The summer is finally on its way, signalled by sprouting spring flowers and longer days, causing all of us to tune into nature in its many beautiful forms. What better way to show your love for our planet than by celebrating Earth Day every day? With these simple hacks, you can adopt a year-round approach to making your home kinder to the earth.
Create a compost bin and collect rainwater
Your garden is an eco-system and can become more self-sufficient by creating your own compost. Utilise vegetable peelings, grass, newspapers, cardboard, dust from the hoover, and even old wine! And when it comes to watering your garden, simply collect rainwater in a barrel or with a beautiful water feature.
Cut dishwashing tablets in half
A tried and tested method of waste reduction is only using half of the dishwashing tablet. This smaller amount is sufficient to wash a standard load of dishes, so if you have a box of powder-based tablets – get chopping!
Plant some trees
Celebrate the sunny seasons by planting your favourite trees, flowers, and plants so they can breathe out oxygen while adding renewed vibrancy to your garden. Taking care of them is a responsibility for all the family to share, and they will remind you over the years in glorious bloom that you helped make a difference. Additionally, when nurturing your garden, try to use fewer pesticides; they are expensive and unnecessary!
Use homemade cleaning products
Most essential cleaning products can be found in one of your food cupboards! Baking soda, lemon and white vinegar are just a few of the readily available household items that can be used for a good green clean.
Make more healthy living choices
While supermarkets are great for convenience, local farm shops and markets use less packaging and pesticides, so why not give them a try? Eating fresh foods and cutting down on meat is endlessly beneficial to the environment, but when all is said and done, eating healthily is an investment and will allow you to enjoy your home with a heightened sense of wellbeing - especially if you add exercise to your daily routine!
Install solar panels
Reduce your electricity costs and the size of your carbon footprint. You may even produce more power than needed and be able to sell it back to your local energy supplier, covering the costs of installation. But if your budget does not allow for solar panels right now, there are less costly ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home.
Use LED lighting
Simply swapping your light bulbs could mean a 70% reduction in the energy required to light a room. LED bulbs may be a little more expensive, but they last for years, so don’t worry about parting with a few extra pounds in the short term.
Fit a water-saving showerhead
By adding air, it feels as if more water is coming out of your showerhead, but it's actually using 50% less water! Fitting a water-saving showerhead takes minutes, usually by quickly unscrewing the old and replacing it with the new.
Celebrate Earth Day your own way
Earth Day takes place on the 22nd of April, but anything you do now makes a lasting difference. As you create a home that is a little greener, it becomes increasingly desirable and a more pleasant place to live.
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