As environmental degradation is at its peak, choosing an eco-friendly home is no more an option but a necessity. Now that you have made up your mind to switch to an environmentally friendly lifestyle, quickly run through these 5 tips to make your home eco-friendly. After all, charity begins at home!
1. Use House Plants as Decor
Keeping a house plant as a decor item works two-way in reducing the carbon footprint. First, it prevents wastage of time and resources on buying expensive decor items, secondly, house plants regulate the air condition and temperature of the house, mitigating the cooling needs.
Additionally, in-house plants add much-needed charm to your house. There are plenty of options to choose from including split-leaf philodendron, fiddle-leaf fig tree, kentia palm, amazon lily etc.
2. Opt for Sustainably-sourced Raw Materials
A simple yet very effective tip to make your home eco-friendly is to buy only those products that are sustainably sourced. At present, many companies indulge in greenwashing to portray themselves as eco-friendly while still using harmful chemicals in their production process.
Therefore, it is very important to check if the products are made from sustainably sourced raw material or not. In order to be sure, always buy home essentials from dealers or firms that employ ethical procedures in their manufacturing.
Another important step is to always research well in advance about the product that you are going to buy. For instance, the manufacturing of cotton bedsheets uses twice the amount of water used in bamboo bed sheets. Therefore bamboo bed sheets are a better option. Check out Australia’s best Bamboo Sheets here.
3. Don’t Go With the Herd
One of the most crucial steps towards becoming more eco-cautious is to stop adhering to the norms set by society. As an environmentalist, you should solemnly decide to never buy any fast fashion that is likely to get out of date in some time.
Always choose products that will add value to your life to avoid cramming your house with unnecessary items. Look for things whose value is timeless and if needed, they can be refurbished or repurposed.
Buying unnecessary things under the influence of t.v commercials can lead to a lot of wastage. Every discarded item that you cast out eventually ends up in the landfills, further multiplying the problem of environmental degradation.
4. Keep a Check on Water Wastage
According to a report by Worldwide Life, nearly 1.1 billion people across the globe lack access to water. Also, a total of 2.7 billion faces the issue of water scarcity for at least one month of the year. Some experts even suggest that the third world war would be fought for clean drinking water.
Therefore, it is very important to ensure that there is no wastage of water at your home. To ensure that, you should install rain barrels and start the practice of rainwater harvesting. In addition to that, you can also have a dual-flush system that saves the wastage of fresh water on cisterns.
5. Reduce the Usage of Traditional Bulbs
Traditional incandescent bulbs are a big no-no on the journey to become eco-friendly. These bulbs not only require a lot of energy but also emit a huge amount of heat which is not good for the environment.
Instead, you can use LED or CFL bulbs. These bulbs are both energy-efficient and cost-effective. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, LEDs and CFLs use 75% to 80% less energy than incandescent, and also last 3 to 25 times longer.
Your Takeaway
Now when you are well aware of the easy tips and tricks to ensure an eco-friendly home, nothing should stop you from switching to a greener alternative. More than any other advantage, the sense of gratification that you get from switching to an eco-friendly home cannot be expressed in words!