The following is a guest post from Aussie Man & Van Services in London, UK.
When considering how to do your part to help alleviate global warming, no one should veer towards an apathetic stance – everything everyone does contributes towards the problem and the potential solution.
Here are some basic tips on how to make your home a greener environment:
1) Recycle: sounds simple but recycling everything that can be recycled will help the environment and give you more space for waste products that can’t. Don’t just do it at home, take your recycling habit into your place of work.
2) Turn it off: leaving electrical appliances on – even on standby – is a waste of electricity. By turning things off at the plug you’ll save a fortune and you’ll be helping to reduce your home’s carbon footprint. Don’t leave any electrical goods on when a room isn’t in use, especially lights.
3) Paperless house: you might have heard of a paperless office but a paperless house is pretty much the same ethos. You’ll never be able to get rid of all unwanted mail, but even doing some simple things like internet banking and other utility bills via the internet, you’d be cutting down on the amount of paper that pops through your letter box.
4) Reduce shopping list: this might sound misleading – buy food and household products in smaller loads to reduce waste. The amount of food that gets wasted every year is staggering, so don’t be part of the problem, buy less more often.
5) Use bio-degradable products: plastic is something you should avoid wherever possible. Even things like trash bags can be bio-degradable, so check the labels of your products.
6) Insulate: newer houses often have a good amount of insulation but older properties should be checked, and if necessary, have additional insulation installed. This can be expensive but the amount of money you will save through lost heat could cover about half of the cost.
7) Drying clothes: you really shouldn’t have to use your tumble dryer throughout spring and summer, even autumn and winter if the weather is suitable. Check the weather forecast and dry without the use of the dryer where possible.
8) Grow your own: even if you live in a built-up urban area, you can still have a go at growing your own vegetables. As long as you have a space and some soil and suitable containers you can grow a multitude of vegetables, helping you save money and live a greener healthier life.
9) Energy saving appliances: replace all of your current light bulbs with energy saving bulbs, a simple yet effective way to reduce your energy usage. You can also look into the cost of installing solar panels. Although an expensive initial outlay, the savings made from installing solar panels could pay off far more in the long-run.
10) Get involved: now that your home is well on its way to reducing its carbon footprint, why not help out people in your local community? The more people that take any steps towards greener living the bigger impact it will have.
No matter how you do it, making your home a greener place to live is always beneficial, and helps to make an impact on your home’s carbon footprint.