Easy Ways to Live an Eco-friendlier Lifestyle

Easy Ways to Live an Eco-friendlier Lifestyle

If you are tired of living a wasteful lifestyle and are resolved to live an eco-friendlier lifestyle, you might feel a little overwhelmed about all the big changes in your life. Starting something new can be stressful when you are unsure where to begin. Rest assured, you have already completed the most difficult step – deciding to make a change. Focus on smaller changes you can make easily before you tackle the more difficult steps of your eco-friendly resolution. Here are some easy and small changes you can make in your everyday life to help live an eco-friendlier lifestyle:

1. Turn down your water heater. A standard hot water heater setting is approximately 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Taking that down to 120 degrees could save you significantly on water heating costs.
2. Plugged in appliances waste a lot of unnecessary electricity, so unplug what you are not using. You may see a nice difference in your electric bill from this tip too. The one that I always make certain to unplug is the washer and dryer.
3. Utilize natural light coming into your home during the daytime. There’s no need to turn on all the lights in a room if you can see one another! You could also open the curtains and keep windows unobstructed to allow light in.
4. If you can’t keep the lights off completely, consider installing dimmer switches to avoid wasting energy. They’re eco-friendly and will help to lower your electricity bill too.
5. When your current bulbs burn out, replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs. These do cost more up front, but they’ll save you money in the long term. LED bulbs reduce energy use, and they last significantly longer than conventional light bulbs, reducing pollution too.
6. Did you know that not only indoor plants can absorb carbon dioxide, but they can also absorb some of the toxins in your home? How neat is that? Consider a houseplant to clean the air in your home.
7. When items in your home break, try to fix them before buying a new one. Check out the company website, look for directions or ask a representative for help. You can also do a search via Google or YouTube to see if your item is fixable.
8. When you do need to replace your appliances, look for ones that are energy efficient. Those with an Energy Star label will use substantially less energy and could save you money in the long run as well.
9. Repair leaky taps. Those little drops can waste gallons of water over the course of just one week, which isn’t good for the planet or for your water bill.

10. Skip the plastic bottles, instead use a reusable water bottle. Bottled water expensive and generates an enormous amount of plastic waste. This country wastes millions of pounds on water and creates several million tons of plastic in water bottles over the course of just one year. It’s one of the simplest lifestyles changes we can make, and if everyone did it the impact would be phenomenal!
11. Keep your refrigerator full. Your fridge uses more energy to stay cool when there are fewer items in it, so if it’s getting near time to head to the supermarket, just put a few glass bottles of water in the fridge!
12. Use hand towels and cloth napkins rather than paper. This super simple change will save trees, use less energy, and keep more money in your wallet over time.
13. If you like to meal plan, consider batch cooking instead of turning on the oven each night. Make a few meals at once. When making smaller meals, use your toaster oven instead of the conventional oven, which uses less energy. You can also turn off the oven a few minutes before your meals or baked goods are ready, which allows the food to continue cooking while also saving energy. This little trick works with the stove too.
14. Get yourself a pressure cooker, which can use significantly less energy than a conventional oven. Pressure cooker recipes are all the rage right now, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a meal that your family loves!
15. Make a few meatless meals every week. Meat production is extremely taxing on the earth, and creates an amount of carbon waste. When you do purchase meat, look for animals that are treated humanely and fed organically.
16. Always wash a full load of dishes. Running a partial load is a huge waste of both water and electricity.
17. Speaking of water waste, focus on taking shorter baths and showers. A tremendous amount of water can be saved each year by not wasting time letting the shower water run. Also consider taking colder showers, as research shows that (in addition to saving electricity) they are much healthier for you!
18. Shut off the water while you brush your teeth and for the guys, while shaving your face. It’s really very easy to do when you are being conscious of it!
19. Installing a low-flow showerhead can save tons of wasted water. When these showerheads first hit the market, they were on the pricier side, but not anymore!
20. We used to believe that it was best to wash clothes in hot water. However, most washing machines do just as good of a job getting clothes clean in cold water, and cold uses significantly less energy. In fact, most of the energy used by a washing machine is for heating water.
21. Always wash a full load of laundry instead of several smaller loads. A tremendous amount of water and energy is wasted when washing a partial load.

