There is always room to be more eco-friendly in your home. Being green at home is about breaking habits. From the shops that you buy groceries from to how you handle your waste; eco-friendly living is often avoided out of the work that it involves. However, once you get the ball rolling, you’ll find that it slips into your daily routine. The effort is in the first steps that you need to take. Here are some ideas to get your started on your green journey;
Really Cut Down on Plastic
Shampoo bottles, rice packaging, cleaning products; plastic is everywhere! It seems unavoidable. However, there is a way to cut down on plastic. Easy and simple: buy in bulk and store your most used products in air-tight containers instead of buying small packets of products! This will not only cut down on plastic but it will cut significant costs too. When buying groceries, pick up your fruit and vegetables in re-useable produce bags instead of plastic ones in-store. Where possible, shy away from the plastic netting and plastic bag packages and select your own instead! As the world becomes aware of the damage done to the planet, zero waste refill stores are becoming increasingly popular. These stores contain everything from coffee and spices to beans and cleaning products, as you are not paying for packaging, it’s always cheaper. You bring your own containers, such as jars, Tupperware or bags, and fill up on ingredients you need!
Renewable Energy
Going green in your house means looking for sustainable investments through resources that do less harm to the Earth. Renewable energy seeks to give you all of your home comforts without it being at the cost of the planet. Renewable resources are innovative and plentiful, resulting in energy that costs less as there is an abundance of the resource that you need. Sources include sunlight, wind, waves and geothermal heat! Companies like All Seasons Energy offer solutions for solar panelling, energy efficient or sustainable heating and eco-friendly insulation solutions that will not cost the Earth. By choosing to use renewable resources, you are cutting on of your greatest carbon footprint contributions - your home!
Composting
One of the most efficient ways to reduce your waste to a minimum is through composting. There is a common misconception about composting, many people think it is unsanitary and smells very strong. However, when kept properly, compost is clean, should not smell or attract rodents as a result. Composting is ideal if you have a garden space and are looking to get your children gardening. You can put both kitchen and garden waste into the compost along with regular top-ups of brown materials like straw or dry soil to encourage the composting process, and reduce any smells that come from it. As this is done in a composting air-tight bin, no rodents will get inside. The composting process works well with the ratio of 50:50 or 25:75 waste from your garden and kitchen to brown materials. Any more and the moisture levels will be too high and waste odors occur.
Reducing your carbon footprint starts at home. By reducing the waste you produce through cutting down on plastics and composting, you’ll find that very few things actually make it in to your waste bin. Add in renewable energy at home, and you’ll not only reduce the amount of fuels burned to get energy, but you’ll find your costs cut are cut too.
