The Ways to Go Green at Home

The term “climate change” is now one of the decade’s biggest buzzwords. The discussions are all over the place, from the gatherings of the world’s greatest minds to the homes of everyday working people. With this, it seems that everyone is striving to go green at home and in the office. If you want to contribute to making this planet a great place to live again, then here are the different ways to do so, and all of these can be done right at home.

Saving energy

One nice way of saving energy is by changing to LED light bulbs. These bulbs not only last long, these are also energy efficient, with eighty percent of electricity fed to it is converted to become light energy. These bulbs also do not have toxic substances, last very long, and do not require a lot of energy to function.

Another great way to save power is to go beyond switching off appliances when you no longer want to use them. Aside from switching appliances off after using them, it is a must that you unplug them as well. This is because some appliances will still consume power as long as they are plugged. Some examples of appliances that will consume energy when plugged include the television, a few media players, and your microwave oven.

If having to unplug them each night is annoying to you or if you do not have enough power sockets at home, you can plug these appliances on power strips. Once you have done this, you can then have the power strip plugged to a power socket.

A third way of saving energy is using a clothesline or a drying rack instead of a dryer when it comes to drying the laundry. Unlike a dryer, the clothesline and drying rack do not use electricity. You only need to place these (along with the laundry you just washed) outdoors, under the heat of the sun.

Saving water

Another way to go green is to save water, and there are many ways of saving water. A few of these are highlighted below.

One good way to save water is by taking five-minute showers. By spending only that much time inside the shower, less water is used. You also use less electricity this way since you only use the water heater for a short time.

Another method is the installation of aerators on all of your taps at home. These items work like the aforementioned low-flow shower heads and for this reason, they are a nice addition to your plumbing system.

When cleaning drains, be sure to use environment-friendly cleaning products. These do not only smell good, as these are also biodegradable and safe for waterways, not to mention that these also naturally eliminate residue and build-up from drains. If you cannot find environment-friendly drain cleaners in hardware shops, you can make your own environmentally-friendly drain cleaner. You only need a cup of salt, a cup of cream of tartar, a cup of baking soda, and a cup of water. Combine one cup of each of the following into a plastic or glass sealable container: salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Once combined, stir them until they have mixed together very well. Then pour ¼ cup of the ingredients and two cups of hot, boiling water into a clogged drain. Let it stand for half an hour, and after the said time period, run water through the drain.

Of course, another way to go green at home and save water is to have leaking pipes and taps fixed as soon as possible. To check for leaks in your plumbing system, switch off all water appliances, taps, showers, and the water main. Once you have done this, check your water meter. If it is still ticking, then there is definitely a leak somewhere and you need to call a licensed and reliable plumber immediately. If you are living in Camperdown and need professional and reliable plumbing services, you can check out http://www.plumbercamperdown.com.au/.

Alternatives to bottled water

Use water filters to make tap water safe for consumption instead of purchasing bottled water. Bottled water costs a lot, and in addition, the complex process of making them is destructive to the environment.

Aside from using water filters, another alternative to using bottled water is the reusable aluminum bottle. Unlike the former, the latter is made of a naturally-occurring, non-toxic element. Also, compared to the making of plastic bottles, the process of making reusable aluminum bottles is not that harmful to the environment.

These are the things you can do at home to go green and contribute to making the planet a great place to live in once more. Despite being just simple things, the rewards that everyone gains by doing them are almost countless.

Sources:

http://www.worldwatch.org/resources/go_green_save_green

http://www.ledluxor.com/top-10-benefits-of-led-lighting

http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=1194&TargetID=235

http://www.greenlifestylechanges.com/take-5-minute-showers/

http://eartheasy.com/live_lowflow_aerators.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_11698_make-own-drain.html

http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/pubs/fixleak.html