Our choices in life affect our environment and other living creatures in the ecosystem. Fortunately, we have the option to make the right decisions that will protect our planet and everything that is connected within. Here are some easy tips for living a sustainable lifestyle at home.

 

 Find some interesting new ways of reusing items

 More than likely, you have tossed a couple of items out after you were done with it. It perhaps could have been a torn curtain, a metal can, a plastic bag, old electronics and many others. Believe it or not, most of these items can be repurposed and reused. You can reuse the old clothing to make decorative crafts, you can also donate old magazines and books as well as take old furniture to repurpose and make outdoor furniture or they may have the potential to become antiques. 

 Plant a garden in the backyard

 Start making fresh herbs and vegetables by planting a garden in your backyard or on the balcony. It does not have to be a large garden. You can also use containers to plant vegetables and herbs when you do not have a garden. This is ideal because planting a garden and eating fresh will lower your carbon footprint. 

 Look for plastic alternatives

 Yes, the plastic grocery bag has just about had its day. Instead of using plastic shopping bags, consider buying woven or canvas shopping bags. These types of bags help to eliminate the increasing the amount of plastic waste in the landfills. Canvas and woven bags can be repeatedly used and washed unlike plastic bags.  These bags save you money and because they are often spacious will save you time because you can put twice as much in them as you can plastic bags. Using plastic will also decrease the death rates of many sea animals that are lost due to the ingestion of these plastic bags.

Choose renewable energy

 Instead of companies using fossil fuels they must transition to renewable energy.  As a consumer, you have the buying power to support companies that incorporate sustainability practices. Look for companies that producing renewable energy from such sources as solar and wind.  In the home you too can personally install solar water heaters, and other energy efficient appliances to help cut back on products that create energies made from fossil fuels. In the same line, conserve energy by turning off equipment and lighting when you do not need it and change your bulbs to energy saving alternatives.

  

Boycott products that endanger the environment

Yes, there are companies that completely disregard the environment and only put profits first. They will use materials such as skin and horns sourced from wildlife or will destroy massive forests for the wood or palm oil of trees without planting replacements. Look for products made from sustainable sources such a bamboo and fish species that are plentiful and stand up to companies that violate the earth and its ecosystem.

Finally, take a look at product labels before purchasing your goods. Buy organic products whenever possible. Moreover, support your local community and look for locally manufactured and home grown products. Sourcing locally has little impact on your carbon footprint because the transporting of the goods is confined to very small distances.

You have a voice in who you want to purchase from.  Stand up to those who destroy forests and leave a heavy carbon footprint or disregard wildlife. Sometimes the only way to get the manufacturers attention is by tapping into their bottom line.

Businesses play a great role in ensuring that the population has its needs catered and that there is the utilization of the available resources to create wealth. However, in the course of production, there is usually exploitation of the resources and pollution that contribute to climate change, the death of flora and fauna as well as depletion of vital resources for human survival. Below are easy ways that business owners around the world can run sustainable businesses.

Energy efficiency

A great deal of energy is consumed in business premises. Unfortunately, a huge chunk of power goes to waste. Lights should be shut off when no one is the room. Moreover, business should invest in energy-efficient technology. A good start is Energy Star certified office equipment, instead of the conventional bulbs.  LED and energy saver bulbs can suffice as well.

Increased resource productivity

 This is the act of getting more goods and services from less energy and material. This protects the raw materials from overexploitation and wastage. This can be achieved using the following practices.

•    Getting better technology for use in production

•    Redesigning goods and services to cut on waste

•    Using alternative materials that are more efficient

•    Reducing inefficiencies in the production of goods and services

Going green

Businesses can consider green energy to address the problem of fossil energy and energy inefficiency. This is the power that comes from such sources as solar wind, hydro, biomass or geothermal. These sources are renewable because it can be replenished continually. Many cities have incentive plans to encourage residents and business to consider purchasing renewable energy.

 Cut back on waste

In addition to raw material wastage, companies can cut back on operational waste at the premises using the following tips 

•    Reduce printing just the essential paperwork. The rest of the information can be sent digitally in emails. Where possible, one can print on both sides of the paper to cut on the number of sheets used.

•    Redesigning the packaging to cut wastage

•    Switching to reusable transport containers among others

•   Only buy paper sourced from sustainable forests

Conserve the water resource

Water consumption should be optimized to conserve the water and cut the business’s monthly water bill. This can be done efficiently in the following ways:

•    All leaking pipes, seals, and fixtures should be sealed

•    Business should consider installing water efficient appliances

•    Reuse gray water in such activities as maintaining the yard

•    Automate water shut-off controls to ensure that there is no wastage

•    Where possible correct rainwater in catchment areas or storage tanks

Corporate sustainability practices have now become commonplace. These practices were once an option, but due to the ongoing climate crisis have now become a necessity. Sustainable businesses practices have a positive impact on the environment, this is something the consumer looks favorably on and it adds to the bottom line of a business. When you go green in your business you will have a positive impact on the environment, your business will be perceived positively, and it will benefit the next generation.

