Simple ways to make your Home more eco-friendly
From reducing waste to saving energy, Luke Rix-Standing shares some small switches that can make a big difference in the green-living stakes.
A
s a wise frog puppet once said: “It’s not easy being green.” Kermit wasn’t wrong, but as
environmental awareness spreads, it’s certainly getting easier. Indeed, whether you live in a town or the countryside, following some simple steps (along with some bigger ones, practicalities and budget permitting) could turn your home from a fuel- guzzling glut of greenhouse gases, into something approaching more of an environmentalist’s Eden. Tere is no one right way to go about this - more a series of small steps which, taken together, will reduce your home’s environmental impact from ‘heinous’
32 / PROPERTYMAIL
to ‘mostly guilt-free’. So grab your recyclable coffee cup and discard your plastic straws, it’s time to slash your carbon footprint with a thousand tiny cuts...
TIP ONE Wasteful waterworks Te most straightforward way to make your home more sustainable is to cut down on needless waste. Water is a perfect first port of call. Employ the ‘navy shower’ approach, by switching off the water while lathering. You could pick up a waterpebble (Amazon) - a waterproof timer that sticks to your bathroom wall and
flashes green, amber or red to let you know when it’s time to switch the shower off. While you’re at it, you can save energy by turning down your hot water thermostat by one or two degrees (we guarantee you will not notice the difference). Hundreds of gallons of water are lost every year by homeowners waiting for their taps to run hot, so ask your local plumber about installing a recirculated hot water pipe. And fix any leaking or dripping taps or toilets immediately; estimates suggest that a single drippy tap releases up to five gallons of wasted water per day.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
