Eco-Friendly Swaps for Popular Home Essentials
With so many eco-friendly alternatives for everyday items on the market, the transition to sustainable living has never been easier. Even making one sustainable change can significantly reduce your environmental impact. If you're wondering how to live more sustainably, these eco-friendly swaps of popular home essentials are a great place to start.
Make Homemade Cleaning Solutions
When rinsed down the drain, toxic commercial cleaning products harm the environment. For example, their chemicals are endocrine-disrupting and cause reproductive problems in wildlife. Mixing cleaning products at home with natural ingredients is one eco-friendly swap to consider. Try baking soda and vinegar, which react by releasing carbon dioxide to lift dirt off surfaces.
Purchase Locally Grown Food
According to a recent study, transportation of fruits and vegetables contributes 36% of agricultural emissions — twice as much as is released during production. Help decrease greenhouse gasses by shopping for locally grown organic produce instead. Local farmers’ markets are an excellent place to buy fresh fruits and vegetables grown on nearby farms, cutting back on the need to import and transport food.
Have No-Burn Campfires
On cooler summer nights and into autumn, many people break out fire pits or light a bonfire in their backyards. While sitting around a campfire can be fun when done responsibly, they come with many risks. Forest fires have been increasing in recent years, with as much as 88% being human-caused. Rather than taking that risk, opt for no-burn alternatives, like battery-operated candles or lanterns to illuminate your backyard. If you do light a fire, be sure to have proper extinguishers ready to go when you’re done.
Swap Paper Towels for Cloth Towels
Opt for cloth towels to clean spills and dry dishes rather than paper towels. Using paper towels can create a lot of waste over the course of a year, especially for larger families. Why fill up your trashcan and spend money on new rolls when there’s a simple alternative? You likely already have dish towels at home. Next time you spill something, use a cloth towel instead of paper, and reuse it for years.
Drink From Reusable Bottles Instead of Plastic Bottles
Humans produce 400 million tons of plastic waste annually — 36% of which derives from single-use containers. Swapping plastic bottles for reusable bottles is an eco-friendly way to reduce plastic pollution. You can even take it further and invest in metal or biodegradable straws.
Use Real Utensils Instead of Plastic
Plastic utensils are another common household item you can swap out. While they're convenient for large gatherings, most end up in the ocean. Plastic silverware is also flimsy and ineffective, usually breaking if food is too tough to cut through. Instead, use real forks and knives that you can throw in the dishwasher.
Brew Your Coffee at Home
According to the National Coffee Association (NCA), 62% of Americans drink coffee daily, with the average person consuming over three cups. Brewing and drinking coffee from a ceramic mug at home is much better for the environment, especially since disposable cups aren't always recyclable. If you need to take it with you, use a thermal tumbler. Otherwise, many coffee shops now allow you to bring a cup from home.
Skip the Landfill and Compost
Landfills produced about 14.5% of methane emissions in 2020, making them the third-largest methane emitters in the U.S.. Rather than throwing away last night's leftovers, make a compost bin for coffee grounds, produce, eggshells, yard clippings, and other food waste. In addition to straining landfills, composting enhances soil health, traps moisture, prevents erosion, and reduces the need for fertilizers in your garden.
Use Smart Thermostats
Older HVAC units consume a lot of energy, but smart thermostats can help you improve your home's energy efficiency and save you nearly 8% on heating and cooling bills. Smart thermostats utilize advanced algorithms to predict household occupancy. This allows for better climate control and less system run-time if nobody's home. Homeowners can also control their units from their smartphones.
Choose Natural Beauty Products
Beauty products usually contain chemicals that are harmful for your skin and the environment. A better alternative is to use organic products with minimal ingredients. Perhaps swap out your retail moisturizer for organic coconut oil or make your own body scrub with coffee grounds, brown sugar, avocado oil, and coconut oil. Eco-friendly beauty products are easy to find in the store. Drugstores now carry several ethical beauty brands that don't test on animals and follow sustainable manufacturing processes.
A Sustainable Home Starts With Eco-Friendly Swaps
Swapping out popular home essentials for eco-friendly products is an excellent start to sustainable living. You'll find eco-friendly living easy with so many alternatives available.
