People are very selfish; if we weren’t, we’d have already abolished global warming. Of course, this is not how we are – it is in our very nature to aspire to things that we can see as directly beneficial to ourselves. Ecological awareness doesn’t start by you waiting for your peers to get into the green mentality – it starts independently, at your very own doorstep. Making your house eco-friendlier is very important – every little thing counts.

Change the way you think

The first step towards the green mentality is realizing just how wasteful you are. Most of us take things for granted, wasting resources and polluting without even stopping to think about it. Taking note of this behavior is important. It’s the little things, like noticing that you could’ve spent less water in the shower by shutting it off whenever you aren’t rinsing yourself off. The same goes for light usage – turn off the lights when leaving the premises and before bedtime.
These little changes in the way you think both help our planet and will get you started on the eco-friendly road.

Save water

Water will soon become the Earth’s most treasured resource. It is strange how ignorant we are to the fact that many countries around the world are struggling to get drinking water, while we waste it. For starters, an eco-friendly home doesn’t even need to put comfort at risk for Mother Nature; on the contrary, large water spending means a heftier bill towards the end of the month. First, take the time to fix any leaks that you might have on your premises.
Secondly, installing a low flow or a dual flush toilet can save you gallons of water per day.

Make the most out of natural light

Electricity should be used sparingly, especially when it comes to lighting. Unfortunately, people whose windows rarely face the Sun think that there is no way to let the light get in, other than using the artificial lighting. Luckily, the technologies such as skylights have allowed many homeowners to distribute the right amounts of light to their homes. Also, strategically placing a couple of mirrors can help you save a lot of energy.
On the other hand, making the most out of natural light can mean installing advanced technological options, such as sonnenBattery, which can even bring your electricity bill down to $0!

Recycle

The idea of recycling has been around for so long that the majority of cities across the globe have a recycling program. The main problem here is that, well, people don’t see the main issue – they’re blinded by the fact that their trash is simply taken away from the dumpster. In truth, though (and we all know this, to be honest), the trash is taken to a landfill, where it sits, decomposing for decades and even centuries. Recycling items helps the environment in a multitude of ways. For one, it reduces the amount of space necessary to hold the decaying garbage. Next, it makes it possible to make fewer plastic objects.
Finally, you need to realize that landfills release a lot of CO₂ (12.1 million tons of the gas was released back in 2010), through methane emissions that are highly toxic for our environment.

Having an eco-friendly home shouldn’t be something to be proud about – it should be the default. By making small steps, such as changing the way you think, by trying to save as much water as you can, by making the most out of natural light and by making sure that you recycle responsibly, you are hugely contributing to our planet’s health, while serving as an example to others.