22. Place a BPA-free plastic milk or water jug filled with rocks in your toilet tank. This will help you to save water each time you flush the toilet.
23. Contrary to the marketing ploy, “clean” is not a smell. Use eco-friendly and toxin-free cleaning supplies whenever possible, as they won’t release harmful chemicals into your home. There are more and more great brands popping up in stores every day, which is keeping the prices more competitive. And they’re worth it. Likewise, use a microfiber duster to clean your home rather than paper towels.
24. Stop throwing recyclable items in your regular rubbish bin! Almost every municipality in the country has recycling programs, and many schools have large recycling bins in their parking lots. Recycling can go beyond paper, glass, and plastic too. You can recycle plastic bags at your local supermarket, and even bring hangers back to the dry cleaner. Other items such as paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, and washed-out milk cartons can be donated to schools for craft projects. Recycling is easy to do and can have an enormous environmental impact.
25. We spoke earlier about cloth napkins, but cloth nappies are also making a big comeback. (Though I completely understand where this tip may be too much for many readers. I’ve been there too.) Many conventional diapers made from potentially harmful chemicals, which can end up on your baby and then in landfills. In all honesty, neither option sounds particularly pleasant.
26. Stop using plastic bags. If you can carry the item yourself or fit it in a purse, then do not accept a plastic bag. Take reusable bags with you to the grocery store. Plastic bags take an enormous amount of time to break down, and they often end up in oceans where they are hazardous to marine life.
27. Reuse glass or BPA-free water bottles rather than purchasing plastic bottles. Plastic water bottles are one of the worst waste offenders on the market today.
28. Stop using straws and coffee stirrers. They are an enormous waste of plastic, and terrible for the environment.
29. Get rid of plastics all together. Instead, us glass, ceramic, or stainless steel containers for storing food and other items.
30. Clean out your car. Trekking around with fewer items in your car means that it will weigh less, thus using less fuel. Less fuel is better for both the environment and your wallet.
31. Going to the same place as a friend or neighbour? Then go together or set up a carpool. Not only will it save you money on gas, but fewer cars on the road also translates to less carbon emissions. Better yet, walk or ride your bike when you can!

32. When working at home on your laptop, unplug it from the wall. Let it run on the battery so you can conserve energy use. Set your computer’s monitor to power off rather than go to a screen saver. Making this one change can reduce the amount of energy needed to run your pc.
33. There are times when you will just have to use paper. If you work from home (or even if you don’t), purchase environmentally friendly paper. You can buy chlorine-free paper and/or recycled paper
34. When you do need to print, use wider margins and smaller font, so that you can get as much printed on sheet of paper as possible. Also, print on double-sided paper. Use scrap paper before taking out a new sheet to write on.
35. Recycle ink cartridges and toner cartridges. Some stores even give you a credit for returning them. You can also purchase recycled ink and toner cartridges rather than buying new.
36. Make your own Christmas decorations! Reuse materials to create special memories and decorations that can be displayed in your home from year to year.
37. Buy LED Christmas lights. They will last longer and use less electricity, saving your money that can be put towards presents! Get a Christmas tree and wreath that is eco-friendly chemical-free. Why bring all those toxins in your house, especially during the holiday season? In addition to chemical-free trees, you can also purchase a tree that is capable of being planted after use in your home. Don’t ditch your tree. Recycle it instead.
38. Save trees when you read. Head to the library, borrow from a friend, or download them to your pc, laptop, or reader.
39. Pay bills online. Not only does this reduce the need for paper, it also lowers your spending on stamps and gas needed to get your bill to the recipient. The same goes for greeting cards. You can also keep your calendar, to-do list, and notes digitally rather than on paper. You may even want to send your child’s teacher an email rather than a handwritten paper note.
40. Cancel junk mail and neighbourhood flyers, even if you did not subscribe to them. Actually, do this especially if you did not subscribe to them.
41. Borrow other items that you will only need once or twice rather than purchasing them. Reduce, remember?
42. Recycle mobile phones and other technology. Several electronics stores, and even charities will gladly take used electronics items. Donating and recycling these items reduces the risk of mercury, cadmium and lead from ending up in landfills. If you are not going to recycle them, be sure to learn the proper ways to dispose of hazardous waste like electronics or chemicals.
43. Shop at socially responsible retailers, both online and in-store. Encourage the stores you shop at to carry eco-friendly items.
44. Use Canvas Bags Instead of Plastic.