Anyone can have a green lifestyle with a little bit of mindfulness.
You don’t need to adopt a completely zero-waste lifestyle to live a sustainable life. There are lots of simple ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and still live comfortably, whether you’re in an old apartment or a new one. A green lifestyle involves making conscious choices every day that will have a smaller impact on the environment. This includes quick one-time changes, like using eco-friendly light bulbs, or day-to-day activities, like remembering to turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth.
Your daily life has a serious impact on the environment and climate change, so it’s important to choose environmentally friendly. Here’s what you need to know about green apartment living and how you can reduce waste, save energy and even save money.
What is an eco-friendly apartment?
An eco-friendly apartment is one that has less of a negative impact on the environment. It doesn’t differ greatly from a typical apartment as far as functionality and style go, but it does have a few aspects that make it a “green living” space to minimize its carbon footprint. This can include everything from the curtains you hang to the showerhead you use to conserve water to the organic textiles you choose to create a more sustainable lifestyle.
How can I be eco-friendly living in an apartment?
Eco-friendly apartment living isn’t difficult. However, it is intentional and may require shifting your habits a bit. Making the green choice is the first step. Now that you’ve made that choice, here’s how you can make your apartment greener!
How can I make my apartment greener?
By simply tweaking your apartment and establishing a few easy habits, you can make any apartment more eco-friendly! Here are some eco-friendly tips to get you started.
1. Opt for reusable items
There are so many disposable items we use on a daily basis that we don’t even think about — everything from bottled water to paper towels to plastic wrap. These days, there is an eco-friendly alternative to just about everything that we can use to replace the disposable items we’re used to. Use silicone or metal reusable straws instead of the plastic ones you throw away after one use. Get fabric napkins that you wash rather than paper napkins. Get rid of paper towels and use a dishcloth for cleaning. Invest in reusable beeswax wraps or silicone bowl covers to replace plastic wrap.
The reality is that these reusable household items will save us money over the long term! Spending a little bit of money upfront on sustainable products like reusable water bottles or even a large set of dishes for entertaining so you don’t use a bunch of paper plates and plastic utensils will keep you from constantly spending money on disposable items.
2. Clean with eco-friendly products
Cleaning your house doesn’t need to involve unnatural materials or harmful chemicals. You can clean using eco-friendly cleaning products, which you can purchase just about everywhere these days. Or, you can make your own using natural ingredients.
You can use ingredients like baking soda, lemon juice and white vinegar for most household cleaning, among other naturally-created ingredients to make your own cleaning products. There are recipes online for green cleaning products that you can follow to make just about any type of cleaning product under the sun.
3. Get rid of plastic bags
Plastic bags are everywhere you look — from taking snacks to the park to carrying groceries to your car. Single-use plastics are one of the worst things for the environment, as they put fumes and carbon dioxide into the air when created and it takes years and years to break down even a little bit.
So, ditch the grocery bags and disposable sandwich bags and reduce your plastic waste by getting reusable containers made from silicone and shopping totes for carrying groceries. These are also more durable than plastic products, so you’ll be able to carry more groceries in a single bag and don’t need to worry about your snack bags getting holes.
4. Create a compost bin for food waste
Composting is a great way to reduce the food waste that goes to landfills. And it’s really simple to do! You can get a small compost bin to keep in your kitchen or if you have an outdoor area you can use, there are even more options. It’s amazing how many food scraps to compost that would normally go straight into the garbage can, like coffee grounds, fruit peels and skins from vegetables. You can then use the organic matter from your compost to fertilize your plants or a local community garden. Or, you can take your compost to a center that accepts it and will use or distribute it.
5. Shop secondhand
For every new item that’s produced, whether it’s clothing, furniture or décor, there’s an impact on the environment in the form of energy and material use and there are often fumes created in the production process. By purchasing secondhand items, you’re not purchasing items that have had such a negative impact. Plus, eco-friendly shopping means you can look for vintage pieces and find unique items that you simply can’t buy brand new!
6. Use organic materials
Organic materials, like cotton, wool and linen, usually don’t have as big of an impact on the environment. Whereas synthetic materials, such as polyester and acrylic, use toxic chemicals that take a toll on the environment. It’s tempting to use synthetics because they’re usually more affordable. However, they don’t last as long and, as mentioned, affect the earth in a negative way. So, stick to the natural materials for clothing, rugs, curtains, etc.
7. Reduce energy consumption
Your energy usage affects the environment, especially when it comes from a non-renewable source. Conserve what you can by switching to energy-efficient electronics and light bulbs, turning off the lights when you don’t need them and unplugging electronics that aren’t in use. Even if something isn’t turned on, but it’s plugged in, it’s using a little bit of energy.
Use clean energy by opting for natural lighting as often as possible to avoid turning on the lights and use medium-colored draperies to insulate your apartment. Window treatments add to the sustainability of your apartment, too. There are energy-efficient curtains designed to keep cool air inside during the hot months and warm air inside during the cooler seasons, so you’ll be able to reduce energy while reducing your heating and air conditioning bill. Another great idea to use less energy is by adding a weather strip to your door to block drafts. These ideas will both conserve energy and reduce your electric bill.
8. Go for renewable energy
As a tenant, you can’t exactly control bigger things like whether or not apartment buildings have solar panels. However, you can use solar panels in your own unit! There are small and portable solar units you can set up in a window that gets lots of sunlight and use to power some electronics or appliances, like your TV or laptop while you work.
9. Be mindful of water usage
The average household uses roughly 300 gallons of water every day! Preserve water by turning it off when you’re not actively using it to wash or rinse (that means vegetables, hair, toothbrush, etc.). You can further reduce water waste by getting an eco-friendly shower head that uses less water and only using the washing machine when you have enough dirty clothes for a full load of laundry.
Also, keep in mind that the water temperature you use can have an impact. Hot water requires more energy to heat, so using cold water when doing laundry and dishes helps save energy. You can also turn the water down a few degrees when taking a shower or bath, so the water will have a lower temperature, but still be comfortable.
10. Recycle whenever you can
If you do end up using single-use plastic containers, paper packaging or other items that aren’t necessarily eco-friendly or zero-waste, it only makes sense to recycle as much as possible. Most apartment buildings have some type of recycling program, but if yours doesn’t, you can always take your recyclable waste to nearby recycling facilities.
Commit to green living
Now that you have these green living tips to get you started, it’s time to commit to eco-friendly apartment living! Adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle by being mindful of the products you use, what you dispose of and how you dispose of them. And think about your water and energy use. It doesn’t require a lot of effort, just a conscious choice!
Source: rent.com