7 Mini Projects To Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly
Want to make your home a little more eco-friendly? Try one of these mini eco-friendly home projects while you’re home anyway if you have some time to spare.
The world feels pretty different right now. Some of us are home with plenty of time to attack our goals while others are just trying to stay afloat.
If you have a bit of energy to spare or want to do some experimenting with your kids, consider trying one of these activities to make your home a little more eco-friendly.
Many of us could use a refresh right now, and each of these changes will help freshen up our habits a bit or clean out the clutter to make the most of what we already have and save a few bucks in the process.
7 Mini Projects To Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly
Reduce Phantom Power Usage
Do you know that about 20% of the power we use in our homes is idle or phantom power usage? That means we are powering devices and appliances that we aren’t even using! What a waste?! Learn more about phantom power use in our homes and take a few simple steps to save money and help the planet by reducing our wasteful energy usage.
Wash Clothes Using Cold Water
Many of our commitments are postponed but laundry isn’t going anywhere. In fact, the routine and familiar nature of washing and folding laundry might be calming for some. Wash your clothes using cold water to save energy. You can also consider some of these other tips to practice more eco-friendly laundry habits or learn more about all the crazy clothing care labels and what they actually mean.
Take the Reduce Our Food Waste Footprint Challenge
Tracking our activities heavily influences the decisions we make. Start by doing a food waste audit to learn more about what you waste. Then track and celebrate the different ways you actively reduce your food waste. These days, when we want to visit the grocery store as infrequently as possible, it’s the perfect time to focus on reducing the amount of food waste that ends up in our trash.
Start a Compost Bin
Even if we work to reduce food waste, some waste is inevitable. Most of us aren’t eating banana peels or onion skins. Learn everything you need to know to compost at home, and start a compost bin in your yard or sign up for a service to have your compost picked up at your house.
There is a small learning curve, but composting is much easier and far less “dirty” than many people think. I’m a composting nerd so I might be biased, but this is one of my favorite eco-friendly habits that I think nearly everyone can employ.
Do An At-Home Style Session
Pull out your clothes and take inventory of what you already have. I bet you have a lot of things you haven’t worn in quite some time. Try them on. Mix and match to find new outfits. Play dress up! When we can’t shop and many of us are tight on funds anyway, it’s the perfect time to reassess what we already have and find ways to make old things new.
So many clothes end up in landfills after just a few wears. Extending the life of a garment by just one or two wears can have a collectively large impact on our fashion cycles and the amount of fashion waste that languishes in landfills if we all do our part to make better use of what we have and buy fewer new garments.
If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, set up a video chat with a friend or two and do style sessions together. You can make new outfits and give each other feedback on what looks good and what else might go together well.
In a time of social distancing, we have so many opportunities to get creative about how we connect with friends and family. Sifting through all your clothes and having a styling party to revive new life into what you already have is a great way to get together. You can even grab a glass of wine or a fancy drink to go with your at-home party.
Install Ecosia Browser and DoneGood Extension
Many of us are spending lots of extra time on the Internet these days. Install Ecosia and DoneGood extensions to “do good” with your Internet activity. Ecosia is a search engine that uses its profits to plant trees around the world. DoneGood is a browser extension that offers eco-friendly and ethical alternatives to certain stores and products when you are shopping online. It only takes a few minutes to do this and you’ll reap the benefits for months or years to come.
Make Your Own Sugar Scrub
You probably already have everything you need to make this (and if not, you can get it at the grocery store). Just combine coconut oil and sugar to make the perfect zero waste self-care DIY sugar scrub. I make this every few months, store it in a reused container, and love it. Here are all the details to make your own eco-friendly DIY sugar scrub.
Do you have any other mini projects to try right now to make your home more eco-friendly for the long run? Please share them in the comments. The more ideas the merrier!
