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Going green starts at home. From recycling and composting to using eco-friendly
products, there are a handful of simple, everyday practices that you can put
into action to make your home a more sustainable and green place to live.
Choose Earth-Friendly Home Products
Say
goodbye to those harsh, chemical-ridden products in your bathroom and kitchen;
say hello to something that’s both eco-friendly and safe for your family as
well as the environment. The Environmental
Working Group has reported that the chemicals and cleaning agents found
in many common household cleaning items can lead to birth defects, asthma
risks, respiratory issues, chemical burns and cancer.
Consider
checking out Amway.com
for safer, eco-friendly options. Here, you can find dozens of
household and everyday products that are safe for you, your family and the
planet.
Avoid Unnecessary Waste
The
United States makes up one-third of the global trash that exists, even though
our country accounts for only 5 percent of the world's population, according to
the Environmental Protection Agency. Data reported by Virginia Tech shows
that 65
percent of Americans do not recycle simply because it’s too
confusing, takes too much work and isn’t required.
The
effort to cut back on waste starts at home. You can recycle your unwanted glass
bottles and plastics, and compost paper products and food waste such as banana
and orange peels and egg shells. It’s easier than you might think. The experts
at Gardener's Supply Company offer tips to make learning how to
compost simple.
Save Energy
A smart
thermostat can not only save energy, it can also save you money. There are
hundreds of “smart” devices on the market; many of these items are probably
already in use in your own home. Why should your home’s thermostat be any
different?
Consider
updating that old thermostat to Nest, a smart thermostat that
is programmable directly from your smartphone. The thermostat can even sense
when nobody is home and turn off your heating or cooling to save energy. Nest
is even smart enough to learn your settings and preferences.
Look for Eco-Labels
Many of
today’s appliances are not only state-of-the-art but eco-friendly as well.
Manufacturers have made it easier for consumers to make informed decisions
about what they are purchasing at the store by adding eco-labels to their
products. You’ve likely seen these labels, such as the Energy Star
sticker, on your home’s appliances or on products in the stores.
According
to the Department of Energy, Energy Star-rated dishwashers use 41 percent less
energy than other dishwashers without the eco-label. Washing machines with the
label can cut water usage by 40 percent. If you’re ready to update your home
appliances, consider Energy Star-rated products to save money and energy.
Teach It
One of
the best ways to carry on a legacy of sustainability is to teach what you
practice. Encourage your entire family to recycle or compost. Talk with your
kids and engage in an educational discussion about the health of the planet and
what it means for all of the plants and animals living here.
The best
way to encourage action from those closest to you is to lead by example. It’s
not hard to do. Start small and you might just see big changes.
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What are your eco-friendly practices within your home?
I find Sydney to have MUCH more systems in place for recycling than any other place I've ever lived. From our council garbage pick-up, we get 3 bins per household: one for miscellaneous trash, one for garden waste, and one for recyclables.
ReplyDeleteWe have The Nest at our house and really enjoy it! I'm not sure we've seen a difference in our bills (maybe slightly), but that may change a bit more once we get the windows done in our place.
ReplyDeleteI definitely love how energy-efficient appliances have become to help with this problem but yes I'm all about saving energy by reducing electric use and of course recycling.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why our country doesn't require recycling. It's easy and, in my town, it's free to recycle. We don't even have to sort anything where I live. Very few things make me more mad than seeing someone litter. I want to run up and grab their burning cigarette butt that they toss out and throw it right back in the window at them and say, "Do YOU like that?! Because the earth doesn't either!"
ReplyDeletewe could be better. I try to be as green as possible but it's posts like this that remind me how much better I could be doing!
ReplyDeleteI am half green. Not green enough. Love the edible drink rings on sodas etc to save the wild life in oceans etc. get on it Pepsi coke. All of you drink manufacturers!
ReplyDeleteLove. Your. Momma.
Great post. These are really helpful tips. I haven't been that green but I have been trying to get better. I'm even teaching my 92 year old Grandmother to be more green. I changed all her light bulbs to energy efficient and she hates them. Her eyesight isn't great so she doesn't like that the light takes time to get bright. haha but she does love recycling.
ReplyDeleteI have slowly been working towards getting less harsh products in our house and reducing the amount of icky chemicals that seem to be in everything. It's a work in progress, but we're getting there!
ReplyDeleteCould not love this post more! I'm huge on recycling and using earth friendly products, every week when I pull my overflowing recycling bins to the curb I have a sense of satisfaction :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't set up a recycling station since I moved and I've been meaning to. #kickinthebooty Also checking out your other post!
ReplyDeleteWe have high efficiency appliances in our house, and the fancy light bulbs. I wish we had a recycling service, but we live too far out to be offered such luxuries.
ReplyDeletewonderful tips!!! I'm all about doing what I can in this regard as I thin it's so important! I don't compost yet either because we literally have no place to do it that wouldn't bring flies. I'm not sure how to go about that (so short on space as is)! But yes, so very important! thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteI wish we could have a Nest, but our boiler is too ancient to function with one. That makes me sad. Renting in general I feel gives you less control about certain things, like appliance choices, insulation etc but we do what we can and we're lucky with the recycling situation in our county. We have 3 recycling bins and even our normal rubbish doesn't go to landfill. Pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteIn my home, its just a constant fight. NO ONE - I mean NO ONE in my family cares about recycling. It literally causes arguments because I can't make them see. They dont care. So I'm always trying to recycle for MANY in my area. sigh. The struggle is real.
ReplyDeleteMy fiancé teases me about being obsessed with recycling. We live in an apartment complex right now and they really don't have a recycling spot set up and it gets me so mad!! it's such an easy thing to do I just don't understand people who are too lazy to do it!
ReplyDeleteMy kids are 4 and 6 and already know the importance of recycling and love to help me recycle products each week. It takes such little effort which is why I don't understand why people don't do it.
ReplyDeletei only just got my work to allow recycling... i've been here over 2 years. we go through a case of water every other day (bottled water). i don't drink it, i drink from the tap, but not only was everyone drinking bottled water but they weren't recycling. i feel like it's such a small thing but i kept fighting for it because it is so ridiculous that we were throwing all of that away. the smart thermostats seem really cool!
ReplyDeleteSpot on, Steph! Great tips. Tweeted. :-)
ReplyDelete