Go Green By Implementing These Simple Changes Into Your Life

Go Green By Implementing These Simple Changes Into Your Life
Go Green By Implementing These Simple Changes Into Your Life

Green living is a perfect way for regular folks like us to reduce our impact on the environment. Not all of us may realize it, but as a household, we can make a significant difference when it comes to being green. Reducing our waste, using less water, and purchasing recycled or energy efficient household appliances are just some simple examples of how we can live in a more environmentally friendly way. The long-term benefits of going green as a family may be much further reaching as you thought. Not only does it improve the living standards in your neighborhood, it can also help you to save money. But where do we start? Listed below, are some simple tips and tricks to keep in mind when going green.

 

Water and energy

You may not realize it, but the amount of water and energy we use as a household has a major effect on nature and the environment. Luckily, it is relatively easy to reduce our water and energy consumption. Not only will this help us save the environment, it will also significantly reduce our monthly expenditure as a family. Have a look at these 8 easy ways to reduce your water and energy consumption and see how your family can make a difference.

  • Replace regular bulbs with LED or CFL bulbs
  • Do not leave appliances plugged in when they are not in use
  • Use cold water to wash your clothes
  • Adjust the temperature of your thermostat to save on heating and cooling costs
  • Let your clothes dry naturally without using a drying machine
  • Adjust the water pressure or install a low-flow shower head
  • Take shorter showers
  • Only wash your car and water the garden when absolutely necessary

 

Cooling and heating

Cooling and heating our home is perhaps the activity that has the largest influence on the environment. When we cool down or heat up our house, we are using a fair amount of energy to make this possible. Naturally, we could simply choose to adjust the temperature of our thermostat with a couple degrees. Although this already has a major influence on our energy consumption, there are some other ways in which we can further reduce the effect of our heating and cooling activities on the environment.

  • By upgrading the insulation of your water heater through the use of a water heater blanket, you can save up to 9% on your winter heating bill.
  • Use light-blocking window shades to keep the sun out of your home during the summer months to reduce the costs needed to cool down your home.
  • Upgrade your insulation by installing weatherstrips and door sweeps to your doors and windows to prevent hot or cold air from flowing out of your home.
  • Dirty filters can be the cause of your heating or cooling system to work inefficiently. Therefore it is recommended by the U.S. Environmental Agency to change them on a monthly basis.

 

Recycle and reuse

Not every impact we have on the environment is directly linked to our own energy and water consumption. There are several ways in which we, as a household, can indirectly have an effect on the environment without even noticing it. A perfect example of this is waste.

Waste production is a major problem in many countries around the world. It costs fuel to pick up waste and it requires even more energy to dispose of it in a proper manner. Besides, there are plenty of materials circulating on this earth that are chemical or toxic. When those end up in nature after usage, the effects can be catastrophic. Although most items we have at home won’t be that bad for nature, we still are using some materials in our daily life that are bad for the environment such as batteries and plastics. Luckily, it is pretty simple to live more sustainable by means of reducing our waste.

  • Only buy that what you really need.
  • Cook smaller portions of food for yourself and your family.
  • Don’t throw away leftovers.
  • Reuse empty containers for storing items or food.
  • Pick products with sustainable and recyclable packaging such as glass jars or tin containers
  • Try to stay away from plastic products and packaging materials. These are bad for the environment and your health as they may contain toxic chemicals.
  • Donate items that you do not need anymore. Just because something has lost its value to you, does not mean it can’t make others happy. Donating goods is an easy way to cut down on your waste.
  • A great way to reduce food waste is to compost it. You can either set up your own compost bin or bring leftover food and green garbage to a local farmer who can turn it into pig food.

 

Adjust your eating habits

Without realizing it, our eating habits tell a lot about our sustainability. Eating too much and throwing away leftover is bad. However, there is much more to it. You may not have thought about it before, but the production of certain food products have a major (negative) influence on the environment. Check out these 5 simple tricks below to reduce your impact on the environment by adjusting your eating habits.

  • By buying fresh and local ingredients, your food has a significantly lower impact on the environment as it was not chemically treated or transported around the country.
  • Pay attention to food packaging and stay away from items wrapped in unnecessary amounts of plastic. The next time you go to the market, you can even bring your own reusable containers to buy fruits or vegetables.
  • Reuse leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner. Food can easily stay fresh for a couple of days when packed well inside your refrigerator. Just make sure to reheat it in a pot or, when using the microwave, inside a glass or ceramic jar. Stay away from plastic jars as these may contain toxic chemicals that are bad for your health such as BPA.
  • Try to have one meat-free meal per week. Raising livestock such as beef and pork produces a large number of greenhouse gases. If we would all cut back on our meat consumption just one day per week, we could already make a significant impact. In fact, when a family of 4 has one meat-free day per week, their impact is similar as to if they were driving a hybrid car.
  • Stay away from bottled water. Plastic bottles the number one polluter to our environment. If you want to bring along water on the go, simply re-use a single bottle and fill it up with tap water. In most countries, there is absolutely no need to buy a new water bottle every time you go out.