It’s Easy Being Green: Eco-Friendly Tips for Your Home

Yes, going green can be a bit frustrating and inconvenient.

Hybrid and organic products, for example, often come at premium prices. They also aren’t readily available in most markets, which takes even more effort and time from your day. But here’s the good news: There are many other ways you can help save the environment that are both easy and affordable.

To get you started, we’ve put together a top selection of minor household changes that will reap major positive changes. Read on, get involved, and put them on the top of your to-do list asap.


I. Products

Ditch your disposables
The “use it and lose it” appeal of disposable products makes for a tidier home, but also ends up producing much more waste and consuming the earth’s limited resources.

Set things straight by replacing all possible disposable products with their reusable counterparts. Trade in paper towels for cloth rags and plastic cups for glasses or mugs.

The resources used to run and clean these longer-lasting alternatives are minimal compared to continuously manufacturing more disposable products.


Savvy spending
Rather than spend on a pricey new item, save both cash and the environment by going vintage. Pre-loved options help lessen factory production and pollution (just like recycling). No matter what your purchase, however, make sure it’s durable and useful enough to last you a long time so that any extra money you spend will be offset by the cash you save from not having to repair or replace it.

Likewise, if you have an item you no longer need, give or sell it to someone who can continue to benefit from it.


II. Appliances

Maximize energy
When purchasing electric appliances, always ask the manufacturer or sales person about all possible energy-saving tips. Here are a few examples to keep in mind:

•    Refrigerators are top electricity guzzlers. A good way to maximize their efficiency? Keep your ref set at 2.7 degrees Celsius and the freezer at -17 degrees Celsius.
•    For clothes dryers, simply cleaning the lint trap before reloading is enough to lower your electric bill. A clean lint trap helps improve air circulation and cuts down on total drying time.❑

Idle appliances
Did you know that an appliance that is plugged into a wall socket still consumes energy even when it’s not switched on? So that idle coffeemaker, computer, mobile phone charger, and TV set are actually adding pesos to your monthly electricity bill. Luckily, you don’t have to spend hours pulling the plug on all your household appliances. Just group adjacent appliances into power strips with surge protectors, and flip the switch accordingly.


People power
Go for old school human-powered equipment such as basic brooms and mops, handheld whisks, manual can openers, reel lawn mowers, and the like. While these may not be as high-tech as what you’re used to, they do the job just the same. As for items you seldom use, think drills, cake mixers, consider starting a sharing scheme with family or neighbors.

Borrowing or renting something, instead of buying brand new, saves resources and cuts down on waste.

 

Click here to see more eco-friendly tips to save electricity and water.

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Read on to see more eco-friendly tips to save electricity and water.

 

III. Electricity

A bright idea
Try compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). Although they’re more expensive than regular fluorescent or incandescent bulbs, they use 75 percent less energy, thus lowering your electric bill. CFLs last 10 times longer, too. So for every CFL you use, you.ll be cutting down on eight incandescent lightbulbs.

When was the last time you recycled something?


IV. Water

Restroom reductions
It’s frightening how water, a basic necessity that covers 70 percent of the earth, is fast becoming a precious commodity. So aim to take shorter showers (five minutes tops). Shaving just one minute off your total shower time can save over 3,800 liters of water per year.
 

Another trick: Fill a medium-sized plastic bottle with water and pebbles to add weight. Place it in the tank of your toilet. (Don’t use a brick, as it will eventually disintegrate in the water and may jam the plumbing.)

This can save you as much as 30 liters of water each day! Note: Make sure to leave at least 10 liters of water in the tank for it to flush correctly.


Eau natural
Take advantage of the country’s overflowing wet season. Just place a large bin outside while it’s raining, and vóila!; you’ll have enough water for cleaning or tending your plants! (Note: Watering your plants is best done at night, as this minimizes evaporation.) Remember that while rainwater is a good replacement for tap water, it’s not advisable for human consumption.

 

Click here to see more eco-friendly tips for eating habits and reducing consumption.

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Read on to see more eco-friendly tips for eating habits and reducing consumption.

 

V. Food

Green grub
With a typical person consuming three square meals a day, our food choices have a huge impact on the earth’s resources. But what if going organic or vegetarian doesn’t quite fit into your budget and lifestyle?

