You’ll have heard a lot about eco-friendliness, carbon footprints, and other environmental buzzwords in recent years, and there’s a good reason why that’s the case. In the coming years, we’re all going to play a role in minimizing the environmental impact of our lifestyles. The good news is not only is that not as difficult to do as you might expect, but it can also bring benefits that stretch beyond the eco-benefits. It can help reduce your expenses, for example, and also open up new passions that you didn’t realize that you had. In this blog, we’re going to look at a few key actions that’ll move you towards living a life that’s more in tune with the needs of the environment. 

Ecofriendly

See What’s Possible

To begin, take a look at what’s possible with your home. If you’ve never thought about your home’s eco-credentials before, then you might just be surprised at how many new and innovative options there are out there. You don’t have to dive into making your home more eco-friendly; it will take time, after all. In the early days, simply take a look at the options available to you.

Find Your Flaws

If you want to improve things, then it’s a good idea to take a look at where you currently stand! Many homeowners are guilty of doing things that seriously harm how “green” their property is. So take a look at your home and your operations, and look at identifying the areas in which you could improve. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, then you could hire an outside expert to do the task for you. They’ll be able to identify your weak points, as well as offer guidance on how things can be improved.

Energy Sources

A home isn’t inherently harmful to the environment. Those four walls and the roof are just standing there, minding their own business! It’s the energy inside of the house that’s the issue. Where your home gets its energy probably has the biggest influence on the property’s eco-credentials. If you’re looking to have the least impact on the earth, then look at having solar panels. Instead of getting your energy from non-renewable sources, you’ll get yours from the sun. And there’s another bonus to solar panels that can sweeten the deal, too: they can help to reduce your energy costs. Better for the planet, better for your bank balance. Perfect! 

Maintaining Warm/Cool Air

One of the issues that many homeowners have is that they’re unable to keep the energy inside the home. It’s all good and well having the heating blasting away when it’s cold, but if the walls aren’t insulated, then it’ll be a highly wasteful system. And not only will it have a negative impact on the environment, but you’ll find that you’re spending far, far too much on your energy bills. By installing modern, high-grade insulation, you’ll be able to keep the cold and hot air inside your property. If it’s been some time since this aspect of your home has been upgraded, then look at getting in touch with a specialist company. You’ll notice the difference in how long your home stays warm/cold on the very first day that it’s installed. 

In the Kitchen

What happens in your kitchen has a huge influence on how much of an impact your property has on the environment. How? It’s all to do with what’s in the fridge. If you’re not thinking about where your food products are coming from, then you might inadvertently be causing more damage than you thought. There are some products that have a terrible environmental record for various reasons. Sometimes the processes used to produce the food are too energy-intensive. Sometimes the food has simply traveled from far away. Whenever possible, focus on buying local ingredients. You’ll find that they’re cheaper and tastier.

Growing Vegetables

If you want to take things even further, then you could look at growing vegetables in your yard. It doesn’t get much more local than that! The secret about growing vegetables is that it’s much easier than most people think. Indeed, you can even grow vegetables if you’re living in an apartment rather than a house. This is especially recommended if you have kids since they’ll always engage with this type of activity. You won’t just be providing something fun for them to do, but you’ll also be instilling a connection to the outdoors/the eco way of doing things that’ll be with them for the rest of their lives. 

Recycling Waste

There are two ways to go about getting rid of the waste you produce in your home. You can just throw it away, or you can recycle it and do your bit for the planet. The world would be in a much better place if everyone took the time to sort their plastics and metals from their regular waste. It requires only a little bit of energy to introduce your system into your household. Within a day or two, it’ll be second-nature to everyone who lives there. 

Upcycled Furniture

While you’ll want to do your bit for the planet, it’s also true that you’ll want your property to look great too. Fortunately, there’s a way to blend both of these desires! Let’s think about your furniture, for example. When it comes to getting a new table or chair, and so on, most of us just look at what the big-box stores have to offer. But there is another option, such as upcycled furniture. This is second-hand furniture that has been brought back to life by an expert hand. Not only are these items of furniture cheaper than their new counterparts, they’re typically more visually appealing too. Also, you can sense that there’s a good story behind each and every item. And the best part? The environmental impact is virtually non-existent since you’re extending the life of an existing item, rather than buying a new piece that has been manufactured using new materials. 

Upgrade Appliances

Now let’s think about your appliances. They’re there to make your life easier, but are they as good for the planet as they could be, or as good for your wallet, for that matter? If you’ve got an old dishwasher or washing machine, then it’s possible that they’re costing you more than you’d like, and that they’re nowhere near as efficiency, energy-wise, as they could be. If that’s the case, then take a look at upgrading to a newer model. You’ll find that not only do they work better, but they cost less — you will have to splash the cash in the first place to get them, but they’ll pay themselves back relatively quickly. 

Read Up 

You can’t expect to know everything about making your home more environmentally friendly. It’s a process. Moving forward, look at reading the best blogs or listening to podcasts about how to move to a more environmentally friendly life. There’s a lot of good information out there that you can use! 

Cleaning Products

Did you know that your cleaning products could be contributing to global warming? It’s true. While the basic products you’ll find in the supermarket are handy at getting off stains and so on, they’re not all that good for the environment. And also, they’re not very good for the quality of the air in your home, either. One simple solution is to look at making your own, home-made cleaning products using natural ingredients. You can make products for virtually every cleaning task, just using items you’ll have in your home. This won’t just have the benefit of reducing toxins, but it’ll also mean less plastic, since you can just reuse the same bottle over and over again. 

Switch it Off 

Finally, remember that it can pay to switch it off. We’re all so used to doing what we want, without giving too much thought to the impact. But as we said at the beginning of the article, those days are over — it’ll be much easier to adjust our lifestyles now, rather than have to deal with the fallout of the effects of climate change. One of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce your bills and limit your impact on the environment is to consume less. If you’re not using something, then unplug it — it’s not that inconvenient. As well as reducing the amount of electricity that you use, take a look at your water usage too. Are you taking extra-long showers, for no good reason? It could be time to cut down!

Conclusion

As we’ve shown, there are plenty of things you can do to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle at home. None of the actions that we’ve pointed out are particularly difficult or time-consuming to enact, and they can also have long-lasting benefits, both to your wallet and the planet. Plus, by taking action, you’ll find that you inspire other people to live a lifestyle that’s more in-tune with the needs of nature too.