Eco-friendly living is possible for everyone, at home and while on the job! Consider 8 ideas for green building and living so you can do everything possible to reduce your carbon footprint and ensure your company is doing the same
1. Plant trees
Trees clean the air around them and provide shade for buildings while also holding nourishing moisture in the soil. If your property has no room for mature trees consider smaller landscaping trees you might plant close to your home or office or around your property.
2. Switch to solar
A full solar panel installation might be out of your reach financially, so consider adding solar panels to a water heater, HVAC system, and other systems and appliances that use lots of electricity. Electric power plants create tremendous amounts of pollution so reducing your use of electricity means reducing your carbon footprint as well!
3. Consider a green roof
A green roof includes live plants along a roof’s surface. Live plants clean the air and help insulate a building, resulting in less loss of your heating and cooling and less use of your HVAC system.
4. Recycle
Recycling is not a new suggestion for eco-friendly living, but you might challenge yourself to consider added ways to recycle at home and the office, and ways to make it easier for others to recycle as well. For example:
· Downsize your rubbish bins and add recycling bins in the same spot. If trash bins are quite small, your family and staff will be less tempted to just toss out recyclable items.
· Reward yourself, family, and staff for recycling. A recycling center typically pays for recyclables, so use that money for a pizza lunch or other reward.
· Get familiar with the recyclable markings on the undersides of packaging and if everyday items like plastic and foil wrap and plastic straws are recyclable.
5. Use recycled items
Recycling won’t help the environment much if consumers don’t buy recycled items and those made with a high percentage of recycled materials. Look for recycled advertisements on everything you purchase, from cardboard packaging to wood chips and mulch.
6. Give your business to eco-friendly companies
Whether you’re a consumer or business owner, you might research eco-friendly companies and give them your business! Buy napkins for your diner from a company that uses recycled materials or eat at a diner that advertises their use of energy-efficient appliances and other eco-friendly practices.
7. Be water conscious
Consider landscaping practices that conserve water, such as directing water from downspouts to various areas around your property. This reduces your use of fresh water for your lawn and landscaping features. Use low-flow showerheads at home and automatic shutoff valves for sinks in your commercial facility.
8. Install programmable thermostats
Programmable thermostats ensure you never forget to adjust them when leaving home or the office. Coded thermostats also allow you to control their use so staff isn’t tempted to turn up the heating or air conditioning unnecessarily.