 Plan what you need over a few days to avoid dashing to the grocery every time you need something. This often leads to picking up things you never had planned to buy. Also, plan your meals for a week to ensure that you know exactly what you are cooking each day. If you have to consistently run to the grocery each day to get fresh vegetables, chances are you are spending more on fuel, polluting the environment and becoming a victim of impulse buying. However, do not make it a practice over buy. It will save you money, gas, there will be less pollution and trash.

 If you are making monthly purchases consider buying in bulk.  When you purchase in bulk you often get financial discounts as well as you will decrease your carbon footprint because you will not have to go to the grocery which cut backs on carbon pollution.  When you buy in bulk, it costs much less per pound than buying in small units. In fact when you purchase small packages, it often leads to more litter in landfills and the environment.

 It is very important to invest in your own reusable bags and completely ditch the plastic. This eliminates or reduces the need for stores to provide the plastic bags that so often end up in oceans and landfills and it takes years to break down one plastic bag. Canvas and cloth bags are inexpensive, very roomy and are easy to carry. Theses bags are also easily washable and can be reused for later. Many stores are encouraging people to come with their bags and providing discounts and incentives for those who do.

 In most homes, lots of leftover food finds its way to the garbage bin. Often times the food is can be reheated and used in the next meal. Broths can also be utilized in the next meal if they are well preserved. When possible, cook just enough so that it can be consumed completely at dinner time with little or no leftovers. Leftovers can often be used with added new ingredients to make a brand new meal for the next day.

 If you have space in the backyard, grow some herbs and vegetables rather than buy them at the grocery. This may be more time consuming but the advantage of growing your own vegetables and herbs is that you get to consume organic produce, you will save money on your grocery bill, it is a form of exercise and you will contribute to a greener environment.

Saving money on grocery and helping to preserve the environment actually go hand in hand, but it takes a made up mind and commitment to reap the benefits.

The earth is a beautiful place and there is so much beauty to see as well as the partaking of  its resources.  If people continued to live carefree and completely disregard this beauty, the environment will continue to fill with trash and the earth's entire ecosystem will be threatened.  We will continue to damage the ozone layer and worsen the global warming phenomenon that we are currently facing.  The key to maintaining your planet green is reducing, reusing and recycling. It's simple.

Reduce

The first step to ensuring minimal waste is the reduction of the products that contribute to the waste. Unfortunately, most of the recycling lobby groups overlook this important step. If we use less of the plastics, there will be less waste to deal with. Here are important ‘reduce’ strategies that you can adopt

•   Go zero waste: Make it your ultimate goal to cut down on waste completely. Do not waste water, energy or accumulate the waste of non-biodegradable items.

•   Only keep whatever you use

•   Determine the impact of your purchase decisions to the environment

•   Buy used produced at local thrift stores, eBay, Craigslist and elsewhere

•   Buy lunch that you can finish. Avoid large helpings only to throw them into the bin

•   Go paperless in getting your statements, newsletters and newspapers

Reuse

The marketers are keen to have us buy the new items due to the added benefits. However, did you know that you could survive on many fronts with the existing items if you reused them a few times?

•    Hold and shop garage sales to get good old stuff

•    Replace disposables (such as batteries, cartridges, and coffee filters) with reusable items

•    Donate your used products such as household items, electronics, food, art materials and more

•    Share facilities with your neighbors (carpooling also saves on gas emissions)

•    Fix items that can be repaired instead of throwing them away

•    Most plastic items can be reused as storage and package materials

•    Repurpose several items after the end of their useful life (furniture, metallic items and so forth)

Recycle

Give your used items a new life by having them recycled and used again. Here is how to go about it

• Buy recycled: Support the recycling movement by buying into it. An example would be a new environmentally friendly bathroom tissue or toilet paper. WHOLEROLL will be brought to market in 2017.

• Use the grass clippings in your lawn as compost manure rather than applying fertilizers

• Avoid throwing away the cans and plastic bags out there when on a trip. Pack them and bring them back home if you do not come across a recycle bin

• When sending off your loved ones, consider eco-friendly burials that use recycled material for coffins

•   Use recycled or recyclable materials when packing your lunch. Lunch packaging materials are big contributors to waste.

The Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in COP21 and reflects a collective vision by 95 countries on ways to curb global warming and other undesirable climate changes. The agreement lays a framework of essential goals and important milestones to achieving a green environment. However, the success of the agreement depends on the rules, guidelines, and processes that are adapted to making the agreement work. An ad hoc Working Group on Paris Agreement (APA) that is made up of the parties that ratified and adopted the agreement is putting these rules and processes in place. The group is supported by such organizations as UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA)

Much of the work should have been completed before the full implementation of the agreement and well before 2020 when parties to the agreement meet and go through the progress.

