Lighten Your Footprint- 5 Ways to Stay Eco-Conscious at Home

If there’s one thing the coronavirus pandemic has taught us, it’s that the Earth is better off without us.

Thanks to restricted human movement, it’s blues skies overhead for much of the planet. While you’re sitting at home anyway, you may as well do your bit to help ensure it stays that way.

Check out these eco-conscious tips and tricks to help you take steps towards an eco-friendly home.

1. Take Steps to Reduce Carbon Emissions

It’s time to make environmentally-aware choices when it comes to every aspect of your life. Here are some examples of eco-friendly lifestyle choices.

Eat less meat, you’ll help reduce demand for animal products which means fewer carbon emissions from agricultural activities.

Shop at local markets. Less transportation automatically translates into fewer delivery trucks on the road, contributing to a lower carbon footprint. Besides, you’ll be supporting small local businesses instead of huge factories and processing plants.

Use less paper—it’s easy to do almost everything you need with the help of paperless tech nowadays. Not only does paper destroy trees, but paper manufacturing plants also spew huge volumes of pollution into the air.

2. Say No to Rubbish

We live in disposable times where landfills are eating into our available land resources and polluting our environment. Help stop the rot.

Avoid plastic as much as you can. Buy fresh produce and pack it straight into a canvas shopping bag or basket.

Avoid buying pre-packaged frozen goods by parboiling and freezing fresh veggies.

Don’t buy meat in polystyrene and plastic packaging. Rather, take a reusable container along to your butcher for meat purchases.

When you’re forced to come with plastic packaging, collect it in a separate place and place it in your neighborhood recycling bin. The same applies to paper and glass.

Start a compost heap or bin for organic food waste.

3. Water-Wise Ideas

Water is one of our most precious resources, start saving now!

For starters, cut back on your shower time or install a low-flow showerhead.

Avoid buying bottled water. Rather set up a water filter in your home for drinking water. An eco-friendly dishwasher and washer can also help cut down on your water consumption if you only run them for full loads.

Installing a rainwater tank is a great way to harvest rainwater runoff from your roof for watering your garden. You might like to consider this one as it’s suitable for both home and commercial use, so you know it’s built to last.

4. Adopt an Eco-Conscious Cleaning Routine

Say goodbye to harsh chemicals when you’re doing the housework. Time has proven that gentle, environmentally-friendly mixtures are just as effective as strong detergents.

Chemicals in cleaning products seep into our water supplies, soil, and environment and are harmful to human health. Mild soap, white vinegar, and baking soda are far better alternatives.

5. Switch Off the Lights

If you aren’t lucky enough to be living the green lifestyle in a solar-powered house, think twice before you flip that switch.

Electricity and gas are two of the most unsustainable ways to heat and light your home. Don’t leave lights burning in unoccupied rooms, and switch off your computer when you’re not using it.