Thursday, April 13, 2017

Your Home is Your World: But Is It Kind To The Planet?

We all know the importance of being kind to the planet, reducing our carbon footprint and taking responsibility for the damage we as humans cause. But did you know there’s plenty you could be doing right from your own home? The average home has the potential to be kind to the earth or incredibly damaging. Here are a few things to take on board.


Recycle and Compost

When you recycle and compost waste, you reduce the amount of material that’s sent to landfill or incinerators. This is good news since both landfill and incinerators are incredibly damaging to the environment, creating ground and air pollution and burning fossil fuels. Plastics, glass, metals and paper products should all be put in a recycling bin and collected by your local authority every week. But you don’t need to stop there, clothes and other household items can effectively be ‘recycled.' Donate them to charity shops, you’ll help someone who doesn’t have much money to grab a bargain and raise money for charity in the process. Plus again it prevents things going to landfill when they can be used by someone else. Composting is incredibly easy- either build a compost bin or buy one from a garden or DIY store. Fill with any old cardboard, tea bags, waste fruit and vegetables, egg shells and other degradable things. Avoid adding cooked food, meat or dairy to the pile however as it’s likely to attract pests and prevent the pile rotting properly

Use Energy Efficient Bulbs

Using LED light bulbs uses significantly less power than standard bulbs, and therefore fewer fossil fuels. LED bulbs might cost more upfront but last for a very long time- up to twenty years in some cases. So they’re worth the investment long term. This is something everyone should be getting on board with, think how much less power we’d need if everyone switched to energy saving bulbs. 

Renovate Instead of Replace

Every time you buy new, you help to create a demand for more factories to produce goods. These factories all burn fossil fuels which dramatically affect the environment. While sometimes buying new is the only option (things like mattresses for example) other things you can renovate and upcycle. Anything made out of solid wood can be transformed with new hardware and a coat of paint. Take it a step further and use environmentally friendly paint- something with low VOC’s and non- toxic. Milk paint is one interesting option, you can read more FAQs about this online. 


Install Solar Panels

When you use a renewable energy source like solar power, it means your energy isn’t coming from a power plant which burns fossil fuels. Solar panels are a fantastic way for any homeowner to make a difference to the environment. Solar panels can pay for themselves in just a few years, and another bonus is your energy bill is significantly reduced too. 

Do you take steps to reduce your carbon footprint at home? What do you do to make your property more environmentally friendly?

No comments:

Post a Comment