With climate change having significant effects on our planet, it’s clear that choosing to live an eco-friendly lifestyle is more important than ever. Doing your part to conserve resources and protect our environment doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. There are plenty of simple ways you can do to help our mother planet, starting with your own household.

Here are 7 easy ways to make your home eco-friendlier

Recycle

When we say going “green,” recycling should be the first on your list. Whether it’s plastics, papers or upcycling old items, it’s essential to think about which items can be saved from a landfill. If you have no more use of damaged furniture or some pieces of metal in your home, you may sell them at a junk shop. Recycling only takes a few more seconds of your time, and you’ll soon be surprised at how much less trash you create every day.

Use Less Water

Although we aren’t aware of it, we waste a lot of water daily. Not only does it drain our wallets but our resources too. Be a little eco-friendly by practicing these following tips to reduce your water consumption:

• Turn the faucet off when you wash your hands or when you brush your teeth.
•  Don’t let the water run thoroughly while washing dishes.
•  Avoid flushing unnecessary things on the toilet.
•  Collect buckets of rainwater for watering your lawn or garden.
•  Fix water leaks as soon as possible.
•  Fill a bucket with water by your bathtub and save what runs while you wait for hot water. You might be needing this stored water too during emergency instances of no running water in your house.
•  Avoid running half-full loads of laundry, or adjust the water level accordingly. If you’re using a high-efficiency washing machine at home, try washing your laundry using the lowest setting possible.

Buy Less or Borrow

Another way to lessen the amount of waste from your household is to buy only the things you actually need. Most of the time, consumers fall into the bad habits of overbuying things. If you limit your purchases to items that are only necessary, you’re not only going green but saving green as well.

Moreover, instead of buying your own copies of books or movies, you may want to try borrowing from libraries instead. This way, you’ll be able to save money and not to mention the paper and ink used into printing new books. If possible, share power tools with your neighbors. Try cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.

Walk, Bike or use Public Transportation

Aside from helping you live a healthier lifestyle, cutting back on driving can help lessen the harmful environmental impacts of cars, such as greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption. Moreover, it’s a great way to save you a lot of gas and money as well.

Use Energy-Efficient Appliances

One of the efficient ways to decrease your total energy use is to start investing in energy-efficient appliances. When you shop a new appliance for your home, look for an eco-friendly logo that reassures you that such a device is tested, uses less energy and is safe for the environment. These appliances are designed to efficiently perform their task while using the minimum amount of energy possible. This is such an excellent investment to save on money and power in the long run.

Also, check out Energy Efficient Business Ideas

Switch to Energy Saving Lights

Another easy way to reduce your environmental footprint is to look at changing your standard lights at home into compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). CFLs and LEDs are not only relatively cheaper, but they both have a longer lifespan than most of the other ordinary bulbs. Switching to these light bulbs can be an efficient way to conserve energy. Most importantly, remember to turn off lights always when they’re not needed or when you’re not in the room.

Try Solar Energy

Nowadays, residential solar power is getting popular among households. Solar panels are an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint. It’s a clean source of energy that doesn’t pollute mother nature; hence it’s self-sufficient and environmentally-friendly. Installing solar panels in your homes is an easy and safe choice to contribute to a sustainable future.