22 Apr 5 Ways To Make Your Home Environmentally Friendly Without Breaking You
Going green is one of the best things you can do for your kids and the future generation, but where and how should you start?
Why, your home of course!
Here are ways on how you can make your home environment-friendly without putting a drain on your budget.
1. Fix Those Leaks
The EPA states that a typical household wastes 10,000 gallons of water or so each year. The primary culprit to this wasteful 
habit? Leaks.
A quick trip to the nearest hardware shop and a bit of basic fixing should make this right. Go around the house and inspect each room for dripping faucets, leaky valves and worn toilet flappers. Replace, tighten up and stop these and your home becomes one of the few that doesn’t put precious water down the drain.
When going on vacations, remember to shut the main water valve off to save money and to prevent burst pipes and other emergencies.
2. Unplug Energy Vampires
Energy vampires are devices and appliances that suck energy even when they’re turned off or when you’re not using them.
Classic examples include chargers for any mobile device, or the ones that you charge your smartphone, tablet or laptop in. Digital cable boxes and similar items can add to your energy bill even if you haven’t used them all day.
Invest in power strips or extension cords that have manual on/off switches so you won’t have to reach at the back. Better yet, you can buy a smart power strip and program it so that the socket cuts power whenever the appliance or charger goes in standby mode.
3. Don’t Buy Bottled Water
Take to your tap water (if it’s safe), or use a filter for your household water consumption and you can save the earth in so many ways.
Did you know that producing bottled water uses important resources such as oil and water, and that the plastic takes a thousand years to break down? Moreover, the material produces toxic fumes when melted or incinerated.
Ditch the bottled water habit and opt for a water filter pitcher or something similar.
4. Replace All Your Lighting With LED Bulbs
The US Department of Energy states that LED, or light emitting diode bulbs use up 75% less energy as compared to their incandescent or fluorescent counterparts.
LED bulbs are cheap and are available at most hardware or supermarket stores. You can choose the wattage as you need, i.e., a higher watt LED for outdoors such as porch lights and garages and lower ones for bathrooms. Moreover, they’re brighter, have a longer lifespan and don’t produce as much heat as an incandescent.
5. Get Some Eco Bags And Use Them
You can stop excess material from going on landfills when you use sustainable containers such as eco-bags, mugs and water bottles.
Instead of using paper cups for coffee, why not use your favorite mug? Take a BPA-free water bottle when you’re out exercising. An eco-bag can be handy when you’re shopping for groceries or food. Get into the habit of reusing and soon you’ll be living a sustainable life.