Over the years, more awareness about creating a sustainable world has been spread. In simple words, Sustainability is the act of 'meeting our own needs, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.' (McGill).
Everyone has their carbon footprint, which is the number of greenhouse gases released because of an individual or group. This amount can be decreased if individuals and organizations work towards reducing their footprint.
Check your carbon footprint by clicking here!
In This Article
Ways of Going Green at Home for Parents
Many people fail to go green because they think it's too much of a hassle. However, taking steps toward sustainability is easier than you'd think. Making a few simple changes in your lifestyle can help you and your family live a sustainable life.
Below we've given 12 easy ways to live a sustainable life by going green at home. Follow those and make this earth a better living place.
1. Fix Those Leaking Taps
Drip. Drip. Drip. There goes the water bill, but importantly, there goes nearly one gallon of water daily (if your tap leaks 10 drops per minute). Tightening a leaky tap doesn't require an expert plumber. All you need is a wrench and a little elbow grease. If your tap has a serious leaking problem, it might be best to get it changed.
2. Buy Local
Local produce and food are way cheaper than imported products. Less demand for imports can lower transport and processing costs. This will reduce pollution. Locally grown foods are also fresh and organic because they don't need to be preserved for longer.
This minimizes the use of chemicals. Not to mention that they taste better. You can find local produce at farmer’s markets.
3. Food Waste
Most of what goes in the trash can be reused or is food waste.
According to UNEP,
‘Roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year - approximately 1.3 billion tonnes - gets lost or wasted’.
The best way to combat this is to stop buying excessive food that always ends up rotting in the back of your refrigerator. If you have veggies that aren't going to be used in a while, try freezing them for later. Throw whatever food scraps that are leftover in the compost bin to minimize waste.
4. Make a Compost Bin
You'd be surprised to find out what can go into a compost bin. Food waste, eggshells, coffee grounds, popsicle sticks, tea bags, cardboard, paper, and Kleenex can go into the compost.
If your city doesn't have a composting system, you can make your compost bin at home and use the compost for your lawn or garden. Click here to learn how to make your bin.
Here’s What Not To Add
Fats
Grease
Oils
Dairy
Pet waste
Meat/fish scraps
Papers
Tissues with chemicals
5. Make Gardening a Hobby
Gardening is a great way to spend time with your kids and help the environment. Growing your food helps combat excessive waste and production. This helps lower production costs and demand, not to mention it also tastes better.
The key to gardening as a beginner is to start small and get to know your plants first. An easy plant to start with is green onions. They don’t require much space and maintenance and can be grown inside or outside.
6. Save Electricity
You might not even realize how much electricity the average household wastes until the bill comes at the end of the month.
Here are a few things to look out for:
Remember to turn off lights and appliances when they aren’t in use.
Turning down the thermostat by a few degrees also helps lower the energy it takes to fully heat a house. (Wear extra layers if you feel cold)
Fix loose or cracked floorboards because it creates draughts, which makes the heating system waste energy trying to maintain the set temperature.
Make use of natural light.
7. Reuse Boxes and Jars
If you don't already have a pickle jar filled with sugar in your pantry then what are you even doing? Reusing plastic and glass jars is a great green initiative. It also helps cut down on the cost of buying expensive storage containers.
Just make sure you wash them thoroughly so they don't smell. Make sure you keep designated jars for separate foods so they don't develop smells.
P.S., You can label and make them look aesthetically pleasing.
8. Eco-Friendly Cleaners
Most cleaning supplies are filled with chemicals that can harm the environment when used to such an extensive degree. Homemade cleaners can be just as strong on stains if you make them right. Check out Good Housekeeping for some homemade cleaner recipes.
Note: Make sure you are careful and use a proper recipe. Mixing chemicals can be dangerous.
9. Plan Errands
Have you ever left the house to go to the doctor's on one side of the city, and then realized you need to drop by the library on the opposite side, and then drive back to the grocery store?
Taking a few minutes to list your errands can cut down your car pollution more than you would think. Decide the best route to use to complete your errands, and cut down your gas bill too.
10. Teach Children to Value the Environment—And Do It Yourself Too
The best way to create awareness about sustainability is to educate the younger generation about the importance of taking care of the earth.
Do this by being an example.
If your child comes home with a potted tree and talks about what they learned about the environment at school, help them plant it and take care of it. Work together to make your home more eco-friendly.
11. Renewable Energy
You may think that using renewable energy can be expensive, however, in the long run, it will save you extra costs when it becomes more widely available than other energy sources. For instance, there are now a growing variety of LED and energy-saving light bulbs.
Getting a smart thermostat might also be a smart idea because it saves energy more than a regular one would. Cut down on extra appliances that waste energy or use energy from fossil fuel sources.
12. Go the Extra Mile
Although the importance of being eco-friendly is being acknowledged around the world, many countries, especially in Asia, still don’t have the resources for a waste system.
Petition your local government to take action and create a city waste system to minimize garbage. Many people are willing to recycle but don't have the resources to do so.
Misconceptions about Going Green At-Home
Many people often try to go green but fall short after a few weeks because they make too many drastic changes at once. There is a misconception that being sustainable means you need to live on seeds and use only candles.
The key to Sustainability is taking consistent steps toward cutting down waste. Set a realistic goal and work your way towards it. For instance, try biking to closer areas and only use your car when necessary.
Furthermore, you don't need to become a full-fledged gardener either, especially if you are notorious for killing plants. If you do want to try, a small green onion plant in your kitchen is a great start. Being eco-friendly means slowly working towards making conscious decisions about what you spend and waste.
FAQs
1. Does going green has effects on the economy?
Yes, going green at home reduces expenses and helps in the betterment of the economic situation of your home. Reusing things make expenses go low.
2. Why do people go green?
Some people go green to protect their environment, reduce pollution, make the environment sustainable, and reserve resources. Whereas, some people love to live a healthy life and have a love for other beings.
Takeaway
A sustainable world is only possible when all of our work towards going green at home. This isn't a very hassling process, you just have to change yourself a little bit and all will start lying on track soon. We know that you want it to happen, so we've made the process easy for you by compiling the 12 ways of going green at home.
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