It is more than necessary that you adopt eco-friendly ideas for your home that will work better for you as well as the environment. These are a few ideas.
The lights
Many hate the light from those new energy-saving bulbs and cannot seem to give up the warm glow of incandescent bulbs but the savings in energy are enormous. Trading just one incandescent for a compact fluorescent (CFL) prevents the emission of over 400 pounds of greenhouse gases. All compact fluorescents are not created equal. The quality of light varies a lot. The Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org) has a great online lightbulb guide that helps you choose the right size, shape, color, and brightness for you. If you try a few and you still don’t like the quality of light, put the bulbs in places you don’t spend a lot of time in, like a basement or a hallway.
The dishes
When you’re doing the dishes, pour some of the hot, soapy water into your lightly scraped jar, put the lid back on, and give it a couple of good shakes. For the harder stuff, let them soak and by the time you’ve finished the dishes, you should be able to clean it easily.
Drinking water
Install a filter under your sink at home, and lobby to have one installed at work. Purchase a wide-mouth stainless-steel or BPA-free plastic bottle with a removable lid; wide-mouth bottles are easier to clean. If you find yourself at an incident with plastic cups, use your bottle for wine or whatever. At the airport, carry it empty past security check and then fill it from a water fountain.
Garbage
Don’t put anything in the garbage that you wouldn’t want in the food you eat, the water you drink or swim in, or the air you breathe. Think of yourself and all the other people.Billions of batteries are sold every year, and many contain heavy metals and corrosive acids that pollute the air, soil, and water. Some are more tricky to recycle, so visit earth911.com and find a recycling site near you to dispose of them safely.
The good news is, recycling is getting easier. Whole Foods takes batteries back , soo does Ikea. Go online and type in “recycle batteries” and you’ll see many new places. Use rechargeable batteries whenever you can. They’re recyclable, too, but they last so much longer.