☮ Eco-fying your Home...☮

Depending on your situation, moving into a new home can be a fabulous time to spice up your Eco-Revolution.

For the Hubby and I, it was an exciting opportunity for us to implement some earth-friendly ideas we'd been wanting to do. We are still a young and adventurous couple and aren't ones to plan out our futures (nothing ever goes as you plan anyways, which is the fun of life) so settling into one place is never for certain. This, renting is still really our only option, but if you are a Home-owner "Greening" your home should be even easier for you with many more opportunities. 

Location, Location:

When searching for our new rental, location was important. We live in a small town and we wanted to be located somewhere that we could walk everywhere and anywhere we needed to go. We found our place and it couldn't be any more central. Two Grocery stores are a two minute walk, our Natural Food Grocery Store and the "downtown" are about ten minutes. The park is across the street. 

When choosing your place, keep in mind what is important to you and look for that. Try to be somewhere where you don't have to drive. Remember, every bit counts! 

Furnishing Your Place:

There is no real need to be buying new furniture, there is so much already out there! 

When we left Edmonton, we sold almost all of our furniture (except for my favorite Bamboo table), so for our new place we had resolved to only buy Second-Hand & have a budget of $100.00. It's amazing how easily this is possible. We were given lots of furniture from Cory's folks, but if you ask around you're sure to find people eager to get rid of some of their own furniture. We also yard-saled a lot and found plenty for a small budget. Sure, our place is a bit mismatched at the moment, but it's easy to spice things up and you can always keep an eye out for things to trade in. An animal-print blanket we kept hides the questionable print of our couch. Pretty brocade fabric trims some of our shelves and our computer desk. If you have paint handy its easy to turn mediocre items into completely new and pretty furniture. It's fun and you won't be using unnecessary energy and materials for the production of new things.   

Energy Efficiency:

There are so many things you can do in your home (again, especially if you Own the place!). 

If you're able, turn down the hot water tank--all that hot water takes a lot of energy to heat and it's always way hotter than you would ever possibly need it to be. 

If your Shower-head isn't low-flow then switch it.

Check your toilet as well. There's a label at the back of the bowl, in front of the tank, telling you how many litres per flush it uses. If you can't afford a new one, or if you're renting, simply put a weighted plastic bottle (such as a litre pop-bottle) in the tank.

If you need a new shower curtain, refrain from purchasing the usual high-toxic plastic ones that end up in the trash anyway. Buy a Hemp or Organic Cotton canvas one. There's plenty online to choose from. Even PEVA vs vinyl is a better choice without horrible toxins leaching out into your lungs. 

Fix any leaks right away! A dripping tap can fill 55 one-litre water bottles a day!

Switch all your light-bulbs to energy efficient (CFL) ones. 

Weather-proof your windows and doors so stop all that cold air getting in and the warm air from getting out. Do this with plastic wrap, tape, or weather-strips.

This is only really possible if you own your home, but if you can, make sure to get energy-efficient Appliances, such as your stove and fridge that suck up more energy than necessary. Look for the energy star labels.

Turn your thermostat down. Even one degree helps! 

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Got any tips of your own on how to make your Home a Greener place? Comment with your suggestions and what you do to have an eco-friendly home. 

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca   

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