We all have a role to play in protecting the planet from further damage, and the best place to start is at home. We’ve put together four of the easiest and best ways you can make your home more sustainable, helping to reduce your carbon footprint and save some money along the way!
Ways to Make Your Home Sustainable
1. Grow your own vegetables
We all buy fruit and vegetables from the grocery store during our weekly shop, but the reality is, we can save money and the planet by growing our own produce. Even if you only have a small balcony, there are food items that you can grow yourself, and if you have no outdoor space at all, you can grow herbs on your window ledge.
Doing so is not only cheaper for you, but it’s also far more resourceful than relying on fresh produce that is more often than not flown halfway across the world for your convenience. Things like peas, broad beans, potatoes, onions, and radishes can all be grown at home. If you have space, consider planting a fruit tree like a plum tree or an orange tree to get fresh fruit on demand. Fewer air miles will make your home far more sustainable in the long term, and you may even find things you’ve grown yourself taste a lot better than store-bought items.
2. Reduce waste
The next thing you can do to make your home more sustainable is to reduce the amount of waste you produce. The average American household produces roughly 3.2 tons of waste every year, much of which can be reduced through the more conscious decision making and careful attempts to reduce waste as a whole.
For example, food waste is a massive issue and is one of the biggest contributors to climate change worldwide. We’re all conscious of throwing away food, but before you start to scrape your plate contents into the bin, consider if you can re-use any of it for leftovers for lunch. If not, put it in the compost bin – your vegetables will thrive from it!
Try and limit waste that you do produce to recyclable rubbish only. This means things like cardboard boxes, paper, and jar packaging. Try and buy products with minimal packaging or packaging that is 100% recyclable. This will go a long way to making your home more sustainable.
3. Install renewable energy sources
If you can, look at installing renewable energy sources to help reduce your household’s reliance on fossil fuels. Not everyone will have the means to do this, but if you do, it’s well worth it. There are several ways you can do this, with the most common being to install solar panels.
Solar energy is clean and can reduce your bills in the long run, making it worth it from a money-saving perspective, too.
4. Use eco-friendly alternatives
Our final tip for making your home more sustainable is to try and use eco-friendly alternatives for things like cleaning products and washing detergents. Whether you choose to use natural remedies like baking soda and water to deodorize your kitchen, or if you choose to boil lemon slices as opposed to spraying a chemical air freshener, there are lots of ways you can clean your home using eco-friendly alternatives.
Not just this, but you can also look to shop for re-usable items like cleaning cloths as opposed to using non-eco-friendly wipes.
Summary
These are just some of the ways you can make your home more sustainable. Are there any ways you have made your home more sustainable that aren’t on this list?
