Building a more eco-friendly life can often be as simple as living smaller. For example, you can stay in your smaller home rather than upsizing, use fewer resources to heat and cool the home, and enjoy a smaller housing expense. You can save fuel by vacationing closer to home.
You can grow some of your own foods, or buy from local producers, instead of buying groceries from a national chain that ships food across the country. The image source is Pexels.
Conserve Water
Invest in a countertop water filter to avoid paying for bottled water. As you filter your own water and start to fill up reusable water bottles each day instead of opening a new single-use plastic container, you will grow more mindful about water use in other areas of your home.
For example, you may be able to cut back on the number of loads of laundry you do by only doing full loads. Set up a sorting station near your washing machine and have everyone who is old enough sort their dirty clothes when they put on their pyjamas. Not only will this save collecting individual hampers throughout the week, but you will know when you have a full load. You can also get your children looped into the laundry sorting habit early, which will help them in adulthood.
Conserve Fuel
As a family, get in the habit of combining trips in the car. Try not to start the car unless you have at least two stops to make, and try having one car-free day each weekend. Instead of shopping for groceries on Saturday, pick up your groceries on Thursday or Friday evening and enjoy Saturday at home.
Conserving fuel can become a game. Are you and your family planning a summer vacation or staycation? What fun things can you find to do within 100 miles of home? How about within 75 miles of home? As you save on fuel, set up a "fun" jar with a goal photo taped to it and talk about the gasoline you saved as a family. Put these funds in the jar for your summer trip to a local amusement park, fair or the zoo.
Change Your Energy Use
Consider setting up a small solar power system in your home. This can be as complicated as a DIY system, featuring a solar panel, battery, and a power inverter. You will also want to look into high quality solid state lithium battery options for your home due to their longer lifespan and increased safety. Be mindful of your energy use and try your best to have the ability to go off-grid. This will be greatly beneficial to you if there are ever power outages. You will be much more sustainable on your own if you prepare beforehand in these types of cases.
If your older children are interested in solar technology, look for small folding solar panels that can be used to charge up personal power bricks. These simple systems can be used to charge up phones and tablets with ease. In addition to harvesting power from the sun, contact your electrical company to find out about the peak power rates charged in your area. Chances are good that you are paying more for power at certain times of the day. To lower your overall electrical usage (and your cost) study up on how much power your household appliances use per hour, such as your
- washer and dryer
- dishwasher
- hot water heater
While you need to keep your AC and refrigerator running during peak hours, you may be able to use the appliances listed above during off-peak hours, lower your carbon footprint, and lower your electricity bill.
Consider Dietary Changes
There are many things at your grocery store that are quite eco-friendly, but many items should be avoided. The more highly processed foods are, the more fuel they have already burned. Single serving snacks wrapped in one-time plastic are not good for the planet. Consider investing in small, reusable plastic containers that your children can help to refill with snacks and lunch treats to keep the whole family mindful of plastic waste.
It's also an excellent time to take a look at your plate and food intake. A very simple way to lower your carbon footprint as a family is to cut back on meat. While not everyone is ready to go vegetarian, could you start making "brinner" or breakfast for dinner once or twice a week? Eggs are an excellent source of protein and much kinder on your budget than meat products.
Conclusion
Small changes can add up quickly when you work on them as a team. Getting your children in on the act is a wonderful way to empower them to make more eco-friendly choices as they grow up. Older children can be put in charge of things like starting the dishwasher before bed or loading the dryer as soon as they get up.
