Smart tips to make your home more eco-friendly and cost effective Brakpan Herald

how to be more environmentally friendly at home

Using the dishwasher can actually save water, but removing items and drying them by hand can cut down on your energy costs by nearly 50%. If you fly regularly, it’s probably making up a huge proportion of your carbon footprint, so cutting out any flight is one of the best ways to live more sustainably. Using the train, bus or even a car with more than one person is nearly always lower carbon per km or mile.

Glass of milk a day cuts bowel cancer risk – study

Mr P.N.C. Menon founded SOBHA Limited in 1995 with a clear vision to transform the way people perceive quality. Today, SOBHA is the most trusted brand and only backward integrated real estate player in the country. As children grow older, their school uniforms will undoubtedly have to be changed. Instead of throwing the clothes out, parents should consider donating the clothes back to the school or to other parents who are in need. Depending on the distance from the employee’s home to the workplace, there are different ways to commute to work. While using a car may seem the easiest and fastest option, taking the train or bus would pollute less.

how to be more environmentally friendly at home

Cut Back or Eliminate Microwave Use

how to be more environmentally friendly at home

Stop buying chemical-based cleaning products and turn to non-toxic environmentally friendly ones. Chemical-based products cause harm to your family, pets and the environment. Another easy way to reduce your carbon footprint is to use local public transportation instead of hailing an Uber, a taxi or renting a car whenever you need to move around. Planes emit a lot of carbon as they get people from one place to another. You can help reduce your carbon footprint as you travel by flying fuel-efficient airlines. Plastic is one of the most dangerous things for our environment.

Live With Less Plastic

  • Maximizing natural light and using recycled materials are fantastic starting points.
  • Buying preloved items promotes the reduction of waste within a community.
  • Biomass can also be converted to produce sustainable fuels such as biodiesel.

Though some organic cleansers are more expensive, making your cleaning solution from common household items can be both ecological and cost-effective. The importance of sustainable living and reducing our environmental footprint cannot be overstated. From simple lifestyle adjustments to more significant renovations, each of these 40 suggestions promotes sustainability and reduces your carbon footprint while making your home more eco-friendly. Solar thermal systems use heat from the sun to provide space and water heating, or high-temperature collector solar thermal systems can also be used to generate electricity. They can be combined with your usual heating and hot water system to diversify your supply and utilise the sun’s energy optimally throughout the year. This will reduce your carbon emissions and hot water costs, saving at least £50 on energy bills, depending on what type of heating source you switch from.

Use Containers, Not Paper Bags

how to be more environmentally friendly at home

Use seasonal closet cleanouts to examine and remove items you no longer wear or need. Rather than throwing them away, donate them to a charity store or sell them to extend their life. Moreover, ensure that your outdated products, including mattresses, are recycled or repurposed rather than dumped in landfills. Attempting to rehome or sell items not only helps to reduce trash but also encourages sustainability.

This list can serve as a starting point to guide you with your new mission to be more environmental-friendly. The number of options out there can get overwhelming, from coffee to fruit to clothing, but there are some clear leaders when it comes to minimizing your impact on wildlife and the planet. If you’re a coffee drinker, look for “shade-grown” coffee, which is grown while keeping forest habitats intact for migratory birds and other species.

Help to reduce food waste by using your leftover scraps to make compost. This can be used in your garden instead of those nasty, chemical fertilizers, which are no good for you or the environment. And if you are looking for more eco-friendly activities to do at home and to adopt a more environmentally conscious lifestyle in general, then you’ve come to the right place.

  • Plus, think of all the personal emissions you’d be cutting down from not having to run out every time you need a card for someone.
  • “Many detergents today are formulated to work just as effectively in cold water.” Decorate your house with sustainable fabrics made from recycled Indian saris.
  • Take care not to place the bottles on the operating mechanisms.
  • This is a simple, basic way to make your house environmentally friendly.
  • This list can serve as a starting point to guide you with your new mission to be more environmental-friendly.
  • When buying fish ensure that you check what kind of fish you’re getting.

Green Energy

Installation costs for heat pumps have seen a modest decline internationally, with costs predicted to decline a little further to 2030, according to one analysis. They are still however an expensive upfront cost, though there are financial incentives for heat pumps in 30 countries. Whatever car you have, simply driving less can have a big impact – especially on shorter journeys which can be made by foot or bike instead, which is also beneficial for your health. Of course, where feasible, getting rid of your car altogether is a good way of cutting emissions. In 2022, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ BBC Earth features editor Martha Henriques and senior journalist Zaria Gorvett decided to put this to the test, and tracked the carbon emissions of their meals over the course of a week.

  • If you want to be more eco-conscious pay attention to your food choices.
  • Different manufacturers tout different levels of savings, but the Nest smart thermostat claims you’ll save 15 percent on cooling costs and 10 to 12 percent on heating costs.
  • To start out living a more sustainable life, research the technologies leading the way and learn how they work.
  • In the meantime, for those reliant on a gas boiler, basic fixes can help improve the efficiency of your heating and reduce energy bills – such as improved insulation, draught excluders and thick curtains.
  • LEDs are “directional” light sources, which means they emit light in a specific direction, unlike incandescent and CFL, which emit light and heat in all directions.

Get a Home Energy Audit

Toilet paper made out of bamboo is a much more sustainable option compared to regular toilet paper. As the average person uses 100 rolls in a year, using regular toilet paper is not a very eco-friendly habit. It requires at least 17 trees and 90,921 litres of water for a ton of toilet paper rolls. Instead of purchasing a dozen rolls of paper towels when you are ready to do your spring cleaning, cut up an old t-shirt and use that as a rag instead. LED lights emit less heat, which directly and indirectly can save even how to be more environmentally friendly at home more energy. LEDs—especially ENERGY STAR rated products use at least 75% less energy, and last 25 times longer, than incandescent lighting.

how to be more environmentally friendly at home

Meet the mudskipper: The remarkable fish that lives on land

how to be more environmentally friendly at home

You could ride a bicycle to work depending on your city’s biking infrastructure. Being conscious of the environment does not have to be limited to the home. There are many different things that employees can do to minimise environmental damage and make activities at their workplace more sustainable. You should replace your window seals every 5-10 years since they expand and contract with the changing temperature over time and lose their air-tight grip. These can be adhered around window Alcoholics Anonymous and door frames using foam, metal or plastic strips. You can also stop draughts coming in through your letterbox and keyhole.