by Beverly Clarke
Everyone’s worried about the environment.The news shows it every day. The planet is in trouble and we're running out of time.
You may be thinking that there's just no hope, with all of the bad news.One person doing something can't make a difference. Don't despair. There's still a lot that can be done starting with your eco-friendly home.
The first thing to do is to look around and see where you can cut waste.Requiring a huge amount of energy, which is very hard on the environment, is heating and cooling a home. In the summer time, try closing curtains and using fans instead of the air conditioner. Don't just mindlessly turn on the system on the first hot day of the year and leave it running for the rest of the season.It's important to be aware of the weather outside your door.Is turning on your AC really necessary, or can you manage without it.Often feeling better, is a warm breeze running through a room in place of a closed up cool one.
Layer on the sweaters and lower the thermostat is what you should be doing in winter.It feels good to wrap yourself in a warm and cozy blanket when you are reading or watching television.Better for the environment it certainly is and it's feeling good too.
The area of water usage is another where your home can be made to be more eco-friendly.Ultr low-flush toilets should be in place in your home. Install low-flow shower heads and aerators on your sinks.Still doing the job well, these units use much less water.
Only when you have a full load of laundry or dirty dishes, is the time to be running your washing machine or dishwasher. Anything less is wasteful.Why not hang your laundry out to line dry when it comes out of the washer?No matter what fabric softener you use, it can never be as clean-smelling as laundry that has been dired outdoors.
Speaking of fabric softener and other cleaning products, you might want to look through your collection and take the ones containing dangerous chemicals to the next hazardous waste drop off day.Using harsh cleaning chemicals is one of the biggest contributors to indoor air pollution.
General cleaning requires only vinegar, baking soda and hot water.Simply using a bit of dish soap to cut through grease, is all you need for a clean, safe home!
The eco-friendly home is not hard to achieve.The problem seems overwhelming, but remember that it took millions of bad choices to get us here.To get us out, will take millions of good ones.
Beverly Clarke is a writer and Interior Designer living in South Florida.Making a contribution to a cleaner world is in what she is most interested. She offers many facts and ideas on how to help save our environment through the use of alternative fuels and by recycling just about everything.
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