15 Ways To Create A More Eco-Friendly Home

It’s everyone’s responsibility to protect our earth and adopt green habits. Living an eco-friendly life can help you to reduce your carbon footprint, learn new things, and set a good example for your children. There are so many ways to create an eco-friendly home, so let’s make a start with these top tips.

1. Save water 

To make your home more eco-friendly, you must save water. You might like to consider installing water-saving toilets in your home. These let you switch between high volume and low volume flush systems, to suit your needs. Water-saving toilets usually have a larger trap way, (meaning they are less likely to clog).

It’s also a great idea to install a rainwater collector, you can use rainwater around your home, or as a backup source of water. Another thing you can do is buy some water-conserving showerheads, to restrict the water flow to your shower.

2. Grow your own veggies

Growing vegetables is a fantastic way to make your home more eco-friendly. The first step is making yourself a healthy compost pile. You can do this by creating equal measures of brown materials and green, and turning your pile regularly.

To help you make a start check out the ‘Veggie Garden Planner’ app. Using this app you can learn how to perfect your vegetable garden, and grow some delicious foods. Growing your own vegetables is one of the best ways to improve your garden.

3. Try eco-friendly apps

To help you to live a greener lifestyle, there are plenty of apps that can support you:

• Oroeco: With the help of the Oroeco application you work on reducing your carbon footprint, by examining your everyday habits. From driving to shopping and eating, Oroeco can offer personalized ideas, to help you make greener choices.

• iRecycle: Using the iRecycle app you can learn how to recycle everything, getting involved with all the best recycling programs across the U.S. Simply browse the items you want to recycle, get locations, tips and advice.

• Ecosia: When you use the Ecosia search engine you’ll be contributing to a greener earth, by planting lots of trees. Escocia use all their profits to work with tree planting companies, focusing on biodiversity locations that are under threat.

4. Try eco-fabrics

Many of us enjoy simple home decor, improving our homes can help us to enhance our lifestyles and feel more relaxed. When you are choosing fabrics for your home decor, keep the following eco-friendly fabrics in mind.

• Hemp: You can get hemp in just about everything, from hemp rugs to hemp curtains and cushion covers. Hemp is an eco-friendly fav because it only needs a little water to grow, plus the material is fully biodegradable. As hemp grows the plant enriches the earth.

• Bamboo: The bamboo plant consumes lots of C02 throughout the growing process, and emits plenty of oxygen. You don’t need pesticides or fertilizers to grow the plant, meaning it’s another great eco-friendly choice.

5. Choose renewable energy

Choosing a renewable energy solution for your home is one of the best ways to live a greener lifestyle. Solar energy is one of the most popular renewable energy solutions, harnessing the sun’s energy, to power the home. 

Once you’ve financed the installation fees you’ll find that you can make some lovely savings on your energy bills. To learn more about solar power, backup power, and energy storage check out Tesla Powerwall.

6. Eat less meat

The meat industry has a hugely negative effect on the environment. In 2019 a policy written by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), outlines how ‘plant-based diets are a major opportunity for mitigating and adapting to climate change.’

By reducing your meat consumption you can positively impact the planet and save yourself money. To get inspiration for vegetarian recipes you can take a look at apps like Green Kitchen. Here you’ll find plenty of ideas to get more green foods in your diet and live a healthier lifestyle.

7. Consider driving habits

Driving is a big part of our daily lives, and yet the emissions from our vehicles have a terrible impact on the planet. If you’re looking to go greener as a family, it’s well worth considering your driving habits. To make a start you might like to:

• Consider driving an electric or hybrid vehicle (these produce less or zero emissions).
• When viable, ride a bike instead of getting in the car.
• Use apps like Fuelly or Gas Buddy to monitor your fuel economy and driving habits.
• Consider carpooling schemes whether it’s the commute or a grocery store run.

8. Purchase second-hand goods

Buying second-hand items is an amazing way to live a greener lifestyle and make some savings. To give you some inspiration check out second-hand apps such as LetGo, 5Miles, Thred Up, and Decluttr.

All of these apps will allow you to purchase goods in a range of categories including clothes, homeware, kids toys, electronics, and more. Got a few items that you don’t use at home? You can also use these apps to sell the things you no longer need.

9. Shop mindfully

To be more eco-friendly it’s important to shop mindfully, try to avoid impulse buys, or over-consumption. Mindful shopping is about making careful considerations about your purchases before you buy them. Before you buy something ask yourself if it’s something you truly need? Ask yourself how it will contribute value to your home and lifestyle?

It’s also helpful to think about durability and quality, cheaper items that won’t last aren’t very sustainable. It’s often worth choosing a more expensive item that’s more durable.

10. Green cleaning habits

Toxic cleaning products are both unhealthy and unsustainable. To go greener around the home, check out a few of the following green cleaning products:

• Common Good: This brand provides a wide range of cleaners made with 100 percent natural essential oils. All products are sustainably sourced, biodegradable, and packaged in recyclable packaging.

• PUR HOME: These products are made with plant-based ingredients, recyclable packaging, and non-toxic formulas. From household cleaning to skincare you’ll find plenty of lovely green products here.

11. Reduce tech consumption

One of the easiest ways to create a greener household is to reduce your tech consumption. Doing so will help you to reduce your energy bills and your carbon footprint at the same time. To reduce your tech consumption it can help to set yourself goals. A few examples might be: 

• Plan two-three nights a week where you switch off the TV and practice organic activities.
• Make the most of natural light (and only switch on your lights when it’s completely necessary).
• Take a detox from your phone now and then, (it’s nice to eliminate the distraction and you’ll reduce your charging times)!

12. Use smart thermostats

With the help of a smart thermostat, you can gain more control over your energy and heating, supporting you to only use what you need. There are several benefits to installing a smart thermostat including:

• Reduce energy bills: Program your thermostat to only come on when you need it.
• Wireless control: You can even program your settings wirelessly when away from home.
• Monitor your energy usage: With a breakdown of your energy usage, you can create a roadmap to make savings and go greener.

13. Upgrade windows and insulation

Investing in triple-glazed windows can help you to retain heat and save money on your energy bills. Triple glazed windows create a modern and attractive look and they’ll also improve your home security. 

Another way you can conserve energy and heat is to upgrade your insulation. It may have been a while since you had your insulation looked at, you might find that it’s not working as well as it should be. You’d be surprised what difference these changes can make to your bills and your carbon footprint.

14. Go paperless 

Going paperless around the home is another fab way to go green. When you create an online account for your banking and energy providers you can choose to receive your bills digitally, instead of by post. Challenge yourself to stop buying paper for your printer, and go fully digital (unless necessary). To take things a step further, buy yourself a Kindle and use this device instead of buying any more books.

15. Change your laundry habits

A few changes in your laundry habits can make all the difference to go green. Firstly, start washing your clothing on a cold wash. You’ll still end up with super clean clothes and you’ll use less energy without heating the water! Next up, ditch your dryer and start air-drying your clothing. Once you get into a new routine it’s easier to keep up with green lifestyle habits.

With the right habits and resources there’s every chance you can create a greener home and a greener lifestyle. It can be helpful to set yourself goals whether it’s using a bike twice a week, or only eating meat on the weekends. With goals in place, it’s far easier to make changes.