Many people these days are becoming interested in their carbon footprint and are learning about ways to reduce it. You probably are already aware of more than a few good ways to do it. You probably already purchase appliances that are energy efficient as well as food that is either local or organic or both. You might even already be using cleaners that are nontoxic as well. That being said, there are still quite a few other ways to green up your way of life that you might not think about right off hand. Here are a couple of the lesser known ways to be more eco – friendly.
Try to Get Flex Time Hours for Work
People who are truly serious about making the environment better know that letting go of the 9 – 5 lifestyle is a must. When you travel back and forth to work on a daily basis, this causes significant harm to the environment regardless of where you are geographically located. Having work hours that are flexible can mean a few different things. If you happen to be employed by a corporation, maybe you can see about telecommuting a few days a week. You might also think about switching to 4 work days with 10 hours as opposed to 5 with 8. If you don’t work in a typical work environment, think about freelancing or even beginning your own business.
Install Solar Powered Hot Water
A lot of people who concern themselves with the environment have begun to focus on water. Take fast showers as opposed to long baths, give your outdoor plants their water in the evening or early morning and make the decision to not buy bottled water. These are all great goals.
That being said, you can also take it even further by installing what are known as evacuated tube solar systems in your home. These allow you to be able to heat your water while also harvesting energy from the sun.
Use Sustainable Carpeting
Many people don’t think about carpeting and rugs when they think about saving the environment. The thing is, by using rugs and carpeting made from materials such as jute, sisal, seagrass, wool, and more, you could truly be reducing your carbon footprint while adding a lot of style to your home décor. Rugs made from sustainable materials are also made in ways that don’t hurt the environment. There are fewer chemicals used and as a result, they can also lead to you not having reactions to them like you can have to some of the synthetic carpeting and rugs on the market.
What other ways can you think of to reduce your carbon footprint?
Author Bio: Simon Gilles has been working with Natural Area Rugs for the past seven years as a interior design consultant. My primary focus is on home decor using area rugs and other accessories.
