Wednesday, May 25, 2016

How to be Eco-Friendly at Home


We only have one planet, and we don't treat her well. Every day is earth day but most of us forget that. I've shared what I do at home to be more eco-friendly, and I continue to really think about what I'm doing in my house and the impact it has on the earth. I don't compost, yet...I need to get on that. And I'm interested in Nest, discussed below. Here are some tips from Jesse Hughes:

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Going green starts at home. From recycling and composting to using eco-friendly products, there are a handful of simple, everyday practices that you can put into action to make your home a more sustainable and green place to live.

Choose Earth-Friendly Home Products

Say goodbye to those harsh, chemical-ridden products in your bathroom and kitchen; say hello to something that’s both eco-friendly and safe for your family as well as the environment. The Environmental Working Group has reported that the chemicals and cleaning agents found in many common household cleaning items can lead to birth defects, asthma risks, respiratory issues, chemical burns and cancer.
Consider checking out Amway.com for safer, eco-friendly options. Here, you can find dozens of household and everyday products that are safe for you, your family and the planet.

Avoid Unnecessary Waste

The United States makes up one-third of the global trash that exists, even though our country accounts for only 5 percent of the world's population, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Data reported by Virginia Tech shows that 65 percent of Americans do not recycle simply because it’s too confusing, takes too much work and isn’t required.
The effort to cut back on waste starts at home. You can recycle your unwanted glass bottles and plastics, and compost paper products and food waste such as banana and orange peels and egg shells. It’s easier than you might think. The experts at Gardener's Supply Company offer tips to make learning how to compost simple.

Save Energy

A smart thermostat can not only save energy, it can also save you money. There are hundreds of “smart” devices on the market; many of these items are probably already in use in your own home. Why should your home’s thermostat be any different?
Consider updating that old thermostat to Nest, a smart thermostat that is programmable directly from your smartphone. The thermostat can even sense when nobody is home and turn off your heating or cooling to save energy. Nest is even smart enough to learn your settings and preferences.

Look for Eco-Labels

Many of today’s appliances are not only state-of-the-art but eco-friendly as well. Manufacturers have made it easier for consumers to make informed decisions about what they are purchasing at the store by adding eco-labels to their products. You’ve likely seen these labels, such as the Energy Star sticker, on your home’s appliances or on products in the stores.
According to the Department of Energy, Energy Star-rated dishwashers use 41 percent less energy than other dishwashers without the eco-label. Washing machines with the label can cut water usage by 40 percent. If you’re ready to update your home appliances, consider Energy Star-rated products to save money and energy.

Teach It

One of the best ways to carry on a legacy of sustainability is to teach what you practice. Encourage your entire family to recycle or compost. Talk with your kids and engage in an educational discussion about the health of the planet and what it means for all of the plants and animals living here.
The best way to encourage action from those closest to you is to lead by example. It’s not hard to do. Start small and you might just see big changes.

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What are your eco-friendly practices within your home?

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18 comments:

  1. I find Sydney to have MUCH more systems in place for recycling than any other place I've ever lived. From our council garbage pick-up, we get 3 bins per household: one for miscellaneous trash, one for garden waste, and one for recyclables.

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  2. We have The Nest at our house and really enjoy it! I'm not sure we've seen a difference in our bills (maybe slightly), but that may change a bit more once we get the windows done in our place.

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  3. I definitely love how energy-efficient appliances have become to help with this problem but yes I'm all about saving energy by reducing electric use and of course recycling.

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  4. I don't understand why our country doesn't require recycling. It's easy and, in my town, it's free to recycle. We don't even have to sort anything where I live. Very few things make me more mad than seeing someone litter. I want to run up and grab their burning cigarette butt that they toss out and throw it right back in the window at them and say, "Do YOU like that?! Because the earth doesn't either!"

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  5. we could be better. I try to be as green as possible but it's posts like this that remind me how much better I could be doing!

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  6. I am half green. Not green enough. Love the edible drink rings on sodas etc to save the wild life in oceans etc. get on it Pepsi coke. All of you drink manufacturers!
    Love. Your. Momma.

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  7. Great post. These are really helpful tips. I haven't been that green but I have been trying to get better. I'm even teaching my 92 year old Grandmother to be more green. I changed all her light bulbs to energy efficient and she hates them. Her eyesight isn't great so she doesn't like that the light takes time to get bright. haha but she does love recycling.

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  8. I have slowly been working towards getting less harsh products in our house and reducing the amount of icky chemicals that seem to be in everything. It's a work in progress, but we're getting there!

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  9. Could not love this post more! I'm huge on recycling and using earth friendly products, every week when I pull my overflowing recycling bins to the curb I have a sense of satisfaction :)

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  10. I haven't set up a recycling station since I moved and I've been meaning to. #kickinthebooty Also checking out your other post!

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  11. We have high efficiency appliances in our house, and the fancy light bulbs. I wish we had a recycling service, but we live too far out to be offered such luxuries.

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  12. wonderful tips!!! I'm all about doing what I can in this regard as I thin it's so important! I don't compost yet either because we literally have no place to do it that wouldn't bring flies. I'm not sure how to go about that (so short on space as is)! But yes, so very important! thanks for this!

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  13. I wish we could have a Nest, but our boiler is too ancient to function with one. That makes me sad. Renting in general I feel gives you less control about certain things, like appliance choices, insulation etc but we do what we can and we're lucky with the recycling situation in our county. We have 3 recycling bins and even our normal rubbish doesn't go to landfill. Pretty cool.

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  14. In my home, its just a constant fight. NO ONE - I mean NO ONE in my family cares about recycling. It literally causes arguments because I can't make them see. They dont care. So I'm always trying to recycle for MANY in my area. sigh. The struggle is real.

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  15. My fiancé teases me about being obsessed with recycling. We live in an apartment complex right now and they really don't have a recycling spot set up and it gets me so mad!! it's such an easy thing to do I just don't understand people who are too lazy to do it!

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  16. My kids are 4 and 6 and already know the importance of recycling and love to help me recycle products each week. It takes such little effort which is why I don't understand why people don't do it.

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  17. i only just got my work to allow recycling... i've been here over 2 years. we go through a case of water every other day (bottled water). i don't drink it, i drink from the tap, but not only was everyone drinking bottled water but they weren't recycling. i feel like it's such a small thing but i kept fighting for it because it is so ridiculous that we were throwing all of that away. the smart thermostats seem really cool!

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  18. Spot on, Steph! Great tips. Tweeted. :-)

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