More and more people are undeniably becoming aware of how they affect their environment. Hence, there is a growing interest in zero-waste living.
If you are curious how you can live a sustainable life, we suggest that you keep on reading:
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Use sustainable materials
Constructing a home is an excellent opportunity for you to shift towards a more sustainable home.
You can start an eco-friendly home from the ground up by looking for sustainable materials when creating or building it. There are plenty of available sustainable materials, so do not hesitate to do your research.
Even if you are not building a new home and are simply renovating your house, you can use recycled materials or renewable materials for the project. Examples of a few sustainable materials are tile, lumber, and even recycled glass. It would be best if you also looked for reclaimed materials like reclaimed wood and steel.
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Try green home insulation alternatives
Your home insulation is another way to upgrade your house while practicing sustainability.
There are plenty of choices for insulation out there, that it can be overwhelming to choose one for you. However, that also means there are plenty of sustainable and green home insulation alternatives to choose from.
If you’re interested in making your insulation better for the environment, here are a few options that you can try:
- Sheep’s Wool
- Cotton
- Denim
- Aerogel
- Icynene
- Rigid Cork
- Cellulose
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Light up your home with LED bulbs
Your old light bulbs might not be as efficient as they could be. Aside from that, they also might not be the most sustainable choice for lighting out there right now.
If your old light bulbs are starting to die down, replace those with LED bulbs if you haven’t yet. LED bulbs are efficient and sustainable, which makes for a great lighting choice.
LED bulbs can produce as bright of light if not better than the old ones. Aside from that, they use less energy, so they’re energy-efficient. LED bulbs also last a long time, so you’re saving money as well.
Thus, there are plenty of reasons you should switch to LED bulbs as soon as possible.
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Install water aerators
Being a more eco-friendly home involves more competent and more efficient usage of any resources around the house. That means being more mindful of how you use your utilities, like your water.
With that said, if you’re interested in becoming more efficient with your water resource at home, there are plenty of solutions that you can apply. One thing that you could do for your home would be to install water aerators on your taps or faucets around the house.
A water aerator helps your taps maintain a constant water flow rate so that you’re not using way more than is needed. The aerator does this by pumping air into the water, and it does so without affecting water pressure. It’s a nifty device that can help you reduce water usage without affecting your tasks involving water use.
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Purchase energy-efficient appliances
Energy-efficient appliances do their jobs the same way regular appliances would. The only difference is that they consume less energy.
When you’re shopping for appliances to get new ones or replace old ones, you should try and get more energy-efficient ones. Before you shop around, consider doing your research online first and see how customer feedback is on a product.
Some appliances might market themselves as energy-efficient, but they’re not, or their results are negligible. Thus, doing prior research can help you filter out genuinely energy-efficient appliances from fake ones.
Another good way is to check the appliance’s Energy Efficiency Ratio.
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Use low-VOC paint for the wall
The paint you use on your walls might be releasing harmful chemicals into the air. This contributes to more air pollution without you noticing.
If you’re planning on repainting your walls any time soon, consider looking for paint that has low-VOC or volatile organic compounds. VOCs are harmful to people and the environment, which is why you want to avoid those.
If the paint has low VOC, they usually have a seal indicating that. To qualify as a low-VOC paint product, the paint shouldn’t contain more than 50 grams of VOCs.
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Opt for natural cleaning products
If you’re looking to start small when shifting into a sustainable home, you can start by replacing your cleaning products. Opt for green or natural cleaners.
Many items that we use to clean our homes contain very harmful chemicals. If they’re dangerous to us, what do you think happens when we wash them away and into our environment?
You don’t have to keep buying these harmful chemicals to clean your home since plenty of natural cleaning products are available. You can purchase it from everywhere: groceries, online, or local stores can have them. Some people even opt to make DIY natural cleaning products using household materials.
Switching to natural alternatives isn’t an earth-shattering change to your life. It certainly doesn’t push your current boundaries. Thus, they’re an excellent start for a sustainable home.
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Start a compost pile
If you garden a lot, you might want to start to get into composting. If you have a compost pile at home, you can improve your soil quality which your plants will love.
They can also stay hydrated for a longer time, so you’re saving on water too. You won’t have to rely on using chemical fertilizers for your plants, either.
Another great thing about composting is that you get to reuse your food waste to go to your plants. Instead of just throwing them away, you’re doing something productive with them.
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Wash clothes in cold water
You should know that a vast majority of the energy that your washing machine uses goes simply towards heating the water. That’s why by merely opting to wash your clothes with cold water, you can already reduce the amount of energy that you use with your laundry needs.
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Consider installing solar panels
For people looking to invest in a sustainable home for the long run, installing solar panels can be a game-changer. Of course, they require a hefty investment up front, but the long-term benefits are worthwhile. You will be a more self-sufficient home, but you are also more eco-friendly.
In the long run, you are going to be saving money as well because of the amount of money that you do not have to spend on electricity.
There is a bevy of methods and approaches you can take towards a sustainable home. It can be through your construction materials or your cleaning products. Regardless, there is something that can help you get started.
