Looking for ways to create an eco-friendly home? There are things you can do every day to reduce pollution, improve your impact on the planet, and make your home a safer and healthier place for you and your family. From big investments such as purchasing a home that produces renewable energy through solar power to small changes such as recycling cans and bottles, doing your part is easier than you think. In honor of Earth Day on April 22nd and this year’s theme of “Restore Our Earth,” we’ve got a few tips on how to make a difference in your home today and every day.
Tip 1: Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
One of the easiest switches to make is with your cleaning products. Many mainstream cleaning products contain various ingredients that are harmful to the environment. Chemicals such as detergents, preservatives, or foaming agents are the ones that cause the most harm to nature’s biodiversity. Switching to products that contain sustainably grown ingredients, opting instead for those that contain no synthetic ingredients. And as we have seen increased attention to hygiene and wellness during the COVID-19 era world, we now have an even higher demand for eco-friendly disinfecting products.
Tip 2: Switch to Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper
Did you know it takes at least 17 trees and more than 90,000 liters of water to make a ton of toilet paper rolls? If the average person uses 100 rolls a year, you can see why using regular toilet paper is not good for the environment. Eco-friendly toilet paper (tissue and paper towels too) is made out of bamboo, which grows almost 40 inches each day. This makes it a much more sustainable option
Tip 3: Just Say No to Single Use Straws
Yes, plastic is bad for the environment, and straws make a bigger impact than you might think. Plastic straws can take up to 200 years to decompose, but what’s even worse? Straws are sharp and millions of sea animals eat them thinking they are food. These straws can end up hurting them and even choking them to death.
Tip 4: Cut Excess Waste
Make a family pledge to stop using plastic and paper plates, silverware and cups. Think of it this way, Americans use up to 40 billion plastic utensils every year, most of five minutes or less. That’s some serious waste. Also consider using less paper towels and more cloth towels to clean.
Tip 5: Cut Energy Waste
Did you know that Americans spend $350 billion a year on electricity? And three-quarters of that goes to waste? Such excess is definitely contributing to pollution and global warming. Fortunately there are some easy ways to make a big impact:
- Renewable Energy: Purchasing a home that is powered by solar means a home that burns no fuel and releases no greenhouse gases, making solar an effective solution for converting energy to electricity. Plus your finances benefit too.
- Purchase Smart Appliances and utilize apps on your smartphone to manage your energy-saving appliances such as washers, dryers, refrigerators, lighting fixtures, and more.
- Unplug: You’d be amazed at how much energy you’d save by just unplugging electric devices and appliances when not in use.
- Take Shorter Showers: Even cutting them down by five minutes can not only save water, but it will also reduce water-heating costs. Fun tip? Turn on a five-minute playlist each time you shower and then challenge yourself to finish before the music does.
