Sustainability is the name of the game. The population is steadily increasing, life is getting more expensive, and our environment is feeling the strain. While we need to hold major companies accountable for their carbon footprints, we can also look at smaller issues that we can more readily affect— like our homes.
As we learn more about the consequences of our current lifestyles, companies and eco-activists have helped identify some areas where the general populace can reduce their impact on the environment.
Sure, we all know about reduce, reuse, recycle. But there’s more we can do! In this article, we’ll look at the top three best ways to increase your Lancaster, PA, home’s eco-friendliness.
Wild Gardens and Sustainable Harvesting
Ok, it’s not an exact description. Wild gardening involves working with your area’s native plants and not insisting on a perfectly manicured lawn. Leave the dandelions and let the wildflowers fill your yard with color!
Entice pollinators into your yard, and don’t spray chemical pesticides. Feed the birds! Your yard doesn’t have to look like an abandoned field; in fact, several lawn companies have started helping homeowners curate natural yards that are good for the environment but don’t harm the humans living there.
Eco-friendly gardening can go a long way in improving your home, your community, and our environment.
Have you ever thought about creating your own vegetable garden? Well, what’s stopping you?! Gardening is a great activity that gets us outside and working while providing us with nutritional, holistically-grown foods.
Don’t have a large yard? That’s ok! Consider setting up a growing area in your shed or garage. Don’t have either? You can grow tomatoes in hanging baskets or talk to your neighbors about starting a community garden somewhere.
In community gardens, everyone pitches in— generally, you’ll have a one-time due, and then you pitch in on a schedule of planting, tending, and harvesting. The results are delicious!
Another harvesting option is to collect rainwater— just make sure your city ordinances allow it. You can funnel your gutters into rain barrels or hang rain chains from the end of your roof and direct the water where it needs to be: your barrel, your garden, anywhere!
You can also ‘reuse’ your food waste by turning it into compost instead of sending it down the disposal.
Energy Efficiency
This one is more popular. Many appliances today, from toilets to dishwashers, are designed to save on utilities and only use what’s necessary.
From toilets that let you choose how much water is needed to LED light bulbs that use a quarter of the power, you can swap out so many things in your home to improve your energy and water usage and your utility bills.
You can even purchase shower heads that reduce water waste without skimping on pressure or a tankless water heater.
Electricity can often be our highest expense. We use it to cook, to keep cool in Pennsylvanian summers and warm in winter, even to heat our water! You can save on power usage by investing in solar panels for your home.
Solar panels collect energy from the sun and store it like a battery. Cloudy days don’t hamper it, and they store more than enough power to handle dark nights or rainy days.
Home Improvements
Sure, we’ve talked about things you can do or put in your home. But what about your home itself? So many pieces of its structure affect your energy usage and noise pollution (and, let’s be honest, the aesthetics).
Some areas of your home that you can have inspected are your insulation, windows, and roof. These also affect the safety and fire resistance of your home, so it’s a good idea to stay on top of them!
You should especially keep an eye on your roof. A damaged roof can lead to leaks and water damage to your home’s structure, especially during our heavy snowfalls, but you also need a healthy roof to install solar panels.
Roofs help with insulation, protection, aesthetics— you name it! They’re one of the most essential parts of a home, yet we barely give them a second glance. Lancaster’s reputable roofers are happy to help homeowners choose a sustainable, energy-efficient, eco-friendly roofing style that works with any budget.
Insulation helps protect your home by maintaining the interior climate and reducing noise. A lot of older insulations have proven unsafe through the years– if you don’t know how old your insulation is, it’s worth having it checked out for your health in addition to your energy efficiency! Windows work alongside your insulation while also allowing natural light in.
But seals can degrade, and single-pane windows are heavily outdone by double-pane for protecting your home and reducing energy consumption.
Creating a Brighter Tomorrow
Earth is our home, and we want to do everything we can to protect it— for ourselves, for the wildlife, for our future generations… While the commercial and travel industries contribute more pollution issues than any one household, we can still do our part to make the world a little healthier and to encourage others to do the same.
Personal responsibility and role modeling eco-friendly behaviors can help inspire younger generations to do the same and, potentially, businesses. So let’s all work together for a healthier, happier home.
