Strategies to be more sustainable at home
- Invest in more efficient light bulbs
This recommendation is not new, but nevertheless, there are still many people who use incandescent light bulbs in their homes. Replacing them with LED bulbs is really worth it, as, in addition to saving electricity, they last much longer and so you don't have to buy bulbs so often. Great news for the environment and your savings. Regardless, the old maxim holds: when you're not in a room, always turn off the lights.
- Reduce food waste
We don't debate it much each time we dump the rest of the milk down the drain or when we dump the remains of dinner in the trash, but we should. Food that ends up in landfills releases large amounts of greenhouse gases as it is not exposed to the necessary amount of oxygen for its biodegradation to occur. There are several strategies that can help you reduce food waste at home:
- List item
- Plan your meals weekly;
- Buy only what you will need;
- Freeze all foods that you will not consume in the short term;
- Use the vegetable peels to make a tasty broth.
- Plant your herbs
One of the best ways to be more sustainable in your kitchen is to grow your own food. Of course, not everyone can have a vegetable garden at home, but there's no need to complicate things. Find a little corner in your kitchen and put in some pots of herbs. They enhance the flavor of your cooking, give a natural aroma to the home and are a much more sustainable option than buying coriander, parsley or basil in plastic containers.
- Give new life to what you have at home
You should avoid spending money on new products, when you can restore something you have at home, avoid waste and save the environment. And there are so many things you can reuse at home. Do you have too many glass bottles? Make them into pots for your plants or use them to organize pencils and pens. As for the older clothes, which already have some holes or stains, cut them into squares and keep some nice cloths for the housework.
- Clean the house with environmentally friendly products
The detergents and other cleaning products we use in our homes can be very harmful to the environment. Once used, they are often thrown away down the drain, contaminating the water. The good news is that you most likely already have several alternatives to “normal” cleaning products in your pantry. Baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar can all be used in place of bleach or as detergents to kill bacteria and eliminate grease and odors. But on the supermarket shelves there are also eco-friendly cleaning products. Just search.