As we become increasingly conscious of the impending disaster that is global warming, people are rapidly looking to change the way they think and live. Nowhere more so than at home when living in a greener fashion is becoming important. And it is surprisingly easy to do with just a few minor changes in a few key areas. Here are some tips to help you decrease your carbon footprint and to ensure that you can continue to live well without doing harm to the world around you.
Manage your heat better
Houses that are designed badly tend to lose or gain heat at the wrong rate. Typically speaking the areas that need to be examined are the floors and the ceiling. Most modern houses will have some kind of solution to lock the heat in or repel it in the roof space. If you don’t you will undoubtedly find that your house is baking when it is hot outside. But heat is also lost through the floor as well and it is something that can be managed quite easily. A quick online search for something like ‘floor insulation services Melbourne’ will point you in the right direction. Make a call or two and start implementing a plan, you will be surprised at how much more energy efficient your house will be.
No more chemicals
Start being aware of the chemicals that you use and the effects that they have on the environment. If you try to be chemical free at home, you can do so much more with your water. For example, if you cut phosphates out of your washing powder and soap you can recycle your bath or shower water and use it to water the garden or, better yet, your vegetable patch. You can also turn your traditional pool into an eco-pond, which is a plant filtered solution that is chemical free. Eco-ponds are becoming increasingly popular. They are clean and wonderful to swim in, and on top of that, the absence of chemicals means that they are healthy ecosystems that contain things like frogs and birds and dragonflies.
Plant as much as possible
If you have a house with some land around it, plant trees and shrubs and make your own jungle. The world is losing trees and greenery at an alarming rate. As much as possible needs to be done to ensure that the loss of trees in rainforests is offset by the planting of trees in other places. If everyone does their little bit, it will help. It might not solve the problem, but it will help. And in turn it will provide shade and tranquillity on your property.
Solar is easy
If you have space on your roof to erect solar panels, you shouldn’t think twice about it. Not necessarily to power your house, but at the very least to power your geyser and to drive your hot water. Geysers typically chew through electricity and add substantially to the bottom line of your monthly utility bill. They are not energy efficient at all. In a country like Australia where there is no shortage of sunlight implementing a solar solution is a complete no-brainer!