Whether driven by a desire to care for the planet or simply to reduce bills, more and more people are trying to lead more sustainable lifestyles. Some are put off by the idea that sustainable living is complicated, expensive and unachievable, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, there are endless simple steps that you can take towards a more sustainable life, and there are a whole host of small changes that you can make to your home too. This article will highlight some of the easiest ways to create a more sustainable home.
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Cut Plastic Usage
Single-use plastics have become a big talking point in recent years, and thankfully many big brands have committed to reducing their use of single-use plastics. Unfortunately, single-use plastic hasn’t quite gone extinct just yet.
There are a number of simple ways to cut your plastic usage. Start as small as replacing your plastic bottled water with a water filter or a refrigerator with a water dispenser so you don’t need to buy water from the supermarket.
Recycle
There’s nothing new about recycling, and you could argue it was one of the first areas of sustainability that people got on board with at scale. Scarily, less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled and 50% of food waste could be composted.
While many people think they are recycling, ask yourself if you’re doing all you can or the bare minimum. It may even be worth taking time to educate yourself about what materials can be recycled too, many people continue to throw things away without realising they can actually be recycled.
Food is the main culprit when it comes to waste that people are unaware can be reused. There are a number of ways we can recycle waste food including:
Composting
Using it as animal feed
Collecting and participating in food waste programs
Change Products
When shopping for products, the first thing many of us consider is the price. Sometimes brand power influences our decisions and other times we’re influenced by what we hear online and from others. But how many of us are considering the environmental impact when it comes to shopping?
From home appliances to garden tools to cleaning products, there’s a whole host of changes that you can make to use more sustainable products at home. Shop online for eco-friendly cleaning products rather than in the supermarket where you’re more likely to find more environmentally harmful options.
Consider an electric chainsaw or lawnmower instead of petrol alternatives, air fryers over traditional ovens and LED bulbs instead of halogen bulbs.
Natural Light and Ventilation
Using more energy-efficient products is good, but not using products at all is great. To eliminate the amount of time you use energy and electricity, consider ways to bring more light and heat into your home naturally.
Consider how you use windows and mirrors in your home to maximise natural light; placing a mirror opposite a window will bounce the natural light across your room.
If you’re concerned with how often your central heating is turned on, you may need to carry out some insulation improvements across your home. Draught-proof areas such as under doors, around letterboxes and through keyholes, install double-glazed windows and cavity wall insulation or even a loft conversion.
Solar Panels
Many new homes come with solar panels nowadays due to benefits to the environment and also the financial benefits to homeowners. If you’re living in an older home and considering solar panels, don’t be put off by the myth that they don’t work well in winter or at night.
If you are considering solar panels or any other renewable energy source, it may be worth looking into government grants and funding options that have been set up to encourage homeowners to make energy-saving home improvements.
Final Thoughts
There’s no reason why 2025 can’t be the year you take responsibility for leading a more sustainable lifestyle. It’s important to remember that what might appear to be a small step can actually be part of a far greater collective effort when pooled with the decisions of others.
Whether you start by expanding your recycling efforts to include food waste or simply eliminating draughts so you can reduce reliance on your central heating, there are a number of tiny changes that will put you on the path to becoming a fully fledged eco-warrior.
For more thoughts on sustainability and eco-friendly living, check out some of our other articles!
Thanks for Reading!
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