Ways To Make Your Family Home A More Sustainable Place
Sustainability is always using the resources we have wisely. A sustainable home meets the needs of the family living there while also not wasting resources or stripping the planet for the generations to come. The good news is it’s always possible to make your home a more sustainable place. Just read on to find out how.
Reduce your water usage
First of all, you can reduce your water usage if you want your home to be a more sustainable place to live. This means using a low-flow adapter to cut the amount of water used in a single use. It also means getting used to shutting off taps when brushing your teeth. Short showers instead of baths work well too, and you may even want to start collecting rainwater to use on your garden or for washing your car.
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Minimise food waste
One of the biggest threats to sustainability in residential homes is the vast amount of food waste that we create every week. Remember that so many resources are used up in growing and transporting this food, and some of it doesn’t even end up in our mouths but straight in the bin!
To reduce food waste in your home, it’s best to use a compost bin for scraps. These can then be broken down and used to nourish plants in your garden. Also, planning your meals and only shopping in line with that plan can help you not be left with lots of food at the end of the week that’s out of date and unused.
Buy better
Buying better is also another way that you can ensure your home is more sustainable. This means buying secondhand and pre-owned where possible, or choosing cleaning products more more natural ingredients.
It can also mean shopping on online platforms like Upcrafted for artisan-made goods. By doing this, you can help encourage true craftpeople who make a small number of items from more sustainable resources.
Ditch single-use plastics
Another smart way to make your family home sustainable is to get rid of single-use plastics. Single-use plastics are exceedingly bad for the environment because they use lots of precious resources in their production, and then right up in landfills after only one use! Instead, invest in items that replace single-use plastics, such as refillable water bottles, sustainable bags instead of plastic carriers, and glass containers for storing food.
Control your climate
Last of all, if you want your home to be a more sustainable place, then putting some effort into properly controlling your climate makes sense. What this means is carefully thinking about how you keep warm and cool, and doing so in an efficient and sustainable way. Of course, this can look quite different from household to household depending on your specific needs.
For example, one family may choose to install underfloor heating instead of using a central system. The main benefits of this are that less energy is wasted because the area with which you have contact (the floor) will always be warm. Another family may choose to update their insulation in the roof and walls, helping to keep the inside temperature constant and saving energy in the process.
