makes it suitable for fertilizing.
Having a compost bin will allow you to make use of your waste and scraps to create something that you can use for a garden. Composting your food waste will also prevent their decomposition in landfills, which would release greenhouse gases.
Fill Your Dishwasher All the Way Before Washing
Everyone loves clean plates, but we may be harming the environment if we run the dishwasher every day with only a few items inside. This is not an efficient use of your dishwasher and will end up costing you plenty when the utility bill comes.
Instead, make it a habit to only use your dishwasher when it is filled. Otherwise, you can stick to handwashing your plates or delaying the time for washing dishes.
Fix Any Leaks
Ever had an annoying faucet that would keep leaking? Not only is it unpleasant, but any leaks in your house can result in a substantial increase in your water usage. This will lead to higher utility bills.
The rule of thumb is to fix any leaks as soon as they occur. This will prevent the possibility of any nasty surprises when you receive your monthly bill.
Don’t Spend Too Long in the Shower
It may be tempting to take those long, relaxing showers – especially in the winter – but know that this will drastically hike up your energy consumption. If you want to know how to be eco-friendly, one of the best things you can do is to cut down on your shower time.
Reducing your shower time will reduce your energy consumption, which will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the environment. It’s a small step, but the impact can be significant in the long term!
How to Start Creating an Eco-Friendly Home
It may seem intimidating to start creating an eco-friendly home and start living an environmentally friendly lifestyle, but it’s a lot easier than you think. Even small steps – such as swapping your light bulbs, fixing leaks, or filling up your dishwasher – can have a significant benefit on the environment.
Above all, know that whatever you do can make an impact on the progression of climate change!
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