Living a green lifestyle can be challenging, but you don’t have to radically change your life to incorporate eco-friendly upgrades, that yield big rewards. My journey into sustainability has been just that, a 5 year journey. Full of twists and turns and, “holy crap, people do that?” What I’ve learned is that there are simple, everyday things that can be changed to ease into a more sustainable life. And it isn’t an all or nothing game. Something I thought in the early stages of becoming green was that I had to be all in. Otherwise, without skin in the game, how would anyone take me serious? But wait, who am I trying to impress, Im just trying to save our earth and maybe a tree.
So with guilt set aside, I decided to dip my toe into the idea of changing my life. Now that Ive been at it for five years, people ask me all the time, “What eco things can I add to my home that will really create an impact, with little effort?”
So here it is, the lazy mans guide to being eco friendly and not giving up those creature comforts.
5 Eco-friendly upgrades that offer cost and energy savings
- Tankless water heat – more compact, more efficient, and only heats water when you actually need it, rather than burning through energy keeping water warm.
- LED lighting- I’ve talked about this gem time and time again. Even did a horrible video about it a few years back. You can see that here…..be for warned, Im yellow in the video, but color aside, I explain why LED is so important to invest in. It’s one of the easiest ways to go green. They lower CO2 emissions, and use 60% less energy than a standard bulb, typically offer 40K+ hours of use, and you’ll notice a significant drop in your electric bill….all while saving the planet! David and I replaced all our bulbs in the house with LED’s about two years ago. The initial investment was $500 but we still have another 15 years to go before they burn out. Money well spent!
- Low flow shower heads – The average family wastes 2300 gallons of water per year. If you can’t shorten your showers by 5 minutes, install a low flow shower head. Many states like California require them because there is already a severe water shortage.
- Add an aerator to your faucet. Most faucets already have standard aerators installed. Instead opt for a low flow and you’ll save roughly 500 gallons of water a year from being wasted and ease your water bill.
- Upgrade to a low flow toilet. All toilets sold today are required by the EPA to use less than 1.6 gallons of water per flush, but the older models use up to 5 gallons of water per flush!!! Since toilets account for 40% of the water consumption in your home, pay to have it upgraded, your planet thanks you!