In the Philippines, homes are one of the biggest financial and emotional investments a family can have. They often spend a lot of money to build, beautify and maintain it. In this decade, however, more and more families are exploring the idea of eco-friendly living to make their homes not only green but economical and sustainable as well.
Creating a greener home is not as difficult as most homemakers think. It just takes an ample amount of desire, research and an investment of both time and resources to make it possible. The benefits of living in a green home outweigh the efforts and monetary investments people shell out at the beginning.
There are many benefits to having a green lifestyle at home, including a healthier home environment through improved indoor air quality, more comfortable home due to fewer temperature variations, higher return on investment through energy savings and lower maintenance costs, more positive environmental impact and a reduced use of natural resources.
Below are a few areas on where you can promote a sustainable lifestyle in your own home:
Start a garden
Whether you live in a huge or a small house, you can always grow your own garden. You can start by planting herbs in your kitchen. An indoor herb garden is very easy to maintain as compared to a vegetable or fruit garden. Plant the herbs from seeds or transplant them from your local organic farmer and make sure to sue an old bowl, cans or even that old plastic soda bottle you used to throw away.
By having an indoor herb garden, you can improve the air quality in your kitchen, not to mention provide you with home-grown fresh ingredients. And with enough creativity, you can have a nice green decor in your kitchen.
Choose green home furnishings
Furniture made from reclaimed wood or upcycled materials is another way to go. Sites like Etsy and Big Cartel had made looking for cool finds just a click away, not to mention reducing your carbon footprint as well. Better yet, visit flea markets, garage and estate sales and you might find something useful. Old frames with broken glass can be turned into wall decors. With just a few coats of eco friendly paint, like Benjamin Moore’s, add a vintage poster you love or your own artwork and voila! You’ve literally turned trash into something you can treasure.
Find better lighting
Using natural sunlight to light instead of electricity your rooms during the day will definitely save you some money, but there are even health benefits from this simple practice as well. Sunlight helps in the body’s production of vitamin D, assuming some of that sunlight coming through the windows reaches your body directly. Natural light can also be a mood booster, especially during the gloomy rainy winter days.
Energy savvy homemakers have also been switching to compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs for years but not readily to Light Emitting Diodes (LED) bulbs as LEDs were more expensive. However, LED’s have been gaining more popularity lately and the prices have come down.
Buy energy-efficient appliances
A house that is fully equipped with energy-efficient appliances will run on about 30 percent less energy than a house using basic appliances. Not only will you save energy, but you will also save thousands of pesos over the course of a year. Most appliances can be easily installed by you without needing to pay outside help. You can find most energy-saving appliances in malls or specialty stores and browse from their selection of household machines such as microwaves, washers and dryers, and everything in between.
Recycle old furniture
Sometimes, you may find yourself with an old chair that your family want to throw out. Don’t put it in the trash! More often than not, you can still recycle and/or repurpose it to make it look new and useful again. You can reupholster your old chair with funky fabric and maybe a new coat of paint.
You can also try decoupaging to redecorate your home using old furnishings. Use it to cover that ratty old lamp, your bedroom headboard, or – if you’re in for a huge project- start decoupaging your front door to give it a pop of color. Just make sure that you coat it well with an eco-friendly gloss or varnish to prolong it. That way, you not only customize your furniture, you’ve also helped avoid another piece of trash going into the landfill.
Uphold upcycling
Most people have a lot of clothes in their closets that they have not worn in the last five years. Instead of waiting for those items to go back into fashion, why not cut them into squares, fill it with down or old pillow stuffing (make sure you clean it first) and stitch them up into throw pillows. If you have no skills in sewing, you can just use safety pins to clip the sides together or use no sew fabric glues. You may also opt to bring to alter stations at they can stitch it for you for a small price.
Your backyard is also a great source for finding items you can reuse. You can make bookshelves out of old hardbound encylclopedia or make a wall mural out of a bunch of twigs you’ve found in the pile.
In the end, all it takes it a little creativity and wise decision-making skills to create a green home. Remember that every LED bulb you buy or every chair you recycle, you are helping make the earth a better place for you and the coming generations.
