Bringing a dog into your family can certainly be exciting. However, if this is the…
5 Steps For Creating a More Sustainable Household
A recent report claimed that up to 77% of people want to learn how to live more sustainably. Whether or not this translates to real-life action, it demonstrates that the majority of us are becoming environmentally conscious. With increased awareness of the damage that our lifestyles are doing to the environment, there is a definite call for people to live more responsibly.
Large corporations and enterprises are now under pressure to be eco-responsible and ethical in the way they do business. People are making an effort to reduce their carbon footprints and be more sustainable in their home.
An important factor in creating a more sustainable home is to be conscious of how your house operates. Try to use electricity efficiently, be smart with how you stay warm and don’t be wasteful.
If being eco-friendly has become a priority in your life recently, here are five great tips for creating a sustainable household.
Grow food
Growing a sustainable fruit and vegetable garden is one of the most effective ways of creating a sustainable lifestyle. Through proper gardening practices, you can cultivate a nutrient-filled, fertile soiled landscape that’s perfect for growing the finest fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs.
From a health perspective, you and your family will benefit from organic-grown produce. This reduces your intake of harmful additives that are present in many mass-produced fruits and vegetables.
You can take pride in the fact that your food is ethically sourced, and may find the process to be quite satisfying.
Keep animals
Aside from being excellent pets and companions, animals can have very practical benefits when it comes to living a sustainable lifestyle at home.
Cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens are great examples of animals that provide food.
Horses, donkeys, and dogs can be trained to help with work on your garden, or mini-farm.
Alpacas are becoming increasingly popular as they have several uses. Their manure can be used as a natural fertiliser. Their fleece is quite valuable and extremely useful when it comes to crafting, due to the strength of its fibres. Alpaca breeding can also be quite lucrative, so it could be an excellent long term way to make money.
If you need help in finding an alpaca, there are studs out there such as Charnwood Forest Alpacas.
Recycle
Recycling is quite common today, so it’s vital that you recycle as much as possible. This does not mean filling your recycling bins and leaving them outside your house every week. You should actively pursue other ways to reduce waste and re-use items.
Renewable energy
If you are serious about creating a sustainable household, you must consider using renewable energy. This drastically reduces your reliance on fossil fuels which are finite resources that have detrimental effects on our planet.
Solar and wind energy can be very effective in (at least partially) powering your home. They are renewable sources and can be cost-effective in the long term.
Use energy-efficient appliances
There are energy-saving certified versions of most household appliances on the market. Over time, replace the energy-sapping appliances with their more efficient counterparts. This will go a long way in making a more sustainable household.
Some energy-efficient household appliances you could consider installing are washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, and dishwashers.
Galina V says
Good tips. I’ve never used pesticides in my garden, but that means it’s a constant battle with snails, slugs and other creepy crawlies. I’m growing tomatoes again this year, and salad.
Alison Maclean says
I have found crushed egg shells in the soil is working well at keeping slugs away. Love home grown tomatoes