Introduction
As a homeowner, you might think that there is not enough that you can do to contribute to environmental sustainability. You are wrong! By implementing small everyday steps, every individual or homeowner can make a large contribution towards reversing the dangers of Climate Change and Global Warming.
Being sustainable and adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle can help you in multiple ways-
● Firstly, it allows you to contribute to the care of the environment in a positive fashion.
● Secondly, you can save money by opting for energy-efficient systems in your home.
● Thirdly, being eco-friendly helps you create healthier living conditions for your family.
In this resource article, we are going to look at seven credible ways that homeowners can make their homes sustainable and eco-friendly. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about making your home eco-friendlier, this article should help you.
List of 7 Ways to Make Your Home Sustainable and Eco-Friendly
1. Invest in energy-efficient devices
The past few years have seen several advancements in energy saving technologies. In this regard, homeowners should look to invest in an energy storage system, smart meters, efficient lighting solutions, and more. At no point are you compromising on the utility of your energy requirements. What you are doing is accessing the same in a more smart, efficient, and responsible manner.
2. Opt for solar panel installations on your rooftop
Thermal sources of energy are dependent on fossil fuels like coal. This damages the environment, as well as leads to high energy bills. By shifting to renewable sources of energy like the sun, you can reduce your bills, generate electricity for your home, and contribute to the environment responsibly. This is an easy process that can be carried out over the weekend.
3. Work on your home insulation to reduce energy consumption
During the winters, we need a high-energy guzzling thermostat to warm the interiors of the house. During the summers, the air-con system works overtime to bring down the temperature. A simple solution would be to work on your home’s insulation. Installing dual-pane windows and using heating materials beneath the floors, etc. are some ways to insulate.
4. Do not dump the excess food items that you do not need
No matter how much you try to reduce food waste, it will happen for one reason or another. One of the best ways to make use of this is to get a Compost Pit. Turning waste into compost that can be reused in your garden. This will help you with not only your requirements for fertilisers but also ensure that nothing from your kitchen is going to waste or being disposed of.
5. Put in place strategies for conserving water in your home
Let’s face it. Fresh water is one of the scarcest natural commodities on the planet. Drinking water is rare and should be conserved. Make sure that you have protocols in place when it comes to water usage. Closing taps when brushing teeth or sticking to a five-minute bath rule might sound trivial, but it can end up saving gallons of water every single day for your home.
6. Try to put together a small kitchen garden to grow food
Everyone says that it is best to buy local. While this is a good approach, if you want to take this to the next level, try to start a kitchen garden and grow vegetables that you can consume. This will ensure that you are taking the right steps towards sustainability. Additionally, it will be great education if you have children. You can use the compost in the kitchen garden.
7. Look at buying recycled furniture and other items for the household
Do you know how much energy is wasted in creating new furniture? A perfectly environmentally responsible alternative can be buying furniture that has been created from recycled materials. Technologies have made rapid advancements and you can buy anything from recycled shoes and flip flops to your dining sets and sofa.
The Bottom Line
While you might think that all this amounts to just small steps, this is something that needs to be done by one and all. Encourage your neighbours, friends and family members to walk on the path of sustainability and responsibility. If you have any questions on sustainability that you would like us to answer, please let us know in the comments below.
There’s a credible argument that’s based on increasing evidence that ‘alternative’ energy systems are neither ‘sustainable’ nor ‘eco-friendly’. Only if one takes a very narrow perspective can solar and wind energy-harnessing systems be considered significant improvements on fossil fuel-based ones. These so-called ‘green/clean’ alternatives rely on: environmentally-destructive processes for their production (from mining to industrial smelting); finite minerals; and, the fossil fuel platform itself. Certainly every small action by individuals and families in reducing energy reliance can add up to large reductions, but we might get a bigger bang for our buck by decentralising our supply chains and, perhaps more importantly, demanding and ensuring our governments stop chasing the perpetual growth chalice, forsake imperial endeavours, and reign in their profligate ways.
“environmentally-destructive processes for their production”
10-4 on that!
How about driving the same car for 20 to 30 years instead of a new one every 3 to 5 years, and using the same phone and gadgets till they no longer work?
Just turn the lights off when you leave the room, and quit wasting.
Great ideas for more sustainable homes! We all should consider heavily how we can improve the way homes are built. There’s been lots of green building ideas, but I myself as an architect have to admit most of them have been used as checklists for commercial scale projects. Homes need to be better designed as we use and reuse them for generations from their construction. I’ve been working on a prototype design with this in mind-a permaculture home designed for homesteading. We are planning to build it here in Texas as a proof of concept. A few of the key concepts mirror your tips on your article. Hopefully we are all collectively leaning to this overall thinking of solving for better homes. Afterall, it is our zone zero