Category: Guest Post

One of the best ways to broaden your horizons in life is to go traveling. Learning and seeing new things is a good reward for those who travel. However, travel can be harmful to the environment; the more of us who do it, the more serious it becomes. With everyone becoming more aware of environmental issues (as evidenced by Allvision billboards), you might be worried about your place in it all and how you can enjoy your life and be sustainable at the same time.

This situation seems to be a difficult one to unravel. Traveling is wonderful for us, but the more we travel, the worse it gets for the environment. In that case, what can we do? Should we stay home? Actually, it would seem as though traveling in a more environmentally friendly manner is the best course of action. Here are some thoughts on how to go about accomplishing this goal.

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In today’s world, there is an ever greater awareness developing about the need for eco-focused approaches to life that help to mitigate the negative impact we have on the environment. With various gripping and troubling documentaries coming out over the last few years, increasing numbers of people are looking for changes they can make in their personal lives to live more in harmony with the natural world, as opposed to living in opposition to it.

At the same time, though, it’s fair to say that many people also find the idea of leading eco-friendly lives daunting. After all, not everyone is willing or able to move to a self-sufficient homestead, complete with a perfect composting system. As with so many other things in life, though, eco-friendly living is something where any movement in the right direction is likely to be beneficial. Here are just a few measurable tips for getting started with a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

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Christmas will be here before we know it, as it is coming faster than Santa on his sleigh ride on Christmas Eve! At this point, you are probably thinking about doing everything you can to prepare in advance. You will be making your Christmas list, thinking about food shopping, and considering which charities to gift to. You will also be making sure your home is nice and warm too, sealing up gaps in your home and arranging maintenance for your air conditioning. There will be much for you to do, and if you’re eco-conscious, you will want to ensure you’re caring for the environment in the process. So, with this in mind, here are some tips for those of you dreaming of a greener Christmas!

Have a homemade Christmas

Not only will you save money when you make the things you need but you will do your part for the environment too. You will cut down on plastic waste and have the opportunity to make sustainable choices with the materials you buy. As a suggustion, you can make your own Christmas decorations, for example, such as these adorable plastic-free Christmas crackers. You could also make your own gifts, using anything that is kind to the environment, such as organic foods for edible gifts.

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If you are thinking about selling your home there are a few things that you should take care of before you contact that realtor and get your home listed on the market. You have to think from a buyer’s perspective occasionally, what would they like to see when they look around a home. Buyers don’t often want to move into a cluttered fixer-upper. So be sure to take care of these three things before you open up your house to buyers.

Decluttering

First and foremost you should take some time to declutter your home. That includes the junk drawer and the garage, the places where everything gets thrown and avoided. Decluttering is important as when you open your home up for viewings the buyers don’t want to see your stuff lying around the property. Everything should have a place and anything that doesn’t should be put away. The reason for this is that potential buyers need to be able to envision their own belongings in your home. Another reason to declutter is that it opens up the rooms and makes the space look and seem larger than it is.

When you are decluttering it is worth sorting your belongings into four piles. These should be:

• The keep pile
• The throw-away pile
• Stuff you want to donate
• Items you want to sell

Repairs

When you sell your home new buyers must be moving into a home that doesn’t need any repairs. You may lose a sale if potential buyers find things wrong with your home that they don’t want to sort themselves. You might have a long list of repairs that you have been putting off, well now is the time to get them done. Two essential parts to look at are the roof and the walls. If the roof is leaking this will end up causing huge bills and repairs either for yourself or the new buyers. When checking the walls make sure there are no cracks, if there are make sure you fill them in.

When people are interested in buying your home they will send around a surveyor to check your home for structural damage. If they find anything on the report that they don’t like then they may well pull out of the sale.

Deep Clean

Finally, once everything else is done and before you get the photographer in to take photos you need to make sure your home is thoroughly cleaned. Nobody wants a home with someone else’s dust and dirt in it. Cleaning will remove everything that has built up over the years and get rid of the dust that has been missed during your weekly cleans. One notorious place for dust to gather is oven hoods, this is because they aren’t regularly cleaned.

Along with the rest of the house, you must not forget to clean the floors. If you have hardwood flooring this will need to be swept, mopped, and steamed to get rid of leftover dust. If you have carpets then these should be hoovered and then shampooed. Shampooing ensures all ground in dirt is removed and makes the carpets and home smell beautiful. If you are worried about using chemicals in your home then think about hiring a professional to carry out eco-friendly carpet cleaning throughout your home.

It’s becoming increasingly clear to, well, everyone that we need to change the way that we live. The recent IPCC report drove home the point that, while things can still be salvaged, we need to get moving! The good news is that most people are on board with this plan. They want to do their part for the world! And that’s brilliant because while the large corporations will have to shoulder most of the responsibility, we individuals have to do our bit too.

However, it’s important to know how to do things correctly. Otherwise, the necessary improvements just won’t be there! In this post, we’re going to look at some of the common environmental errors that homeowners make. If you’re guilty of any of them, then look into making some changes sooner rather than later.

New Products Everywhere

You’ll need to have plenty of items in your home if it’s going to be at its functional best. However, that doesn’t mean that you should just hit the shops every time you need something to have your home in full working condition, even if you’re looking for environmentally friendly new items. It often makes more sense — from a decor, price, and environmental standpoint — to buy used items. Those goods will work just as well as any others but won’t have anywhere near as big of an environmental impact.

