If you are thinking of building a new home, you need materials like stone slabs and wood to complete your project. Unfortunately, these raw materials can only be obtained through mining and lumbering, processes that can be detrimental to the environment.
Fret not: there’s still one other option for you to build your dream home, and that is by using recycled materials and other items that are guaranteed to be Earth-friendly. Here’s everything you need to know about Eco-homes.
What is an Eco-home?
Also called an eco-house, this type of abode is created with the concept of reducing waste and energy consumption. It is designed, constructed, sited, operated and maintained in such a way that negative environmental effects are reduced. Sustainable development, sustainable design, and sustainable living are the pillars of this concept.
Materials Used for Eco-Homes
As its name implies, an Eco-house utilizes environmentally-friendly construction materials such as straw bale, FSC timber, cob hemp and lime plaster, to name a few. What’s great about these items is that they don’t emit greenhouse gases that make our weather unpredictable. They’re also very cheap in comparison to timber, granite, cement, concrete and other materials used for building traditional houses.
How It Helps the Environment
With an Eco-home, less energy is used and lesser greenhouse gases are emitted to the atmosphere. In areas where Eco-homes abound, air quality is distinctively better, which means better health for you and your family.
As it has been mentioned, the construction of Eco-homes involves the use of recycled materials instead of new wood and concrete, which are obtained from natural resources. With these materials, the processes of mining and logging are reduced. After all, these activities result in resource depletion and forest denudation, resulting to possible flashfloods.
Advantages of Building an Eco-Home
For electricity, an Eco-home uses alternative sources of energy such as wind power or solar power, which are generated through wind turbines or solar panels. Obtaining electricity through these sources is cheaper compared to when fossil fuels are used. These alternative power sources might be a little expensive, but they are practical investments as they can help you save a lot of money in the long run.
With an Eco-home, you can help in the conservation of nearly exhausted natural resources. Traditional homes utilize electricity generated by fossil fuel-burning power plants. Fossil fuels are used almost every day that it wouldn’t be long before they are depleted.
It is never too late to do your own share in saving the environment even through seemingly minute ways. True enough, the construction of one eco-home may have very negligible impact compared to large and exhaustive operations of mining companies, but if billions of peopleact towards the same objective, there’s no undertaking too huge. After all, small acts add up into a big cause. If there is an aggressive effort to push for eco-homes now, people may get a better chance at living in a safer and cleaner environment within their lifetime. But one thing is for sure, this collective action will secure the welfare of generations to come.
Author Bio:
Hadi Arti is a partner & CEO at RE/MAX Executive Realty, a Charlotte North Carolina Real Estate company providing the most-up-to-date listing in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hadi has more than 30 years of residential real estate experience as a Realtor, broker, and home builder.
That house looks like it came out of the movies! My family and I have been gradually going green lately. We recently had our bathroom updated with a toilet and shower that uses less water when used. It may cost a little bit of money for the initial purchase, but over the long run you will be saving money on your bills and helping the environment at the same time. Really like what this blog has to offer.