 Here are key areas that parties have to focus on to ensure that the agreement works and within the set timelines

There must be guidance for states to increase their ambition

There are critical processes that have been put into the agreement to help companies increase their ambition in enhancing their climate plans. Countries are expected to come up with Nationally Determined Contributions every five years to achieve long-term goals of the agreement. 

Ensure accountability and transparency

 The backbone of the Paris Agreement is a transparency framework to help track how governments are progressing with the commitment to enhance a green environment. However, there must be rules to hold the parties accountable while enhancing the understanding among these countries. A key item towards the achievement of this goal is the enhancement of UNFCCC current Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) system by 2018.

Climate finance must be tracked

The core challenge for the international climate control regime is to ensure that climate finance is flowing towards the intended recipients and meeting the intended objectives The SBSTA is tasked with the role of developing the accounting rules for the parties, which should be done by 2018. The goal of the agreement is to encourage reporting every two years for easy reviewing.

Create New Technology Framework

The long-term vision of the agreement is the development of new technologies and the transfer of these technologies from the developed parties to the developing countries to aid them in mitigating the effects of climate change and adapting to it. The challenge in this is that the timelines have not been set and some parties do not want to share their technologies.

A committed focus in these four areas will keep each country and entity that is collaborating accountable to each other for the long term common good. 

When using appliances, 30 percent of energy on average can be lost. Conserving this energy could save you hundreds of dollars each year and contribute to lower pollution through energy production and over exploitation of natural energy resources. It may be a little expensive to have a fully green powered home, but saving on energy will help save in your wallet and the planet.

Here are a few practical ways to save energy at home

Wear clothing that is appropriate to the weather. Warm clothing during winter means that can turn down the heater while during the summer wearing light clothing enables you to adjust the thermostat a little higher. This keeps the units from working hard and from constantly coming on and going off.

Central air conditioning units tend to cool or warm the whole house regardless of whether there is anyone in the rooms or not. However, you can create zones by adding a few devices to your system so that you are able to turn off the AC when a particular room is unoccupied.

Chargers and other electrical devices still use energy when they are switched off even when still plugged to a socket that is still on. Such devices can use up to 10% of the electricity bill. You can switch off devices at the socket when you are not using them or purchase a standby power controller. This ensures that no device uses power when it is not powered on. 

You can prevent heat or cold from escaping the room when it is properly conditioned and insulated. Make sure that there are no cracks in the ceiling, door joints and windowpanes where the air could leak out. Good insulation should be rated R3.5 or higher especially for the ceilings.  

 In the same line, shut doors and windowpanes when you are conditioning the indoor air. Your A/C works harder when some of the indoor air leaks out and is replaced by the outside air.

 Check on the energy star rating on electronics

The energy star rating is a graph that shows the energy rating of a particular appliance. The more the stars in the rating, the higher the efficiency of the appliance in question. As for the washing machines, the front loaders are more efficient than the top loaders.   

You will use about 15-20% of the energy in heating water. However, you will rarely need to use very hot water. Turn down the water heater temperature setting to warm (about 120°F) to save on energy. This also protects you from the risk of faucet scalding.

These tips should help you conserve energy as well as save a few bucks here and there.

There are hundreds of articles out there that talk about DIY renovation and home improvement. However, did you know that you can have an eco-friendly home renovation with just a few bucks? Here are practical eco-conscious DIY tips.

Do one thing at a time

 It may not be possible to do a whole home overhaul when it comes to an eco-friendly renovation. Start small on your first project. Instead of a long list of item, start with one task at a time. A good area to start is the changing of your light bulbs from CFL to LED solutions. You may then go on to swap your old shower faucets that may not have been efficient to the modern water-saving options. You can then proceeding to collect rainwater for use at home or watering your plants. 

Repurpose the old and integrate with the new

Once you get rid of the old items from home, do not just throw them away. Make use of the items to create something new. For example, if you have a solid wood floor and decide to replace the floors, the wood could be used to create outdoor furniture, storage boxes, and carvings for home décor. By not throwing away the items, you are reducing your carbon print and contributing to a greener environment. 

Be more conscious about your product choices

 One of the most important aspects of sustainable living is understanding what your purchase decisions transition to when it comes to the green environment. Think of the sustainability of the products that you use for the home renovation. For example; when renovating your floor, think of wood that can be cultivated over and over again quickly such as bamboo rather than a hardwood tree that takes long before it matures. You may also buy recycled products for your renovation to support the green cause.

Donate what you do not need

Do not throw away items that can be reused just because you do not need them. Doing so is actually contributing to the filling of the landfills. You can donate the cabinets, sinks, old appliances and left over building materials to green organizations around you. You spare another pile of trash and help someone on the way.

Avoid the VOCs

 The VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are mostly used for the finishing work but permeate dangerous chemicals into the air. Thus, they are bad for your health and the environment. Avoid these chemicals in your finishing and go for eco-friendly finishing solutions. 

Employ this tips and you are on your way to a greener home.