Cleaning Chemicals

We all want our homes to be clean. Indeed, most people would think that it’d be pretty awful to live in a home that was fundamentally dirty! However, it’s important to think about how you’re cleaning your home. Some products can be extremely toxic, which is both bad for the environment and your health. Fortunately, there are eco-friendly alternatives for all the common home cleaning appliances, while companies that offer eco-friendly carpet cleaning will ensure that the big tasks don’t have a negative impact on your carbon footprint, either. As well as being better for the planet, you’ll also find that making the switch to eco-friendly products helps to boost your air quality, too.

Old Appliances

It’s generally better to keep hold of items for as long as possible, rather than just buying a replacement whenever you feel like it. However, there are some purchases where you should regularly upgrade—for instance, your home appliances. If you have an old washing machine or dishwasher, then it’ll probably be using more energy than it needs to. Modern appliances are much more energy-efficient. That means that every time you use it, its environmental impact will be less. And plus, you’ll save money, too.

A Lack of Imagination

Finally, let’s think about the imagination factor. Most people just make small tweaks to a pretty traditional home, but that can be a little limiting. There’s so much more that you can do! So rather than just trying to adapt to what you have to be more eco-friendly, think about the additional things you can do that’ll lead to having a home that’s better for the world as a whole.

If you’re committed to living sustainably and reducing your impact on the world, then it can be easy to become a bit derailed with this mission if you have pets. It seems that every time you turn around there is more mess or packaging needed. But, never fear! There are ways you can practice sustainability as a pet owner. I’ve listed a few of them in this post.

Have your cat or dog neutered

It’s an unfortunate fact that there are many unwanted pets in shelters all over the world and not enough people to adopt them. One stray female cat could potentially be responsible for over 300,000 kittens within two years if each of those then go on to have kittens as well.

Adopt don’t buy

As already mentioned, there are so many pets in need of good homes. You can find almost any breed of dog if you look hard enough. So, if you have your heart set on a particular breed, don’t assume you need to go to a breeder! 

It’s not just cats and dogs that need homes either. You can find most types of animals including rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and horses by using adoption.

Use sustainable products and food

There are a number of companies setting up ethical and sustainable pet brands in response to pet owners who are having trouble finding these products. From things like aquarium plant earth bed to recyclable packaging and ethically sourced pet shampoo, there are now a lot of choices on the market. Whenever you need something for your pet, look at sourcing sustainable and ethical products wherever you possibly can!

Buy in bulk

Every time you drive to the store to get something for your pet (or order it online to be delivered), there is a journey being made that can contribute to CO2 emissions and road congestion. Wherever possible, order your items in bulk! Then they can all be delivered at the same time, reducing unnecessary journeys and emissions.

Pass on your items to other pet owners

If you’re looking to throw away some of your dog’s old toys, coats, or accessories, why not pass them on to someone else or donate them to a shelter? They’ll get a second life and will be kept out of landfills!

Look up ethical companies

You’re probably already very careful about where you buy your own food and other products; but, can the same be said about the items you buy for your pet? Research companies carefully to see whether they operate in a way that you agree with. This could be in terms of how they treat their employees, how they source their products and their sustainability practices.

Final Thoughts

There are so many upsides to owning a pet and it doesn’t have to be incompatible with your sustainable lifestyle. There are many ways that you can reduce the impact that you and your pet have on the planet. Supporting ethical brands is a great way to let the big retailers know that they need to change; convenience and price aren’t the only driving factors for pet owners.

Being environmentally friendly should be one of the top priorities of our lives. Our houses annually release huge amounts of toxins to the environment and a lot of waste. Therefore some tips can help make your home more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. This means less money is being spent because less energy is being used within your house.

1. Turn down your thermostat

More and more people are opting for smart technology within their homes which means they are more in control of the appliances they use. Having a smart thermostat means you are in charge of how much energy you use to heat your home. Many smart thermostat technologies allow you to set timers for how long and at what level of heat your house is going to be heated. Sources such as Nest, compare your average energy consumption with the people in your area. They use this data to provide you with a percentage of how well you’re doing and how much energy you have saved each month. So not only will you know you’re doing better, you will be able to see how much better you are doing with this one small change!

2. Make more use of your washing machine

Using a washing machine isn’t particularly being energy efficient, however, there are ways that you can use your washing machine to become more energy efficient.  If you have solar panels on your property, wash the clothes when the sun is creating the most energy for your property. This is so you aren’t relying on burning fossil fuels to create energy to wash your clothes. Using your washing machine with a full wash of clothes means you’re being energy efficient while using your washing machine also. By making sure you are washing the most amount of clothes each wash, you are being more energy-efficient.

3. Invest in your insulation

By investing in your insulation, it means you are saving a huge amount of energy by looking after your home. When using wall and roof insulation, you are becoming more energy efficient.  This is because you won’t be spending money to heat your home for the energy to escape. This is the same with choosing energy-efficient windows and doors, choosing more options for your home means that you are saving energy. There are so many different types of windows within one home, with many options of how to make these more energy-efficient, including double glazing windows. You even can get energy-efficient awning windows, which are windows that open from the bottom out.

These are just 3 tips to make your home more energy-efficient, but there’s so much more you can do. Depending on how much money you have to spend depends on the types of improvements you can make to your home to make this change.  But being energy efficient can be as simple as turning off a light switch as you leave the room! So, there aren’t huge changes that have to be made straight away as little steps add up.