Simple Ways To Make Your Apartment More Eco-Friendly

Being one with nature is really important. Our lifestyle should ideally be such that it ensures minimal burden on our ecology as our ecosystem is already suffering too much under burden of mindless exploitation. We as responsible individuals must make sure that we do whatever we can to enrich and protect our precious resources. Every day, more number of people are making transformations from independent homes to apartments, making them a common sight in most cities. Our homes use a lot of resources and can be extremely wasteful if we do not take proper measures. We can make small changes to our life and home that will help our planet in the long run. Here are some simple tips that you can use to make your abode one of the most ideal eco friendly homes.

Replace tissues with reusable towels and rags

Though many an often tissues are made of recycled paper, the production of the same can take a lot of resources. Replace tissues with towels or make rags from old clothes (yes! Just like old times) and use them around the kitchen and to wipe your hands, etc. You can save up a lot not just on buying tissues but on making them too. You are also using up old clothes instead of wasting them- win, win for both!

Reuse used water

Water is one of the most precious resources that we are depleting rapidly. Often, we can be extremely wasteful while using water. You will see that in most eco-friendly homes, reduction in the usage of water is given a lot of importance. Apart from this, reusing used water will help in making your apartment more eco-friendly. You can water plants with the water used to wash vegetables, rice, etc. Utilise water discarded by your RO purifier to water plants, wash vessels & vehicles to make your home more eco-friendly.

Replace bulbs with CFLs

Bulbs consume a lot of electricity. Replacing them with CFLs will not only help in reducing the usage of this important resource but will also help you reduce your electricity consumption and bill. You could also opt for multiple smaller lights instead of one big light and choose to use select number of lights based on your need.

Replace plastic bags with cloth and reusable bags

Plastic is yet another menace that is causing a lot of damage to our ecology. Use reusable cloth bags or opt for paper bags while you shop in order to reduce your dependence on plastic bags.

Fix leaky fixtures

Leaky fixtures like taps, faucets and flush tanks can waste a large amount of clean water. A lot of us tend to just oversee these errands which must be given utmost importance. Thousands of individuals do not have access to clean drinking water, and us wasting it in this manner might lead to the same future for us too.

Don’t keep appliances running

Avoid your dependence on appliances and gadgets as much as you can. After an appliance is used, it is better to unplug it immediately to avoid any accidents or wastage of energy.

Avoid over cluttering your house

You may have a lot of items in your house that you will never use. It is best suggested to discard these so that someone else can make the most of it. Also, a lot of times more things around make the space feel hotter and closed which would make us want to use an AC or a fan. Decluttering and either selling items off or donating them to be reused will help our ecology extensively.

Segregate your waste

Learn to segregate your waste so that decomposable items and non-decomposable items can be separated. It is also suggested to opt to have a compost pit or a bin where you can make organic manure for your garden.

Kitchen garden

There are a lot of everyday items that we can grow at home. One can use natural manure and grow plants the organic way. It prevents the use of harmful disinfectants that release toxins into our food and into the air. A lot of energy is used in transporting and procuring our everyday essentials. We can save a lot of money and energy by growing our own plants. 

Enhance greenery in your vicinity

The green cover in our cities is fast depleting. It is important for responsible individuals to protect the greenery around them. You may not be able to grow a tree in a balcony but planting many potted plants will soak in the carbon dioxide from the air.

Use weather appropriate upholstery

Opt for light and delicate curtains to bring in more air and light during a warm summer day. Whereas, dark and heavy curtains are essential for a home which experiences more cold days. This will help us reduce our dependence on heating and cooling appliances to a certain degree.

These are just a few quick and very simple tips that you can use to make your home more eco-friendly. You could further expand your list of do’s and don’ts to make your home more in sync with nature. However, care should be taken to make the most of the resources.