Don’t worry, there are easier ways to develop more environmentally friendly eating habits.
•    Eat local. The close produce-to-person proximity not only reduces the packaging and transportation costs, it also supports your local     economy. Another option is to stick to fresh and seasonal fare, as this doesn’t need to be stored and still retains much of its nutritional value. Try to incorporate a few vegetarian meals throughout the week. The animals usually consumed put a sizeable strain on resources (i.e. food consumption, air, and water quality), and are often affected by antibiotics or hormones.

 

VI. Waste

Remember those Rs
That’s Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Known as the “waste hierarchy,” these are supposed to be accomplished in order.

The first step? Reduce consumption from the get-go. Buy only what you need, and use everything you purchase. Choose items that have simple packaging.

Opt for larger bulk buys instead of individually wrapped pieces.

Once a product has served its purpose, find ways to reuse it: Use glass jars to store leftovers; turn an old shirt into rags; use the backside of paper as scratch. This effectively extends the lifespan of a product before it goes to waste.

Finally, recycling is the process of turning waste into the same or new products. Recyclable materials include glass, metal, paper, plastic, and textiles. These can be easily separated and brought to a collection center.

 

Click here to see smart reasons to make the switch to more eco-friendly alternatives.

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Read on to see smart reasons to make the switch to more eco-friendly alternatives.

 

VII. Just Save
Smart reasons to make the switch now.

The Switch

Computers: From Desktop to Laptop
Laptops consume only 15 to 45 watts during regular use, as compared to the 65 to 250 watts consumed by regular desktop CPUs and monitors.

Regular spending
Desktop: P232/year (electricity)

Green spending
Laptop: P46/year (electricity)

Smart tip: Only 10 percent of computers are optimized for energy efficiency. So find your computer’s power menu and adjust the settings to save more energy (i.e. setting it to a shorter time before entering sleep mode, reducing brightness).     

 

The switch

Batteries: From Disposable to Rechargeable

An estimated 15 billion batteries are used up each year. Instead of tossing them out when they expire, save some money by switching to rechargeable batteries.

Rechargeable batteries, particularly Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH), last longer per use than disposable alkaline batteries and can be reused at least 500 times.

Although they usually cost 10 times more than the price of disposable batteries, the rechargeable kind will save you more cash in the long run.

Regular spending
Disposable: P74.88 for two (AAA battery, purchased in packs of four)

Green spending
Rechargeable: P414.75 for two (AAA battery, purchased in packs of two)

 

Click here to read about making the switch to more eco-friendly alternatives.

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Read more about making the switch to more eco-friendly alternatives.

 

The switch

Lightbulbs: From fluorescent or incandescent bulbs to CFLs

There’s a reason why fluorescent and incandescent bulbs turn hot after a few hours. A lot of the energy they consume is shed as heat, unlike Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) that remain cool to the touch. CFL has a longer lifespan—about 8000 hours, as compared to the 750 hours of an incandescent bulb—and is equivalent to more than 10 regular lightbulbs.

Also, CFLs use only 26 watts compared to the incandescent’s 75 watts.

Regular spending: Fluorescent or Incandescent

40-watt bulb: P25.75 to P94.75
Electricity: P1450.90/year

(10 bulbs turned on for 10 hours a day)


Green spending
CFL 40-watt bulb: P679.75
Electricity: P503.00/year
(10 bulbs turned on for 10
hours a day)


The Switch

Toilet: From standard flush to reduced flush

A toilet uses about eight liters of water per flush. Placing a bottle inside the tank will reduce this by about one-third the amount.

This adds up to a savings of about 20 liters a day.


Regular spending
Standard Flush: P770.88/ year (based on eight flushes a day)

Green spending
Reduced Flush: P254/year (based on eight flushes a day)


The switch

Shower: Reducing total minutes of running water

Whether you aim to take shorter showers or simply turn off the water while you lather, reducing the total running water time saves anywhere from 10 to 20 liters per minute.

Regular spending

15-minute shower: P3,613.50/year

Green spending

10-minute shower: P2,409/year (Prices are based on P0.53 per kilowatt of electricity, and P33 per cubic meter of water.)