From Guest Blogger Angela: Ways to be Eco-Friendly at Home You Never Thought of Before
Saving the environment isn’t just about petitioning your local leaders to implement legislature and expecting others to do the job. Like with anything else, changing the world starts at home. If you want to clean the environment and make the world a greener place, consider putting any of these six methods into practice in your house.
Grow a Garden in Your Backyard
Image via Flickr by rad(ish)labs
Planting a garden is more than just throwing a seed in the ground and waiting for it to grow. Although it takes a lot of time and energy, there are many benefits to growing your own fruits, vegetables, and spices. Not only does growing your own garden reduce your carbon footprint, but it also helps you save money, offers you fresher produce, and enhances your general outlook on life by giving you numerous physical and spiritual benefits. If you want to learn how to grow your own garden, check out this site.
Use a Toaster Oven Instead of a Stove Oven
It’s easy to overlook what your toaster oven can do for you when you have a big stove oven at your disposal, but there are both financial and environmental benefits associated with doing this. It takes about 2 kWh to heat a stove oven at 350 degrees for one hour, while it takes about .95 kWh to heat a toaster oven at 425 degrees for 50 minutes. The toaster oven costs about half as much to heat in this comparison. So not only are you spending less, but you’re using less energy, too.
Make a Compost Bin
Image via Flickr by pjchmiel
Making a compost bin is inexpensive and it’ll provide you with plenty of benefits. First, the food waste you produce can go directly into the composter instead of your trash bag. As a result, this waste produces a soil that’s rich in nutrients and cheaper than the stuff you’d buy at the store. This fertilizer is also natural, so you know it doesn’t have any harmful chemicals in it. If you’ve taken the above advice and grown your own garden, then you can use this compost to help your produce grow better.
Wash Your Body and Your Clothes in Cold Water
Taking cold showers or baths might seem like a daunting task since you’re so used to using the hot water, but believe it or not, there are many benefits turning down your water’s temperature. Not only is it known to improve circulation, relieve depression, keep skin and hair healthy, strengthen immunity, and increase fertility and energy, but it also puts more money in your pockets. Washing your clothes in cold water saves about 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which equates to about $100.
Clean Your Home With Homemade Cleaners
Not only are brand name cleaners harmful to the environment – the process of them getting to the store and then your use of them in your home – but they’re also expensive. To save the environment from these toxic chemicals and put more money in your pockets, consider making your own homemade cleaner from alternative products. This list has an extensive amount of recipes for cleaners that’ll help you sanitize everything in your home, from your bathroom toilet to your living room ceiling fan.
Close Your Curtains in the Summer Time
Image via Flickr by Futuregirl_LeahRiley
Homes in Florida facing the west are exposed to many hours of the sun’s heat during the summer months. If you find yourself in a similar situation, it’s important that you protect your home from burning unnecessary energy by installing thick curtains or blinds. Instead of running the air conditioner all day to make up for the amount of heat your home is taking in, use these curtains and blinds to protect it from pouring in. Not only will your AC thank you, but your wallet or purse will, too.
If you think becoming eco-friendly at home only impacts the environment outside of it, think again. If helping the environment isn’t enough to make you change your habits, then perhaps how it affects your bank account will. Try any one of these six ways and you’re sure to not only save money, but make a positive impact on the environment.
