Making an Eco-Friendly Home
Living an eco-friendly life doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you love and live on a diet of nuts and seeds. Some people move into tiny houses and Ecocapsules to live a zero-carbon life. We all make a big difference by taking small steps. Create your cozy, eco-friendly home in achievable ways. We show you five relatively simple ways to do it!
Your Eco-Friendly Home in 5 Steps:
1 | Use Renewable Energy
Easiest for those who own their property, investing in renewable energy sources helps save the environment and your wallet. Getting solar panels or wind turbines installed reduces your carbon footprint. It also cuts down on electricity and heating bills.
Renting space makes it more challenging to choose renewable energy sources. Even still, there are ways to utilize renewable energy. For instance, if you want to line your backyard with outdoor lighting, buy solar powered options. Remember that each change, no matter how small, takes you one step closer to having an eco-friendly home.
2 | Grow Your Own Food
Grocery store vegetables come from all over the world wrapped in plastic. There is nothing green about that. Get out in the garden and start a vegetable patch to support your eco-friendly home in fun, easy ways. It provides you with delicious and healthy food.
Gardening also improves mental and physical health. And you don’t need a backyard to grow your own food. Grow herbs and vegetables in containers, if you have a small balcony. Alternatively, join a community garden, allowing you to connect with new people while growing your dinner!
3 | Compost & Collect Rainwater
If you’ve decided to start a vegetable garden for your eco-friendly home, create your own compost. In America, about 40 million tons of food goes to waste every year.
Collect food scraps and get a composting bin to decompose the organic matter. Then, use it as fertilizer for your garden.
Put out a few buckets and allow them to collect rainwater. Water your garden is this simple and sustainable way. It also cuts down your water bills.
4 | Recyle More
We’ve all been told to reduce, reuse, and recycle. As simple as it sounds, these three simple acts do a lot in creating your eco-friendly home. And there are endless ways to take this sentiment beyond just recycling your glass bottles and cardboard.
Reupholster an old to give it that fresh look. If your home needs renovating, choose an eco-conscious designer who uses reclaimed materials. Get creative and tackle home updates or repairs without buying new. Choose to repair your clothes rather than buying new ones. Why not try some Rit and dye a clothing item or two.
5 | Use Only What You Need
Once again, this simple rule of sustainability makes a huge difference for your eco-friendly home. If everyone (including the government) strived to only use what they actually needed, we might not be in a climate crisis.
Simple things like layering rather than jacking the AC or heat makes a massive difference. We live in a culture that encourages the “more is more” attitude. It’s unsustainable. The Earth provides us with everything we need, if only everyone just took what they actually needed. Make this your number one house rule, and you’ll soon live in an eco-friendly home.
Small Steps to a Eco-Friendly Home
Remember to be kind to yourself on your journey towards making an eco-friendly home and living a more sustainable life. Sadly, our society and economic model intentionally makes it difficult to live sustainably. There will inevitably be times where you opt for convenience over sustainability. This doesn’t make you a horrible person or mean you should give up. The reality is that you’re just one person and you alone won’t be able to save the world. Taking small steps and appreciating the little changes is important and inspires others to follow in your footsteps. Read more about inspirational houses.