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It's clear that humans have made a great impact on the earth. Today, many people are aiming to reduce their individual impact on the earth as a way to preserve limited resources, reduce global warming, and care for the home we all live on
One great way to make a difference in the world is by creating an eco-friendly home environment. There are many ways to do this, from the construction of the home to small things like recycling and using non-toxic products.
Want to do your part to care for the environment in your own home? Start with these seven tips:
1. Starting From Scratch? Build a Passive Home.
A passive house is any home that meets the Passive House Institute's standards for an energy-efficient home. When done correctly, a passive house creates a low-energy building that can cool and heat indoors with little impact on the environment. If you're still in the building phases of your new home, consider altering your construction a bit to meet these standards and the benefits will pay dividends for years to come.
2. Embrace the Natural Weather
If you're already living in your completed home, there are still many small changes you can make that will make a difference. Depending on where you live and the time of year, turning off your heating or air conditioning system in favor of the natural weather is a great idea. Open the windows, crack the back door, and let the warm summer or cool autumn air into the home for intervals of time. Even short bouts of natural airflow can reduce energy costs and preserve resources.
3. Switch Out Your Light Bulbs
Light bulbs can require a lot of energy, especially in lights that are kept on a majority of the time. By switching from standard light bulbs to LED, you can reduce your energy consumption by a large amount. They're also more environmentally friendly.
4. Dedicate Yourself to Recycling and Composting
Think about everything of yours that makes its way to a landfill each year. You can significantly reduce this level if you dedicate yourself to recycling and composting at your own home. Taking a few moments to separate your waste is a small sacrifice for the betterment of our planet, after all.
5. Start a Garden
This tip works in tandem with the above, as you can use that gathered compost as a base for your garden! Compost has tons of nutrients and healthy bacteria that seedlings will drink up as they grow. Starting a garden is also a way to reduce your dependence on grocery stores and start feeding yourself. Many people even say that eating produce from your own backyard also tastes better.
6. Choose Natural Cleaning Products
Too many of the common cleaning products used contain toxic chemicals that are just as bad for us as they are for the environment. There are tons of non-toxic cleaners to choose from in stores, but you can also make your own cleaners! Household ingredients like vinegar and baking soda can go a long way.
7. Focus on Using Less Waste
Paying more attention to what you throw away and putting some energy toward wasting less is one of the best things you can do for the environment. How many grocery bags do you take home when you only bought one product? How about the unnecessary produce nets that come along with grocery store? By carrying the items in hand or shopping at a farmer's market where you can get bare produce, you can eliminate a few pieces of trash that you would have otherwise created. Small habits like these are the easiest to maintain.
Green For Home and Planet
Going green is good for your home (hello, lower energy bill!). But it's also great for the planet. If everyone made a few small changes to our home lifestyles in favor of the earth, there could be lasting change in the right direction. Use these tips above to get started!
