It’s possible for all of us to make small contributions to saving the planet. This includes making little changes around the home. Yes, you can invest in solar panels or install double pane windows – however there are effective measures you can take that are much cheaper and easier. Below are some of the simple ways to go green around your home.
Embrace recycling
If you don’t already recycle, starting now could be a great way to make a difference. So much of our waste ends up in landfill sites when it could be repurposed, helping prevent new materials from having to be harvested. The types of household items you can start recycling include:
- Cartons
- Egg boxes
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic bags
- Toilet roll tubes
- Aluminum cans
- Magazines and newspapers
- Batteries
- Aerosol cans
- Foil
- Envelopes
73% of Americans have access to curbside recycling. Rules as to which items can be put into which bins vary by area and state. It is important to make sure that you are sorting items correctly.
Certain items may need to be taken elsewhere to recycle them. Items like batteries for example have to be recycled in a specific way. Look for local battery recycling deposits to make sure that these items are disposed of correctly.
It’s important to clean items before you recycle them as this makes them easier to process. This includes items like food containers.
Reduce disposable plastics
Disposable plastics are one of the worst forms of waste that we produce because they take ages to break down and can end up putting microplastics into the soil and water. While recycling is one way to deal with plastic, you can also cut down on plastic waste by buying less disposable plastic items. Instead, consider eco-friendly alternatives that are reusable or biodegradable. A few examples include:
- Reusable metal straws: More eco-friendly than disposable plastic straws.
- Reusable water bottles: Refill with tap water instead of buying bottled water.
- Reusable bags: Opposed to bringing home a new bag every time you go grocery shopping.
- Bamboo toothbrushes: A biodegradable alternative to plastic toothbrushes.
- Organic tampons: Made with care and less harmful to the environment than those containing plastic.
- Organic wet wipes: Most wet wipes contain plastic, but there are bamboo and cotton alternatives to explore.
- Non-plastic-wrapped foods: Many grocery stores sell loose fruit and vegetables. You don’t need to buy fruit shrink-wrapped in plastic.
Switch to LEDs
Reducing our energy usage around the home can reduce the demand for fossil fuels like gas and oil. The combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity is one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions – so cutting down electricity usage in our home can reduce carbon emissions.
Traditional incandescent light bulbs use a lot of electricity. LED bulbs are a great alternative as they consume 75% less power. Consider switching to LEDs if you’re still using traditional bulbs around your home.
Turn down the heating
HVAC and central heating systems consume huge amounts of energy. In fact, in most households, over half of the energy consumed is used purely for heating.
By turning up the thermostat less often, you can drastically reduce your home’s energy consumption – saving money on energy bills and saving the planet. Start staying warm by wearing more layers of clothing indoors and warmer bedding at night. Obviously if it’s freezing cold outdoors, turn up the heating. But the heating doesn’t have to be roaring constantly in fall and winter.
Eat less meat
Meat production is more damaging to the environment than many of us realize. This is particularly the case with meats like beef – cattle produce huge amounts of methane and require lots of land to farm (which has traditionally involved cutting down huge areas of rainforest).
By eating less meat, we can reduce the demand for meat and help save the planet. This doesn’t necessarily mean going vegetarian or vegan – simply eating a few less meat dishes per week can still make a difference. Of course, vegetables and grains still require energy to grow and harvest, however it’s a lot less energy than that used to produce meat.
Wash full laundry loads
Washing machines tend to use more electricity than any other appliance in our home. While you can buy a more energy-efficient washing machine to reduce your carbon footprint, another solution is to simply use your washing machine less.
Many of us still divide clothing into colors and wash half loads of laundry. However, a lot of clothing nowadays can be mixed. By fully loading the washing machine each time, you can get through all your laundry more quickly and use less electricity in the process. Of course, it is important not to cram too much into your washing machine and to wash certain clothing separately such as delicates and white clothing.
Unplug appliances not in use
Many plugged-in appliances still consume power when turned off. By unplugging appliances that are not in use, you could reduce your household electricity usage and reduce carbon emissions.
Appliances that could be worth unplugging while not in use could include TVs, PCs, lamps, toasters, microwave ovens and speakers.
Explore these cheap insulation hacks
Insulation is a means of trapping heat inside your home. By reducing heat loss, you can keep your home warmer longer and reduce the need to use as much heating. This in turn can save you money and reduce your carbon footprint.
There are many major improvements you can make to your home to reduce heat loss including installing attic insulation, adding double pane windows and filling the crawl space of your home. However, you don’t have to splash out a huge amount of money to improve your home’s insulation. A few cheap and effective insulation tricks you can try include:
- Adding draft excluders to the bottom of doors: If you have gaps under external doors, a draft excluder could help prevent warm air getting out and cold air getting in.
- Hanging up heavy curtains during winter: Thick curtains can help to limit heat loss through windows.
- Using insulating film on windows: You can also apply insulating film to windows that can have a similar impact to installing double pane windows.
Grow plants indoors and outdoors
It’s also worth considering the benefits of plants. On top of looking pretty, plants produce oxygen and consume carbon – helping to actively clean up the atmosphere. They are a great antidote to pollution.
Planting a tree in your backyard is one of the most effective ways to save the planet. Trees produce huge amounts of oxygen, while also supporting local wildlife. While planting a large tree can be expensive and difficult, planting a tree as a sapling can be very cheap and easy. Just make sure to care for the tree as it grows so that it is able to reach full maturity.
Other plants (including houseplants) will also make a difference. Indoor plants are particularly good for controlling pollution levels within your home. This may not have much of a benefit on a grander scale, but can make your home’s air quality better and make it a healthier environment.
Conclusion
Saving the planet can be simple and cheap. Small measures such as recycling, using LEDs and growing plants around your home can help to reduce environmental issues around the world such as microplastic pollution and climate change. You don’t have to introduce all of these methods at once, however trying to adopt as many as you can will have a much more significant impact that simply embracing one or two.