With climate change becoming more and more a part of our current reality, it’s never been so important to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle. Simple changes like eating less meat and taking the bus instead of driving can have a tremendous impact on reducing society’s carbon emissions, but there’s more you can be doing at home to help the planet. Below are a few easy changes you can implement now that will make a huge difference.
Grow More Plants
Turn your house into a greenhouse with plenty of houseplants! Greening your home with some shrubbery will actually make it environmentally greener too. This is because certain indoor plants—such as Boston Fern, Rubber Plant, and Bamboo Palm—cleanse the air of harmful pollutants and chemicals lurking inside modern homes due to synthetic and man-made house decor and materials.
Essentially, indoor plants act as natural air purifiers. Plus, growing some herbs in your home will mean you are less likely to pick up parsley at the store when you have it already on your kitchen windowsill. You can purchase plants through online orders at BulbsnBlooms. This nursery offers a wide selection of flowers, herbs, trees, and other plants to help create your own lush garden indoors.
Use More Rags
Instead of cleaning up with paper towels, aim to be zero-waste by using rags. You can cut up old t-shirts to make rags or purchase some tea towels. This doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing scenario. You can still use paper towels for big spills and serious messes, but frequently wiping down your countertops with rags instead of paper towels will definitely reduce your carbon footprint.
Line-Dry
Throwing your clothes in the dryer might be relatively convenient, but it can definitely suck up a lot of energy. Instead, hang up your clothes on an outdoor clothesline or purchase a drying rack. Your clothes actually last longer if you line-dry them too!
Use Energy Efficient Lightbulbs
One of the best things you can do in establishing an eco-friendly household is installing energy-efficient lightbulbs like LEDs (light-emitting diode) or CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps). LEDs might be on the more expensive side, but they can last you for more than 10 years each! In the long-term, these lightbulbs are the more sustainable and economically savvy choice.
Install a Smart Thermostat
Adjusting the temperature in your home can be one of the biggest energy wasters. During the winter, you can easily warm up your home more than necessary just by forgetting about the manual thermostat. Installing a smart thermostat can help solve that issue by automatically lowering or turning off when you leave the house or during certain times of the day. Not only will this improve the energy efficiency of your home, but it will also save you some serious money on your energy bills.
In addition to having a smart thermostat, it’s also a good idea to compare electricity providers to find the best money-saving deal. Browse energy companies online at moneygains.co.uk. Through this free service, you can compare energy prices of various providers to make the switch to a more affordable option for your home.
Start Composting
Having a recycling can is great, but if you want to go the extra mile then consider creating your own compost. You can easily set up a compost bin in your yard or store it in your freezer and then have free fertilizer for your plants! A surprising amount of items can be composted besides just leftover food. You can compost tea bags, coffee grounds, wine corks, toilet paper rolls, cardboard, twigs, napkins, paper plates, dryer lint, newspapers, receipts, dust, and even hair.