Going green is making attempts at pursuing environmentally friendly practices. Given the increased environmental problems that the world is facing at the moment such as global warming and climate change, there is a need for people to change their lifestyles to save the planet. They say, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, thus, it should start with you and in your apartment. Here are four tips on how to make your apartment environmental friendly:
- Switch to LED lights
With the growing movement for energy-saving to bring down the costs of utility bills and make positive changes to the environment, the adoption of light-emitting diodes (LED) is the way to go. But, what makes them eco-friendly? LED lights are designed to pass current through a semiconductor to produce light. They differ from the conventional lights in that they lack a filament and burn slowly compared to their alternatives which burn quickly resulting in more wastage. The beauty of LED lights is that they can also be recycled hence safe for the environment. LED lights are also deemed energy efficient because they have minimum thermal wastage. They only generate 80% light and 20% heat compared to the traditional lights. Given how governments around the world are championing the use of LED lights, you better start using them in your apartment!
- Add houseplants in your apartment
The increased air pollution going around can be detrimental to your health. When you have houseplants, they can act as natural purifiers keeping your living space safe. Research has shown that having plants in your apartment helps get rid of air pollutants. Some of the plants that you get for your home include monstera, fern, fiddle leaf fig, maranta, philodendron, snake plant, rubber plant, or pothos. You can also grow some herbs in your apartment to cut down the amount of fuel you use on the road to go buy some. Given that plants require light for growth, how then do you go about providing it to them? You can get t5 grow light bulbs to grow these plants. Grow lights provide low heat, use less energy, and are color optimized to facilitate the growth of plants in a household setting. They are more eco-friendly at growing plants than their incandescent or fluorescent counterparts.
- Install eco shower heads
On average, a shower lasts about 8 minutes and in that time, you spend about 60 liters of water. While your water may be unmetered, you still use a lot of energy to heat that water while you take a bath. For this reason, a shower replacement is necessary, in order to install a more environmentally shower for your bathroom. How do eco showerheads work? They function to restrict the volume of water that follows through the showerhead. As they reduce the amount of water that follows out, they still offer you a fun showering experience. Currently, there are about two kinds of low flow eco showerheads. The first one is the non-aerating shower head that reduces the flow of water by allowing it to come out through tiny holes on the showerhead. The water in these showers follows under high pressure thus, massaging your body well. The other eco shower is the aerating shower head which mixes the restricted air with water. Compared to the former, it provides you with a soft showering experience.
- Insulate your apartment
Insulation is a critical component of any home. When you insulate your apartment, your home can retain heat during winter by reducing airflow in and out of your house. At the same time, it reduces the amount of money you spend on heating and cooling your home all year round. The most eco-friendly insulation that you can use is cellulose insulation. This compound is made of approximately 80% newsprint that has been recycled and 20% ammonium sulfate, borax, or boric acid. Other insulation solutions include cotton, sheep’s wool, polyurethane spray foam, aerogel, or icynene. All these materials will maintain your apartment’s thermal comfort and are safe for the planet!
Conclusion
You can go green when you replace those traditional bulbs with LED ones, grow your plants with LED lights, install eco shower heads in your bathroom, and insulate your apartment. The advantage is that all these ideas are also cost-effective to put up and maintain. Thus, join the going green movement ASAP!
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