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7 Ways To Make Your Home More Environmental Friendly

November 19, 2021 wbm foundation Comments Off

Adapting environmentally friendly habits in our home and lifestyle not only helps us economically but also helps us play an integral part towards giving back to nature and protecting it. The purpose of developing a sustainable home is to reduce the carbon footprint by using the right resources that won’t burden the atmosphere, buying the right products, and decreasing the overall energy consumed by your household. Minor changes in your daily behavior and habits at your home can help majorly in reducing your carbon footprint and preventing Mother Nature from deteriorating.

Invest in good quality clothes from sustainable brands

Even the cheapest quality of clothes requires great resources from the environment for their production, transportation, and sales. As more brands continue to be introduced to the market, we have distracted ourselves from the quality of clothes to fast fashion and the increased size of our wardrobes. To take a step towards sustainability, decrease your consumption of clothing by focusing more on quality and betterment of the environment rather than quantity. Start off by researching some brands which care about the environmental and social impact of their production by offering high-quality sustainable clothes, and buy from those brands as much as you can. When you go shopping, try to find clothing items that could be paired in numerous outfits and be reused for multi-purposes.  Quality clothes tend to last for a much longer period of time, saving your pocket AND the environment. Have some clothes that cannot be worn anymore? Do not throw them away; instead, you can redesign them into a new piece, repair them, donate to some charity or the less fortunate, or even reuse them as a cleaning rag!

Buy environmental friendly products

When you go grocery shopping or home shopping, do keep in mind the power to protect the earth is in YOUR hands. Instead of spending your wallet on environmental enemy products, try buying products that are environmentally friendly. When buying products, look out for the following: 

  • When buying energy saving appliances and electronics: Energy Star. 
  • When buying cosmetics: Labels such as cruelty-free,  not tested on animal, or made from recyclable plastic
  • When buying environmental friendly cleaning supplies and products: Green Seal 

Buying such products which are environmentally friendly do not only look more attractive, but they also save your money. Moreover, buying these products will alleviate the burden on the environment and precious resources that the world is putting on due to excessive misuse of the resources. Through the use of eco-friendly products, the preservation of planet-provided resources including plastics, metals, and water will be ensured. As more people adopt towards buying environmentally friendly products, the change will automatically arise as companies will start producing more environmentally friendly products rather than otherwise. 

Repurpose your food instead of wasting it

Our society has actively played a negative role in continuously throwing away food, which not only wastes vital agricultural resources provided by our nature but also burdens the landfills with extra waste. According to a 2020 report by the Food and Agricultural Organization, about 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted annually worldwide. This is easily preventable if each individual takes the responsibility of reusing their eatable food by converting it into a new recipe, reheating it, or even just sharing it with someone less fortunate instead of disposing of it. 

Reuse your old furniture

Instead of throwing away that old study table of yours, why not turn it into an environmentally friendly DIY project and upcycle it into a stylish shoe rack or toy rack? Getting rid of unused or old furniture is not only a hefty task for your muscles, but also for the environment as it generates an extra burden of wastage to be decomposed, especially if it is made from indecomposable material. Keep in mind, when you are getting ready for that DIY project do not forget to ditch enviro-enemy material like oil-based paint and instead opt for something enviro-friendly; water-based paints, reuse your old paintbrushes, and anything else that can be reused In the project. Moreover, avoid throwing away furniture and other objects in your house which can be easily repaired. Reusing furniture and objects in your home saves your pocket as well as nature. 

Decorate your home wisely

Much of the objects that we buy to beautify our homes are in fact making our environment ugly by increasing our carbon footprint and wastage increase. The paintings that hang in your living room? The oil-based paint used in them is made from burning fossil fuels. Much likely, there are numerous objects in our house that do appeal to the eyes but also restrain the earth’s resources and harm the environment. When decorating your home, take an environmentally friendly approach and make use of house plants, reused furniture, water-based paints, and objects made from recycled items. Adapting your interior design with an environmentally friendly approach will save you money as well as reduce your role in harming Mother Nature.

Use energy efficient lighting and appliances

Switching to energy-efficient lighting sources easily reduces energy consumption and carbon footprint. LED lighting and appliances save at least 75% electricity usage than conventional lighting sources, effectively leading towards cleaner energy practices. Moreover, technological innovation has introduced numerous energy-efficient home appliances which may have a higher purchasing cost but generate much lower usage and maintenance costs in the long run, in addition to playing an important role in energy saving and sustainability. So the next time you consider buying a washing machine or a microwave, also consider the different energy-efficient options as a step to reduce your home’s carbon footprint.

Limit the use of plastic at your home

Did you know that single-use plastics are averagely used for just about 12-15 minutes but can take up to 500 years to decompose? Moreover, more than 150 million tons of plastic are already in the ocean, which severely endangers marine life as it entangles with the animals as well as reduces the pH level of the ocean.  Plastic has undoubtedly been invading the planet earth, and if we want to save the earth each of us must contribute and start taking action. You can follow a few simple tips to reduce your plastic consumption: 

  • Avoid using single use plastics, such as plastic water bottle or beverage bottles and straws
  • Make a habit of taking along cloth bag(s) when you head out for shopping
  • Replace plastic containers and Tupper wear with glass or stainless steel containers 
  • Try buying more bulk food rather than plastic packaged products 
  • Recycle and reuse plastic containers and bottles into a new purpose
  • Opt for biodegradable products, such as biodegradable trash bags