From Guest Blogger Ann Neal: Six Timeless Tips to Convert Your Apartment into a Sustainable Home
A research report shared by United Nations reveals that cities produce three-quarters of the world’s greenhouse emissions. Moreover, according to an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, if the global warming phenomenon continues unabated, half the homes in nearly 21 American cities will be under the oceans by the year 2100.
As cities are booming with population and industrial development, they face extreme environmental degradation and greenhouse emissions. Consequently, cities are warmer than their surroundings (urban heat island effect).
Simple modifications in your home and lifestyle can help you live a sustainable life, thereby reducing your ecological footprint.
Here are six effortless tips to transform your home into a living space that respects the environment.
1. Focus on the Golden R’s – Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse
Controlling the amount of waste generated in your apartment can minimize it being diverted to landfills, thereby reducing greenhouse emissions and protecting the environment.
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Reduce
Curb the temptation to buy new products. Every product you purchase has an ecological footprint. Hence, before buying anything, ask yourself whether you really need it.
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Recycle
Recycling is an effortless way to make a positive impact on the environment. Waste like aluminum cans, glass, cardboard, plastics, and paper can be easily recycled. In fact, recycling paper helps save forests, reduces pollution, and preserves our natural resources.
Since all plastics are not recyclable, it is wise to check the number mentioned (ranging from one to seven) at the bottom of the plastic items, enabling you to figure out whether or not they can be recycled.
Moreover, organic waste (leftover food, fruit and vegetable peels, and plant clippings) can be recycled by converting it into rich plant fertilizer using an indoor compost heap.
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Reuse
When sent to landfills, waste items like paper bags, envelopes, newspapers, and other packaging material take decades to degrade, contributing to the global warming effect. Thus, it is advisable to reuse instead of discard such waste. For instance, onion sacs, egg cartons, paper boxes, and other waste items can be used creatively to reduce the amount of packaging waste created.
2. Pay Attention to the Health of Your HVAC System
Outdated and inadequately-maintained heating and cooling systems can prove to be energy suckers, thereby increasing your energy costs and negatively impacting the environment.
Hire an HVAC professional who can check your heating and cooling and home insulation systems, thereby preventing issues like air leaks, backdrafts, and inefficient use of energy and water. Only an expert can help you assess the health of the HVAC components, namely condensing unit, filters, ducts, and the heat flow meter, enabling you to prioritize energy-efficient upgrades in your apartment.
Maintaining the health of your HVAC and insulation system can save you a considerable amount of energy, thereby converting your apartment into a sustainable home.
3. Pay Attention to the Landscaping
When embracing sustainable living, sound landscape planning can go a long way in making your house resource-and-energy-efficient, allowing you to save limited resources like electricity and water.
Urban homes offer limited scope for efficient landscaping; yet, some smart planning can help you create a conducive and eco-friendly environment in and around your apartment.
Plants have a significant effect on the energy costs of apartment buildings. Strategically placing plants around buildings can also reduce the runoff flowing into and polluting the sewers and waterways. Choose plants and shrubs that are native to the area you live in, thereby improving the air quality and lowering the heating and cooling costs.
If you live on the top floor, consider investing in a green roof that not only adds aesthetic value, but also offers a world of environmental benefits. Planting green roofs in urban settings can help insulate your apartment, thereby reducing the heating and cooling costs, conserving energy, and minimizing your carbon footprint.
4. Invest in Water-And-Energy-Efficient Fixtures and Appliances
Old appliances often use a huge amount of energy and water, thereby depleting earth’s natural reserves. Moreover, statistics reveal that a household can save up to 13 thousand gallons of water per year merely by replacing leaking faucets and inefficient fixtures and appliances.
Consider investing in appliances and fixtures that carry an Energy Star and WaterSense tag, thereby reducing the wasteful use of resources and minimizing the energy costs.
High-efficiency water-heaters, dishwashers, refrigerators, light fixtures, and other household appliances are designed to effectively utilize energy and minimize the ensuing greenhouse emissions.
Consider replacing old equipment with the ones having an Energy Star badge. What’s more, you can receive a tax credit of up to $500 for using these eco-friendly appliances!
Also, get your apartment’s plumbing system checked thoroughly to fix damaged pipes and leaking valves. Installing an ultrasonic water flow meter can help you test leaks in the system, thus reducing the amount of water flowing down the drain and helping you achieve your sustainability goals.
5. Make Eco-Friendly Consumer Choices
Your buying decisions have a huge impact on the environment. Imagine investing in an energy-efficient washing machine to save energy whilst your detergent and fabric softener contain synthetic fragrances and toxic chemicals that end up in the drain, polluting the environment. Your entire effort to go green is wasted owing to a poor choice made when buying the detergent.
Make sure you research the product well before buying something that could harm the environment.
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Check the Product Label
From daily commodities like coffee and tea to fashionable clothing, all products carry labels that offer valuable insights on whether or not the goods were manufactured using sustainable manufacturing practices.
For instance, agricultural products carry a Fair Trade USA label, indicating that the production of these items is free from forced labor or poor working conditions and the producer adheres to sustainable practices.
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Research the Manufacturer
Before buying a commodity for your apartment, it is worthwhile researching the manufacturing firm to know whether it cares for the environment. If the company supports sustainability, it will have received accolades from the media and well-known environment experts.
Secondly, the business will proudly show off a Green Business Certification logo on its products, thereby offering customers a valid proof of its social responsibility.
Lastly, websites like Climate Counts offer a corporate scorecard on companies’ efforts to address various environmental issues and achieve their sustainability goals.
Making eco-aware shopping choices will help reduce the burden on the environment and encourage others around you to live a sustainable lifestyle.
6. Use Renewable Sources of Energy
Solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal heat are sustainable forms of energy that reduce our dependability on conventional fuels.
Take advantage of your local climate and install solar panels on the building roofs and windows, thus reducing your household’s utility bills and conserving natural resources. Moreover, investing in a solar energy system qualifies you for the Solar Investment Tax Credit (30 percent federal tax credit) on your system that is available through the year 2022.
If the field of renewable energy excites you, download a free e-copy of the Amazon best-seller energy book, ‘Renewable Energy Facts and Fantasies’ that offers interesting insights on clean and sustainable energy sources.
Sustainable living is not only beneficial to the environment, it also lowers your apartment’s operational costs. Use the tips shared in this article to convert your apartment into an ultra-efficient sustainable home that cares for the environment.
