Nowadays, it seems like residential environmentalism is no longer an option. Every homeowner is striving towards creating the most eco-friendly surroundings for themselves and their family and it’s no wonder if we take a look at the state our planet is currently in.
The idea of reducing the carbon footprint of our homes and finding alternative energy solutions is now something all of us can get behind. And since this year has just started, what better time to give your home a well-deserved makeover and boost its efficiency, aesthetic and functionality.
Energy efficiency is your new best friend
To start off, think about how energy-efficient your home is. If the answer is “Not really”, you should do something about it. Aside from equipping your home with eco-friendly LED lighting that’s not only great at mimicking the natural light but is also much more efficient than any other type of lighting, you should also consider replacing your old appliances with their energy-efficient alternatives.
If you want, you can even take everything one step further and equip your home with solar panels. This will provide you with complete energy independence as they can be used to power the appliances in your home, heat up your water and even keep your house warm.
Think locally sourced and re purposed when replacing furniture
The era of equipping every room in our homes with freshly-bought, imported furniture is over. Instead, if there’s a piece of furniture you want to replace, scout your local markets and yard sales. You know what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. More likely than not, you’ll be able to find great pieces for only a fraction of the price if you dedicate some time to look for them.
Additionally, consider this: while bamboo definitely has a lot of eco-friendly and sustainable traits, it can’t really be considered green if you account for all the transportation methods it requires to get to your home. So, instead of opting for exotic materials such as this one, choose locally sourced materials instead.
Rethink your floors
Next, you should definitely focus on your flooring solutions. While hardwood and tiles are definitely great options, concrete floors are much more durable and are now available featuring various designs. So, if you already have floors in your home you don’t wish to update, that’s fine.
However, if you’re building your home from the ground up, check out various concrete flooring solutions. You are bound to find the design you’d like to incorporate in your home and the best part is that you can now even order concrete online to be delivered right at your doorstep. Concrete floors are not only an excellent durable and sustainable solution, but they are also a very green solution due to concrete’s low environmental impact.
Implement water preserving solutions
The next problem in today’s environmental scene is the amount of water we waste on the daily. If you consider the fact that water is a finite resource we simply can’t live without, yet some people tend to waste it like it’s nobody’s business, it becomes quite obvious why you should implement solutions in your home that will – at least to a certain point – reduce these wasteful habits.
Install taps and shower heads that feature aerators wherever possible, replace your toilets with dual flush, low flow alternatives and put together a rainwater collecting system in your yard. Additionally, preserve water you used to wash fruit and vegetables and use it to water your plants.
Think green all across the board
Green designs have slowly become a must in both interiors and exteriors. Solutions like rooftop gardens, window gardens, living walls and vertical indoor gardens have slowly become the must-have pieces in every eco-friendly home.
Aside from the amazing aesthetic properties of these green elements, they have numerous other useful properties. For example, rooftop gardens are excellent at acting like an additional source of insulation, keeping your home warm during colder periods and cool in hot summer days.
Vertical indoor gardens, as well as living walls, also act as an additional insulator but they purify the indoor air as well. Aside from these, you should also scatter potted plants throughout your home. They will also act as natural air purifiers and have the power to boost our mood, aside from other positive effects they have on our brains.
As you can see, making your home more eco-friendly and reducing its carbon footprint is not that difficult. You just need to learn a bit more about the eco-friendly materials and the green lifestyle in general so that you can implement all the environmentally-friendly solutions in your home design. Good luck and enjoy your new green living space!
