One of my friends was recently telling me how she would really like to be greener at her new condo. She wanted to start out on the right foot and get good habits in this new environment (like a fresh start).
When we first shared our tips and habits, I was wondering in reality how green I was myself and if I could also change some of my habits at home to be more eco-friendly. So I decided to do some research and I eventually came up with these top 10 tips of how to be more green at home, besides just recycling because everyone can agree that it’s a minimum.
1- Use Less Energy
- Lower the temperature of your thermostat during winter time or use the air conditioner a bit less during summer.
- Swap all your light bulbs for high efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs
- Wash your clothes with cold water and hang them instead of using the dryer
- Unplug your appliances when you’re not using them (don’t leave anything on standby)
2- Use Less Water
- Install a low-flow showerhead
- Collect rainwater to water the plants
- Take shorter and colder showers
3- Stop buying bottled water
- Keep your empty bottles of water, buy a filter and always keep a few ready in the fridge. Try to always carry one with you to avoid having to buy one.
4- Buy in Bulk
- Avoid buying products that are individually packed and buy them in bulk instead. Buy food containers instead of bags. This is also a good way to save money on your grocery shopping because most products are cheaper when bought in large quantities.
5- Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies
- Just a few ingredients are required: vinegar, baking soda, lemon and soap. You will save money, use less packaging, and will lower the number of chemicals that enter your house.
6- Stop Putting Electronics in the Trash
- Bring old batteries to the nearest Home Depot store or any other place that takes them. Find where you can recycle your old mobile, TV, microwave and more here.
7- Pay all Your Bills Online
- Stop wasting paper and make your life easier. Don’t miss the payment of a bill anymore because of a post strike for example and receive everything directly in your emails. Have a look at a service called ePost that allows you to receive and store all your bills online.
8- Donate and Shop at Thrift Stores
- Stop buying new products and try to get it used first. Kijiji and Craigslist are great places to find what you need.
9- Install a Compost Bin
- This is a great way to save on ‘fertilizer’ and to waste less. You can even use your compost to plant a garden if you have enough space and this will make you even greener ;)
10- Reuse
- Keep all the plastic containers and reuse them as containers for leftovers. Keep all those Mason jars and reuse them to store dry food or turn them into something else, great ideas can be found on our Pinterest page.
The great thing about all these tips is that most of them will also help you to save money! They are all good starting points for a more frugal life, but more importantly for a more eco-friendly way of living. Simple to put in application, they can truly help making our world a better place to live.
Any other tips? Share them!