Not to sound too dramatic or anything, but the battle to save the Earth is, and will continue to be, long and drawn out with no known outcome.
We need eco-warriors on our side, as many as we can get, and the best place to start training for the fight is at home.
Being more eco conscious doesn’t have to be complicated, and here’s how it can be easily done from the comfort of your own living room, and bathroom, and bedroom.
Easy bathroom swaps
Make some simple switches in your bathroom for a world of difference.
Easy things like biodegradable baby wipes or plastic-free soaps and shampoos are easy steps to take to become more eco-friendly.
Toilet tissue is one of the simplest swaps. 27,000 trees are used each day to fund our toilet paper use. Consider making the switch to bamboo toilet paper – a much eco-friendlier alternative.
Take shorter showers over baths to use less water too – a five-minute shower can use about a third of the water needed to fill a bath. And both get you just as clean!
Switch up to save
On average, around 40% of global CO2 emissions are created from electricity generation.
One simple thing you could try is making the switch to an energy supplier with greener credentials and you might not only see the benefit in helping the planet but saving money too.
Try also changing the bulbs in your house to an eco-friendlier version – LEDs use up to 90% less energy than a traditional incandescent lightbulb. They’re usually more expensive, but often last a lot longer – sometimes up to 25 years!
Use eco-friendly cleaning products
A lot of ‘mainstream’ cleaning products contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment.
Make the switch to cleaning products containing natural ingredients or those which don’t harm the planet once they’ve been expelled. Usually, these options are also contained in plastic-free or eco-friendly packaging, which is a huge plus too.
You could also opt for all-natural cleaning options, utilising ingredients like lemon baking soda, and vinegar for an organic, natural way to keep your home sparkling and fresh.
Upgrade your insulation
It costs a fair bit to heat a home, so what’s the point in using up all that energy for it to simply float out of the window?
A well-insulated house is a key part of an eco-home revolution, as much as 40% of heat loss is due to poor insulation. Providing insulation to your loft and cavity walls is fairly simple, and a one-off payment to have it done can mean you save money in the long term – up to £150 a year.
And while you’re at it, invest in some double or triple-glazing if you don’t have it already. This is another excellent way to keep the heat in and save on your energy bills, while not wasting excess energy by expelling what you use straight through your walls and windows.
So, before you go attaching solar panels to every inch of roof you have in a bid to build the perfect sustainable abode, consider keeping the heat inside, first.