Simple Steps to an Eco-Friendly Home
Eco-Friendly Home
Everyone’s worried about the environment. Every day we see it in the news. The planet is in trouble and we’re running out of time. You may be thinking that there’s just no hope, with all of the bad news. One person doing something can’t make a difference.Do not despair. There’s still a lot that can be done starting with your eco-friendly home.
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Looking around and deciding where you can cut waste is the first step. Very hard on the environment is the heating and cooling of a house, which requires vast amounts of energy. Try closing your curtains and using fans instead of air conditioning in the summer. Having been turned on mindlessly as soon as the first hot day arrives, your air conditioning shouldn’t be left on continuously through the entire summer season. Get to know what the weather is doing outside your door. Ask yourself if you can manage without the AC. A warm breeze often feels better than a cool, closed room.
In the winter time, try lowering the thermostat and layering on the sweaters. Drape yourself in a warm, cozy blanket when you are watching tv or reading. It’s better for the environment and it feels good, too.
Water usage is another area you can make your home more eco-friendly. You should be sure to have in place, ultra low-flush toilets. Low-flow aerators and shower heads should be installed in your sinks and showers. Still doing the job well, these units use much less water.
Dishwashers and washing machines should only be run when there is a full load – wasteful would be anything less. And when the laundry’s done, why not hang it up to dry? No fabric softener in the world smells as good as laundry that’s been dried outdoors.
Next time you hear of a hazardous waste drop off day, round up your collection of cleaning and laundry products containing dangerous chemicals and drop them off. A leading cause of indoor air pollution is the use of harsh chemicals.
General cleaning requires only vinegar, baking soda and hot water. A bit of dish soap to take care of grease and your house is clean and safe!
The eco-friendly home is not hard to achieve. If it seems like the problem is too big, remember, it took millions of bad choices to get us into this situation. It’ll take millions of good ones to get us out.
A writer living in South Florida, Beverly Clarke is also an Interior Designer. Contributing to a cleaner world is one of her most fervent interests. She offers many facts and ideas on how to help save our environment through the use of alternative fuels and by recycling just about everything.
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