The article will shed light on how to make your home more eco-friendly. Details will be given on the elaborate practices and how technology can be coupled to achieving this goal of making homes more eco-friendly.
How to make your home more eco-friendly?
With the rising pressures on the environment and the degradative effects that are witnessed and observed, more people are inclined to shift towards being eco-friendly. As the expression also goes by, ‘Charity begins at home.” Many people stumble on the idea of how to make their homes more eco-friendly.
When it comes to the infusion of eco-friendliness in people’s homes, there are usually two main approaches that can serve as an edifice. These include
- One way to make your homes eco-friendly is shifting to eco-friendly appliances and equipment
- Another way to make your homes eco-friendly is by practising or implementing sustainable tips and dos that we all are told about. Therefore, let us focus on both factors in detail.
What are some ways to shift to greener appliances and equipment?
With the increasing technological revolution, it is becoming dominantly inevitable that all households are thronged with tons of electrical and electronic equipment. The main idea behind the presence and use of this equipment is to facilitate and elevate the quality of life.
However, one factor that had been ignored in the past was that this equipment does come at some price. This includes the buying cost and the use cost. However, one aspect that many get easily oblivious to is that these devices and equipment also impact the environment severely.
The reason why there is a negative relationship between electronic equipment and the environment is given below
- A majority of the devices are either made from metals or plastics. Both materials are non-biodegradable and rely on non-renewable resources. This means that there is a blunt consumption of non-renewable resources to make these devices and equipment.
- The next we have is the usability cost. The devices run on electricity or batteries. When it comes to batteries, these batteries are made from metals and are needed to be discarded which will create waste problems.
The case of electricity is no different as in most cases electricity comes from the burning of fossil fuels which not only leads to the depletion of non-renewable resources but also the emergence of environmental anomalies such as pollution and climate change. - Lastly, when these devices are of no use, they are discarded recklessly. This means there is the problem of waste accumulation and environmental degradation such as pollution. Nearby life including humans may also be severely impacted.
Therefore, based on these points, it is essentially important to alleviate and reduce the negative relationship between these devices and the environment. This can be done by considering the following actions.
Shifting to renewable sources of energy
As it has been stated that most of the energy comes from fossil fuels burning which not only leads to the depletion of limited resources (non-renewable resources) but also the addition of environmental problems such as pollution, global warming et cetera.
Therefore, it is rather incumbent to shift towards renewable sources of energy such as electricity. When it comes to that, one of the best candidates is solar energy.
Therefore, it is advised to have solar panels installed and, therefore, depend on the sun because doing so will not put the environment at risk.
Having a compost place
One of the most pressing issues is the way home products are discarded because this leads to environmental problems of waste buildup and pollution.
When non-biodegradable materials and devices are plainly discarded as regular trash, a lot is put at risk because some of the devices are also included in the category of household hazardous waste.
Therefore, one innovative way to tackle this at home is the installation of recycling centres and compost setups.
Recycling and composting are effective ways to deal with waste. Composting is the process of the conversion of organic waste into compost. This can be used as a natural fertiliser and leads to many eco benefits.
For composting, there is not much you need to do. All you need to do is to have some accessible backyard space and the assurance that the waste you plan on composting is organic in nature.
Switch to energy-efficient appliances
Another great way to help the environment is by shifting to energy-efficient appliances because these appliances will consume less energy and thus, there will be a decreased dependency on non-renewable resources.
Examples of these smart appliances may include LED bulbs, smart thermostats, motion-sensitive lights et cetera.
When you switch to these energy-efficient appliances, not only better utility is offered, you will have fewer bills to take care of, and the environment will be given less pressure to deal with.
Having a recycling centre
The idea of how appliances and devices relate to the environment and waste issues has been well-established. Therefore, you need to have smart and eco-friendly disposal options and when it comes to that recycling is one of the best options.
The problem with composting is that it can only be done with natural, biodegradable and organic waste such as cardboard et cetera.
However, recycling can be done for both biodegradable and nonbiodegradable materials. In fact, it is even claimed that recycling is one of the best ways to deal with non-biodegradable waste. Therefore, it is greatly recommended to have a recycling centre in your home.
However, if you can not afford one, the best option is to responsibly discard your waste in recycling centres.
Use natural or biobased products
The products that are mostly used, be it plastic bags or cleaning agents, rely on chemicals and fossil fuels.
Therefore, it is best to avoid these products and shift to biodegradable and biocompatible alternatives.
For example, plastic bags can be replaced by bio-based bags that are biodegradable. Also, chemical-based detergents or soaps can be replaced with natural and organic alternatives that are good for the environment as well as our health.
What are some of the practices to make your home more eco-friendly? (11 practices)
When it comes to the practices of making our homes more eco-friendly, consider the following points
- Continuously check for leaks or any other repair work that may be required as it can deplete the resource badly
- Prefer paying bills online to make sure that paper (along with ink) is not wasted in the billing process.
- Be conservative with water and other resources usage
- Use low-energy and low-flow equipment
- Reuse materials and devices as much as you can
- Have many plants indoors and outdoors. Install air purifier plants and you will be freed from the need to depend on electronic air purifiers.
- Always prefer to make your homes lighty and airy to make sure you use the least amount of lights and bulbs. Let the sunlight do its magic.
- Try to buy pre-loved or recycled furniture because it will lead to better resource management
- Prefer green and eco-friendly brands that make use of PCR materials and natural ingredients
- Be water efficient when taking a shower
- Prefer eco-friendly paints that use minimal or no VOCs to ensure the positive relationship with the environment is kept intact
Conclusion
It is concluded that the article discussed several ways to make your home more eco-friendly. The ways included individual practices to bridge the gap between homes and eco-friendliness. Also, a detailed comment was made on how to shift to greener appliances in a way to support the environment, your health and utility.
References
- 20 Ways To Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly. Retrieved from: https://ionsolar.com/20-ways-to-make-your-home-more-eco-friendly/
- Erickson, Alexa. (February 6, 2023). 11 Ways to Make Your House Greener. Retrieved from: https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/11-ways-to-make-your-house-greener/