When you think of *eco-friendly*, what comes to your mind? Paper plates, jute bags, glass, cloth? Basically anything safe for the environment that can be degraded by bacteria. Keeping this in mind, did you know that most of the things you use at home severely damage the environment and can be replaced with more environmental friendly items that are just as good?
So, here are 13 excellent examples of eco-friendly changes you can make in your house, that will help you do your bit for the environment while making no compromises on quality.
13) A BAMBOO TOOTH BRUSH
From the time I can remember, I’ve been using the common plastic toothbrushes by brands like Oral-B and Crest. Although, a few years ago, there came the electric toothbrush, which essentially eliminated the minimal effort it took to brush up and down. And now, we have yet another innovation, the Bamboo toothbrush. This toothbrush, along with its case, is made entirely out of bamboo and can easily be degraded.
12) REPLACE THOSE BULBS
Instead of buying incandescent bulbs, light your house with CFL (Compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs. The main advantage to CFL bulbs is that they use 70 percent less energy and release 90 percent less heat as compared to other bulbs. It provides a better, brighter lighting and lasts longer too.
11) NO MORE DISPOSABLE DIAPERS
Disposable diapers are convenient, agreed. But look at all those diaper rashes your infant has to deal with! And the average new parent spends more on diapers than clothes, it’s that expensive. Not to mention the amount of non bio-degradable waste that is being disposed. So what’s the solution? Cloth diapers! It is much more economical, it doesn’t contain any gel or dye used in disposable diapers which means no rashes, and they cause no harm to the environment when disposed.
10) TOSS THOSE PLASTIC BAGS
Long gone are those days when you would go shopping and come back home with a handful of free polythene bags. Nowadays retailers have replaced those bags with paper or jute bags. The advantage to this commendable move being paper or jute is environment friendly, and plastic isn’t. Also they definitely look better than plastic bags. Nowadays, people also buy jute shopping bags, which they take with themselves to carry their groceries. So it’s time you become a part of this green initiative and replace the plastic bags.
9) USE RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES
Take a look around yourself right now and count the things that require a battery to function. Lamps, torches, AC and TV remotes, radios (if you still own one) and so on. The AA or AAA batteries that these appliances require, that you casually dispose after use cause serious damage to the environment due to the presence of lead. So invest in rechargeable batteries. They cost a bit more but you can be sure you will never run out of batteries, since you can always charge them again and again!
8) LET THERE BE NATURAL LIGHT
CFL bulbs may be a better option than incandescent bulbs, but if you live in the tropical countries, you receive daylight for more than ten hours in a day. That means, instead of switching on all the bulbs and tubelights, you could just open those curtains and let the light come in. So you get to save electricity, and also absorb a little Vitamin D early morning!
7) READ NEWS ONLINE
It’s always good to be well updated with the latest happenings in this world. But let’s be real, we don’t actually read newspapers anymore. So why subscribe just out of habit? If you read the news online, which you do anyway, you save tonnes of paper, and also free up a lot of space at home! Although if you really like reading your newspaper sipping coffee early morning, then make sure to store all those newspapers and recycle them every few months.
6) TURN IT OFF
After you use your laptop, computer or television, chances are you put it on ‘standby’ or to ‘sleep.’ But your electronics still consume power while on standby or sleep mode. So be sure to switch them off when you’re not using them.
5) GET THE PARTY STARTED
Yes, you read it right. Have people over, organize parties more often, especially during winters. What’s the logic behind this? We generate heat! So more the number of people, more the amount of heat given out. So, the need for a room heater is less, ergo, less power consumed. Now you have a pretty good excuse for all those parties, it’s all for the environment, right?
4) ABOUT THE FRIDGE
If you’re anything like me, you open your fridge a lot to see what’s inside, even though you know exactly what’s in. If you convince yourself that doing that won’t magically bring yummy food into your fridge, you’d be saving a lot of power. Also, keep your fridge away from direct sunlight, since it takes more energy to cool food if it is exposed to direct sunlight.
3) GROW SOME PLANTS
If you have a backyard and are interested in gardening, then you should most definitely go for it! If hardcore hardening isn’t your cup of tea, and that’s fine, but it does no harm to have a few climbers or other small plants in the house. It makes the air fresher, uplifts your mood, and also adds to the interior décor of the house.
2) DON’T TAKE A BATH
Before you set the cops on me, let me explain. It is absolutely necessary to be hygienic. But if you take a shower, you save more than 75 percent of the water you’d use to take a bath. So save the bath tub for something special, and shower more.
1)REUSE, REDUCE AND RECYCLE
Finally, we come to the three Rs. Use ceramic kitchen ware instead of disposable plastic options. Walk or cycle instead of driving as much as you can. Switch off all electric appliances when not in use, turn your thermostat down, upcycle old furniture to make something new and use energy efficient washing machines and refrigerators. Also, a lot of the things we use like things made of paper, aluminium cans etc can be recycled.
Sometimes, it’s not because of lack of knowledge, but lack of interest that we don’t do things that have to be done. I’m sure that most of these tips were known to you. So next time, before you leave your laptop or the lights on, remember that the duty of environment conservation is everyone’s job, so turn them off when you don’t need them, for the future.
