How to Make Sustainable Improvements Part of Your Life
Adding sustainable improvements to your home is gratifying on more than one level. Not only are you helping the environment, but you’re also saving money on your energy bills, adding a gorgeous feature to your home, and pioneering groundbreaking technology. Once you start adding sustainable features to your home, it’s hard to stop. You’ll realize how easy it is to do, and how rewarding the benefits are.
From external fixtures to interior accessories, you’ve got plenty of options when it comes to adding things to your home to make it more eco-friendly. It doesn’t stop there either. If you really get the sustainability bug, you can make changes to your life that let you adopt it in a bigger way than home improvements.
Change your shopping habits
If you’re constantly updating your home and redecorating rooms, then you’ll probably use a fair few suppliers. So, make sure that you’re using locally sourced, ethical materials and craftsmen from your local area. If you can use small, family-run firms, it’ll be better than going to wholesalers. You should also try to buy recycled or reusable products: there are so many products on the market now that are made from other objects, such as beds made from wooden pallets. Not only are these sustainable and often made locally, but they’re certainly on trend, and go a long way in giving your room a statement piece. When it comes to materials like paints, always look for water-based products. Not only are they easier to clean off, but they’re made in a much more sustainable, ecologically friendly way.
Ramp up to big investments
If you’ve added a few big statement pieces to your home, and you enjoy the process, the look, and the feeling you get knowing that you’re creating a sustainable lifestyle, then it’s time to think about ramping up what you’re doing. If it’s possible, look at insulating your home even more, so that you can cut down on your energy bills.
See if you can harness wind and solar power too. Installing a mini wind turbine will create some energy for your home, and the biggest way to cut your bills and create a truly ecological home is to invest in solar panels. They’re unobtrusive and easy to fit, and will truly revolutionize your home. If you still want to do more, you could set up your own solar energy franchise, and help other homeowners set up solar panels and get the same benefits that you are.
Use sustainability as your inspiration
If you’re truly set on making your lifestyle as sustainable as possible, then use the environment as your inspiration when decorating and renovating houses. It’s much easier to use sustainable products and improvements when you first start, rather than trying to fit them in at a later point.
So, next time you take on a big project, think sustainable first. How can you improve the insulation? Can you add wind turbines or solar panels? How can you use the property’s location in this? There’s so much you can do when you start thinking sustainably – it’s just a case of changing your mindset first.