Wellness isn’t just about your body; it’s also about your environment. When you’re one with yourself it’s just as important to be one with the environment, too. It’s common for people to bundle up for winter and stay in the great indoors, without thinking about how their home affects the outdoors. Keep your home environmentally friendly this winter by following these easy steps for “going green.”
1. Burn Candles
You know you love that fresh pine scent, especially over the holidays. Or maybe you’re more into the freshly baked cookies scene. Candles are essential to the holidays and making your home smell like Christmas. Choose soy or beeswax candles to light up your home with festive scents and even contribute a bit of extra heat. Candles are a great addition to your meditation space and can help shift the energy.
2. Update Your Faucets
Gallons of water are wasted each day on dishes, washing hands and more. Before winter comes, update your kitchen sink’s faucet to a low-flow kitchen faucet. It reduces your water usage by minimizing the amount of water that flows out. The decreased water usage will not only conserve water, but also save you some cash on your water bill.
3. Fill Your Medicine Cabinet With Essential Oils
Is your medicine cabinet full of products with harsh ingredients you can’t even pronounce? If so, stock up on essential oils for this flu season. Essential oils can provide you with immune support, help you get better sleep and more. The benefits of essential oils are just what you and your family need to stay healthy this winter.
4. Use Electricity for Heat
The choice between electric heating and central heating might not be yours to make, depending on how your house is set up for heat. If you have central heat, consider using a space heater instead. Space heaters use electricity instead of gas or oil. It burns less fossil fuels, which is better for the environment.
5. Change to LED Lighting
Don’t you just hate it when you find bugs hiding behind your lampshades to keep warm in the winter? Eew! Fun fact: LED lights don’t attract insects. Plus, they’re the perfect way to go green with how you light your home. Aside from the many reasons you should be using LED lights, the number one benefit would be no bugs.
6. Check Your Airflow
Heat can flow through the nooks and crannies all over your house. Check your fireplace to make sure it’s closed when you’re not using it. Check windows and doors for anywhere that might let heat out. The loss of heat equals the loss of energy efficiency. Once you’ve secured the cracks heat might try to escape through, you won’t have to keep your thermostat set so high to stay warm.
7. Know Your Heat Source and Thermostat
Speaking of energy efficiency, you’ll want to keep your thermostat low. Just by lowering it a few degrees, you can save money and energy. An easy tip to naturally heat your house is to leave the curtains open during the day while you’re gone, so the sun heats up your home.
And if it’s in your budget, consider solar panel heating. It’s energy-efficient and doesn’t emit fossil fuels or greenhouse gases into the environment.
8. Use Homemade, Non-Toxic Cleaners
This might sound crazy, but if you want to keep your house clean and green at the same time, you should make your own cleaning products. Homemade cleaning products will free your house from harsh chemicals, but still fight the germs of cold and flu season. Don’t worry about wipes that leave chemicals all over your counter. You’ll know each ingredient is safe in green cleaning recipes.
9. Eat in Season
It’s important to know which fruits and vegetables are in season. This is not only important for better taste, but also for conserving the environment. Seasonal produce grows easier without added pesticides or chemicals, which is better for the soil. If produce is in season, it’s more likely that it came from a local source, which means less gas spent on transportation.
It’s always great to support your local farmers, and you can keep your kitchen green while you’re at it.
10. Leave the Oven Door Open
A great way to use the oven for more than one purpose is to leave the oven door open after you’re done cooking. Keeping the oven door closed while it cools down not only wastes heat, but it also wastes the energy that was used to create that heat. With the oven door open, the heat will flow out, making your kitchen warmer in an energy-efficient way.
11. Give Green Gifts
You might have a green mindset for this winter, but do your friends and family? Make your gifts green this season. Of course, giving is all about putting another person first with what they want. So make sure it fits into their lifestyle. This is a great way to give your friends thoughtful gifts and spread your love for the environment, too.
12. Get a Smart Thermostat
Heating is the number one way you can make your house green and efficient this winter. An easy way to do that would be by installing a smart thermostat. You can keep track of your energy consumption through generated reports from the thermostat. Stay energy-efficient with your heating system and thermostat this winter.
There are great and easy ways to go green this winter based on the everyday choices you make in your home. Make your family and your house more environmentally conscious this winter and go green.