Nowadays, people all over the world are becoming more aware when it comes to taking care of the environment. This is a fortunate thing because being an environmentally-conscious individual will not only yield a result to a sustainable environment, but it can also be cost-efficient.

Try Using Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

Cleaning is good. However, using cleaning materials that are composed of harmful chemicals is terrible not only for your skin but also for the environment. Imagine all the hazardous components being washed away. Technically, they are being placed back to the water supply, and it will eat more time for the water treatment process to reach its final stage before it is safe to distribute and use again.

Good thing, there are many cleaning materials in the market today that are certified nature-friendly. All you have to do is check the label and see if there is a green certification. Furthermore, you can also use natural cleaning materials that are found in your kitchens such as vinegar, citric acid produced from citrus fruits, or baking soda. You’ll be surprised how far in cleaning they can go.

Conserving Water Usage

Water is a valuable commodity for all living things. For that reason alone, conserving water is not an option, and for us to use clean water is a privilege that not everyone experiences. Thus, we need to be serious about saving water. How? Take a look at these examples:

• Fix any leaks – you should check your pipes regularly and see if there are possible leaks. If there is, have it fixed right away.

• Switch off the tap whenever you are not using it – Check this scenario: As you brush your teeth and run the tap to get some water,  you did not bother to switch it off even if you are not using it. When you’re finished brushing, you gargled water. Then, you close the tap. Is this familiar to you? Everyone can be guilty at this, but changing for the better won’t hurt you.

• Use of low-flow showerhead – it is an excellent idea to get and install a low-flow showerhead for your bath to regulate water consumption.

Experience the Beauty of Using LEDs

Getting in the right lighting materials is one of the essential things that you need to consider for your household. And investing in LED lighting can solve your dilemma. It is known that LEDs are energy efficient and cheap compared to traditional lights. Besides, some suppliers sell trendy and fashionable LEDs that are proved to last for years.

Install Solar Panels

Solar panels are tools that capture the sun’s energy and convert them into electricity. Thus, they are an important feature for any eco-home. These devices yield entirely clean power that can sustain all your electrical needs at home. This can also be a good investment for electrical business purposes because they usually store more than enough energy and last for 25 to 30 years. 

Cook Smart

Being smart in the kitchen and choosing your methods wisely leads to an eco-friendly household. Here are some how-to-be kitchen-smart tips:

• Use the right cookware and size when cooking through the stove and oven. 

• Use lids for pots and pans. Covering your pans and pots helps to trap heat. Therefore you can cook things quicker and attain the same level of boiling pr frying without the hob being turned to high mode.

• Keep the oven door closed. One may lose a significant amount of heat when opening an oven door during cooking or baking. Even if you think that the oven was opened just for a while, it will still then need to use a substantial amount of energy to heat up again.

• Switch off the oven early. A conventional oven will retain the needed temperature for up to ten minutes after you turn it off. Hence, you will save ten minutes of energy without compromising on your meal.

• Defrost your food naturally. You can avoid defrosting food through the use of microwave and instead put out the food overnight or first thing in the morning. In that way, you saved electrical energy.

• Convert to conventional drip coffee maker. Coffee pods can’t be reused or recycled, and now with billions of aluminum and plastic cups ending up in landfills every year, they are becoming a global problem. 

Practice the 3R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Reduce, reuse, and recycle are also known as the 3Rs of the environment. Just remembering the 3R and embodying their purpose is already eco-friendly living.

• Reduce – reducing our waste is the perfect way to help our mother nature. You can do this by reusing and recycling your old things.

• Reuse – instead of throwing the old stuff that you deemed useless, how about trying to find ways to use them again? You can reuse by storing food in reusable containers, use all writing paper on both sides, donating clothes and old toys instead of throwing them, have a garage sale for your old furniture that you want to dispose, etc.

• Recycle – recycling is creating new goods out of old materials. In buying recycled materials like paper bags, paper towels, toilet papers, and greeting cards, instead of newly one does support the betterment of the environment.

Conclusion

In summary, being an advocate of using eco-friendly materials and making the holistic approach may be hard to accomplish and not an easy task to do. But with the motivation of giving back and taking care of the environment inevitably will lead you somewhere fulfilling.

About the Author: Crystal Kim is an environmental advocate and a fiction writer by passion. She loves volunteering in summer reading camp for children, imparting the importance of reading.

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