One of the great things about insulation is that it’s very easy to make greener choices in this area since many of the most popular products already incorporate recycled content. For example, fibreglass insulation is made from molten glass either spun or blown into fibres. Most fibreglass manufacturers use anywhere from 40 to 60 percent recycled glass. However there are many products that contain an even higher recycled content.
Start a compost pile
Many municipalities provide green garbage collection services for compostable materials to those who do not have personal garden spaces, ensuring that organic waste is properly treated. Harvesting rainwater can provide a long-term answer to gardening problems. Rainwater collection systems can range from simple rain barrel installations to more complex systems comprising cisterns for whole-house usage. If you’re thinking about installing such a system, getting professional help with activities like gutter adjustments and barrel installs can be useful.
Use biodegradable trash bags
Transport is the biggest source of emissions in the US, where it contributes almost a third of the total emissions, and makes up 16% of emissions globally. While infrastructure change is critical Twelve-step program to helping people cut the emissions from transport, individual action can still can go a long way toward reducing this. Slowing down climate change is an immense task, but small individual actions can add up to help reduce emissions. The latest boilers on the market are a lot more heat and energy efficient than their older counterparts.
Smart Thermostats
Meanwhile, international produce is grown to artificially exceed its natural shelf life, which compromises its nutritional value. You can identify its energy efficiency by checking the energy efficiency label, which runs from A, with A being the most energy-efficient. This is useful in reducing energy demand from fossil-fuelled power plants, which has great cost benefits for your energy bills. Data collected from customers using Google’s Nest thermostat revealed that UK homes saved on energy use by 16.5% compared to homes without smart controls. Solar PV can also be combined with electric heating systems, such as air source heat pumps, to run your heating and hot water entirely from renewable sources. Once installed, they don’t release any emissions into their lives, and they don’t produce any noise or air pollution.
Dry Clothes Outside
Shopping local is not only great for the local economy but also great for the environment as most local markets and stores use a lot less plastic to wrap their foods. Shopping local is a great way to find more zero waste options and at a bargain. Traditional turfgrass lawns need lots of water, but xeriscapes can be a great sustainable alternative.
- Furthermore, food production occupies roughly half of the world’s available land, with animal-derived goods accounting for a significant amount of these emissions.
- On a similar note, take note of the temperature your thermostat is kept at, and look to reduce it by a few degrees to save money and ensure it’s working well for you.
- It seems like such an uphill task but it all starts by each one of us committing to be more eco-friendly.
- Invest in a power strip to make it easier to unplug multiple devices at once.
- A solution to this problem is to invest in a water bottle that is not only reusable but also the right size, so you can take it with you wherever you go.
Some of our favorite sustainable cleaning supplies include Method, Grove Co. and Dr. Bronner’s. Many of the simplest sustainable living ideas are those that take place in your house and in your https://ecosoberhouse.com/ day-to-day life. Here are some of the most common as well as most impactful changes you can make.
Meanwhile, clay brick siding brings the same longevity to a home’s exterior walls. As for shredded newspaper, how to be more environmentally friendly at home using newspaper as an insulation actually dates back to the nineteenth century. However, today this type of insulation is known more commonly as cellulose. Another newer entry into the world of insulation are plant-based products like soybean foam. Traditional spray foam insulation is made from hazardous chemicals, which is bad for both the environment and a home’s air quality.
- As children grow older, their school uniforms will undoubtedly have to be changed.
- An easy trick for identifying leaks in a toilet is to place a drop or two of food coloring into the toilet tank and wait 10 minutes to see if any color shows up in the bowl.
- And while fibreglass has been around for decades, newer additions to the realm of recycled content insulation include shredded denim and shredded newspaper.
- We are living in a world where if something breaks we trash it instead of repairing it even though it’s so easy to make basic repairs to most stuff around the home.
- A zero-waste lifestyle takes all the basic eco-friendly principles (reduce, reuse, recycle) and applies them to all facets of life.
EPA & You
- But research shows keeping animals is not always the most environmentally friendly thing to do.
- Repurpose old towels and t-shirts and cut them into small cleaning cloths.
- To keep your clothes shopping under control, take the 333 challenge – try wearing only 33 items for three months.
- Has benefited from a virtuous cycle of falling costs that is cheap, and you can easily install it to go environmentally friendly (Conserve Energy Future, 2022).
And while traditionally produced concrete is a significant contributor to greenhouse gases, proponents of the material say its longevity is what makes it sustainable. People have been building houses for thousands – perhaps millions – of years. And, of course, they started out by using the materials they had access to. Nowadays, there are a ton of modern materials used for the structural components of a home, yet many traditional methods still remain thanks to their efficiency and sustainability factors. From your daily commute to the vacations you take with your family once a year, every time you start the car or get on an airplane there are environmental and social impacts.
Eat food grown locally instead of fruits, vegetables, and other products that have to be imported from all over the world. Such foods consume huge amounts of fossil fuel energy to get them to your local supermarket. Save energy by air-drying your clothes on a clothesline instead of using a dryer that will consume lots of energy to do something that you can do at zero cost. Practice buying a few high-quality items and repairing them when necessary instead of buying loads of cheap, disposable stuff and give a hand in protecting the environment.
