How Small changes Can Make a Big Difference
How Small changes Can Make a Big Difference
The number of “green” products and “green” claims in the marketplace has grown tremendously in recent years. It can certainly be overwhelming when faced with so many “green” choices for your home, but keep in mind that making a difference starts with simple steps.
Environmentally responsible home improvement is not just about installing solar panels or buying all new appliances; there are small changes that can make a difference too. Changing a light bulb, using less harmful cleaners or choosing to compost may seem trivial, but when multiplied across an entire community, the impact can be incredibly powerful.
Change Your Lighting
One of the easiest ways to use less energy and lower your electricity bills – without sacrificing comfort – is to change the lighting in your home. Compact fluorescent bulbs use about 75% less energy than incandescents and last approximately 10 times longer. Or consider LED technology. There is a variety of LED indoor lighting options, such as nightlights or wireless motion sensor lights that have simple adhesive, magnetic or screw wall mounting.
If you are comfortable working with wires, consider installing an ENERGY STAR light fixture or dimmer switch to further reduce the energy consumed by lighting at home. Check out our lighting DIYs here for step-by-step instructions. If you are not comfortable with installations, look for ENERGY STAR floor and table lamps or plug-in dimmers – just plug them in and you’re done! (Be sure to choose dimmable CFL bulbs).
To complement your new lighting, get the kids involved in a fun project to teach them about conservation. Make “lights off” signs and tape them underneath light switches and on lamps to ensure no one leaves lights on unnecessarily.
Change Your Kitchen Habits
Choose Eco Cleaning Products
These products are non-toxic and often made with natural ingredients, such as corn, grass and coconut. You can also make your own cleaners with harmless household items such as baking soda, vinegar and salt. By changing your cleaning products, you can save money, reduce your exposure to harsh chemicals and improve indoor air quality.
Grow Some Food
Even if you do not have a garden, you likely have a windowsill. Start small by growing an indoor herb garden to provide a ready supply of fresh organic herbs year round. This can save you money and help to reduce your dependency on food imported from faraway places. It can also help reduce the amount of packaging you dispose of, if you usually purchase herbs sold in small plastic containers. Once you become comfortable with a small garden, try expanding your food growing to more pots and larger areas.
Source Separate
Canadians are generating more and more garbage every year, while landfill capacity is becoming a serious issue in some parts of the country. To reduce the amount of waste you produce, separate your food waste and recyclables from the rest of the garbage. By composting and recycling at home, you can divert a significant amount of waste from your local landfill. Sending food waste to landfills can also have negative impacts on the environment; the way in which organic materials decay in landfills can produce methane (a greenhouse gas) and leachate, which can contaminate groundwater.
If you have not done so already, set up compost and recycling bins beside your kitchen garbage. If all three options are always available together, recycling and composting become as easy as tossing something into the garbage can. Even if you don’t have organic waste collection in your municipality, try composting at home by purchasing a backyard composter. By composting, you are actually producing something beneficial for your surrounding environment.
Start Small
There are many simple changes we can make to reduce our impact on the planet. Start with small and manageable tasks and work your way up to larger projects. Often, the eco alternative is comparable in price or less expensive than the conventional one.
Contact your REALTOR at Coldwell Banker Vantage Realty for more tips on how saving energy can help save you money.
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