We don’t set out to intentionally harm the earth. There are so many products available, and not enough information about how they can be damaging that in our busy lives it can be difficult to make eco-friendly decisions.
We have collated some of our favourite ways of making your home environmentally friendly to help you get started.
What is eco-friendly?
Eco-friendly is a term that bandied about a lot in the media, at work or the dinner table but what does it really mean? The short answer is that if something is eco-friendly, it is not harmful to the earth, it doesn’t add to water, air or land pollution and can help conserve resources like water and energy.
Environmentally friendly ideas
You may think that it is difficult and time-consuming to convert your home into an eco-friendly house. Here are a few easy ways to create your sustainable house that will help save the planet while helping to reduce pollution:
1. Steer away from chemicals
What sort of cleaning products are you using in your home? Are they chemically based and potentially harmful to you and your family? What about personal products like shampoos, soaps and toothpaste. Are they safe for your family and environmentally friendly? Why not trade them for chemical free based products that are great for everyone? Things like lemon, baking soda and white wine vinegar can be used instead of bleaches and strong disinfectants.
2. Energy use
Are you conscious of how much unnecessary energy that is used in your home? Did you know that around one-fifth of Australia’s greenhouse gases are generated by Australian households and that you can help reduce this by looking at simple changes in your home? It can be as easy as turning off lights, and TV’s in rooms that are not in use, unplugging appliances, turning down thermostats, and turning off power points.
3. Change an old bulb
Evaluate the light bulbs in your house. Are they old and environmentally unfriendly? Change outdated bulbs for energy efficient options and not only look out for the environment but also see savings in your monthly bill as well. LED bulbs use less energy than traditional light bulbs and don’t need to be replaced as often.
4. Make a compost bin
Do you compost your plant-based waste from your kitchen? Compost can be added to your garden to improve the soil quality, and it reduces the amount of garbage going to landfill. If you are worried about how the space might look with a compost bin or want to enhance it some more, consider adding decorative artificial Indoor plants around the bin.
5. Reduce kitchen waste
Planning your meals means that you will spend less on expensive take away, eat healthier and waste less food. Reducing all kinds of waste lowers your carbon footprint on the earth, whether its plastic single-use food containers or food that is thrown out after it rots in your refrigerator.
6. Recycle
The ideal is to reduce the overall amount of single-use plastics that households expend and encourage people to seek out better alternatives. In the meantime recycle those that you have in your home.
But don’t limit recycling to plastics. Look at other things you can recycle around your home like clothes, toys and even furniture.
Green building
If you are building a new home, there are ways of creating a sustainable house using eco-friendly materials such as:
1. Straw bales
2. Grasscrete
3. Rammed earth
4. Bamboo
5. Wood
6. Hempcrete
7. Recycled plastic
8. Mycelium
9. Ferrock
10. Ashcrete
When you use eco-friendly building materials, you reduce your carbon footprint and often end up saving on cost. To minimise your carbon footprint, you can also utilise building methods to ensure your home or office building is more eco-friendly. The City of Melbourne has a great online guide to help you get started.
Looking for earth friendly greenery? Designer Plants is the leading artificial and vertical garden specialist. Our range contains no harsh chemicals and is 100% safe for your family and pets. Unlike other greenery, our products are 100% recyclable too.
Up next: Passive house design
