Whether you are looking to be a conservationist, or interested in going off-grid to minimize your dependence on others, ‘going green’ may be within reach. If you are looking for ways to be more energy efficient and reduce your impact on your environment, you can start at your own front door – or rather, how you build your own front door and manage the home behind it! There are a variety of methods that you can implement either in building your home or making small changes to build up to a significant change in your energy consumption or wallet.
Heating your home
When building your home, the orientation of the house and windows can make a significant difference in a natural greenhouse effect. Taking into consideration your local weather swings when building a new home can affect your heating or cooling bill and your ecological footprint. Consider also installing geothermal to better utilize the earth’s natural temperature – less of a jump to heat in the winter or cool in the summer.
Watering your home
Living in a drought-prone area can make water a scarce resource. The Cadiz Water Project is working to provide groundwater as a new source for local families, but you can do your part by installing low-flow showerheads and toilet tanks. Use front loading washing machines and run the dishwasher with full loads to use water more efficiently. Check your faucets and pipes regularly for leaks to minimize waste. If you want indoor plants, consider ones that require minimal water.
Powering your home
Electricity is a regular expense that can fluctuate wildly. In regions with good sunlight, solar power can be a great way to reduce your energy consumption from nonrenewable resources. Panels on the roof or standing alone can provide electricity, or they can be used for heating water. Harnessing the power of the sun can be more passive as well – beyond using sunlight to light your rooms, you could also use a solar oven to heat your food.
Minimizing waste in your home
Reduce, reuse, and recycle has been the slogan of conservation for decades and is still practiced today even if you may be more likely to hear about upcycling and composting these days. Repurposing thrift store finds into furniture and storage or patching and sewing worn clothes instead of tossing them is a great way to get started. Buying foods that come in bulk may help in reducing the amount of packaging waste. Holding on to your food scraps for a compost pile, and reusing those nutrients for your garden allows for a more full-circle use of sustenance.
Making changes to your home and lifestyle doesn’t have to be done all at once. Some upgrades take considerably more time and skills to complete than others but can be part of a long-term goal to reduce personal impact and financial responsibilities. By making steady and intentional steps towards green living, you can take greater control over your use of resources and make the decision about how you want to live.
These are all excellent ideas. We already recycle, use reusable bags and water bottles, and compost. I’m always on the lookout for even more things to do to help take care of the planet, though.
I love the lights int he first picture. Very rustic, yet modern. I’ve been thinking of getting solar panels on our roof. The cost is the scariest thing, but I know it will be so beneficial.
Great ways to maximize efficiency in your home. I have been seeing solar panels being installed all over my neighborhood.
I definitely need to bookmark this for when we buy our new home this year.
Great tips! It’s always helpful to conserve electricity and water where you can. And recycle!
i just ordered some worm bins online so we can start composting! We already use low flow and are very conscious about heat and air usage.
These are such great ideas. Especially about reducing waste.
The ideas r truly great. One of the most important things that they need to do is invest in the right lightbulbs. More efficient CFLs are better alternatives to older, incandescent bulbs. … Not only do energy efficient bulbs use less electricity, they also last longer, which means you don’t have to spend money replacing them.
Living in CA, we have had several droughts over the years. This past year, my husband and I changed all our faucets and shower heads to water efficient fixtures. Hopefully, it helps conserve some water this summer!
We recently got solar and changed all our bulbs to LED energy efficient lighting. Trying to do our part to help the environment any way we can!
these are awesome ideas. we are moving all lightbulbs to LED in our new house and regularly use only energy efficiant appliances
I am really becoming conscious of waste in my home. We are making steps to decrease that especially food waste. It is so shocking how much food ppl throw away.
Such a great and lovely idea, Perfect since I am actually planning to have my home remodel maybe it is a great way to start making it environmentally friendly.
I am really concerned with the environment and try to make smart choices in my home, these are tips I hadn’t really thought about and plan to try to implement. it,.
also re using what you got instead of buying new is my to go – kind regards Pati robins @ style squeeze
Yes these are amazing tips and Earth day is coming up
These are excellent tips! I’ll definitely be implementing a few of these at home!
Oooo so many helpful tips!!!! I need to get better at managing wastes!!!