Recent years have seen environmental issues hit the headlines more regularly and the threat climate change brings has become a lot more serious in many people’s minds. This has had a huge impact around the world and, as a result, many people are looking to live in a more environmentally friendly way.
Moves towards a more sustainable way of life are, of course, a good thing because it hopefully means we can undo some of the damage done to the planet. It should also mean we can protect it for the long-term and preserve it for future generations.
One way to help is by looking at ways to become more environmentally friendly in your home and also in our local communities. By taking time to think about this and take action, we can all do our bit.
But just how can we set up our communities and homes to be better for the planet?
Tips to make your home and community more environmentally friendly
Support sustainable projects in local communities
The growing recognition of the dangers our planet faces from climate change means there are lots of local projects happening in communities around the world – with some probably not too far away from where you are!
It is key to support projects like this and the organisations behind them, so they can reach their goals. The knock-on effect of this is that local communities will operate in a more sustainable way if projects get the support they need.
The Cadiz Water Project is one example of a project which aims to help a local community – namely Southern California. This is an area in the US which recently saw droughts, and which needs to find a sustainable solution to this problem moving forward. By capturing and conserving desert water which is currently lost to evaporation, this project could be the answer.
Make sure your home is properly insulated
One of the best tips for making any home eco-friendly is thinking about the insulation it has. This can be especially true for the insulation (or lack of it!) you might have in your loft. But why is this so key? Poor insulation can lead to heat being lost externally, rather than staying inside your property. This can, in turn, make your home feel colder and see you putting on the heating to warm up.
It can also make you turn the heating up even if you already have it on, as escaping warmth makes rooms feel chilly regardless. By getting a professional firm to inspect what insulation you have and add in any extra you require, you will use less energy and therefore have a more environmentally conscious home.
Think about the energy you use and how it is generated
Another good tip for a more environmentally friendly home lies in the energy you use. Although using less is a good place to start, you should also mull over what kind of energy you are consuming inside your property. Fossil fuels like gas, for example, are bad for our planet and electricity generated in the traditional way can also be a poor choice for the environment as well.
For a greener house, it pays to think about using more sustainable alternatives where possible. This could be choosing to fit solar panels to your roof to generate the electricity you need in a cleaner way. Or you could choose to move to a wood-burning range to cook food on, rather than a gas oven. If this is not something you think is possible, try to find suppliers who send green energy to homes instead.
Remember to recycle!
One superb way to make your home greener is remembering to recycle all that you can. This is especially true when it comes to the packaging our food comes in and other types of packaging which enters the home from mail deliveries. It is crucial to recycle everything you can from your home because this will mean less gets sent to landfill sites. This, in turn, reduces waste and helps to protect our planet for the long-term.
By the same token, it is also worth repairing things which break inside your home where possible, rather than throwing them away to buy a new replacement. This again helps to save on global waste and means you live in a greener way inside your home. While doing safe repairs yourself is fine in most cases, just remember to call in the experts for anything dangerous or complex.
Tips for setting up greener local communities and homes
If you only use the best sustainable items for everyday life in your home and connect with other people in your local community over environmental issues, you will soon find yourself living in a much more eco-friendly way. With the growing threat that climate change poses to us all, this is a very sensible thing to do.
Featured image: David Clode/Unsplash
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