Ways to GREEN-up Your Home This St. Patrick’s Day 

Searching for ways to go GREEN this St. Patrick’s Day?  It’s your lucky day!  Read below for our list of ways to live more sustainably in your home.  These tips will not only lower your carbon footprint but can put a pot of gold in your pocket from savings on utilities and more!

 

Reduce:

Water Usage:  You can reduce the amount of water usage in your home by shortening shower times, fixing any leaky faucets or pipes, and using the cold-water cycle for laundry.   If you’re ready to make updates on fixtures you can purchase low-flow, high efficiency toilets, showerheads, and faucets which can help you save on water bills as well!

Electricity Usage:  As our parents used to say… “turn off the lights!”  Reducing your bulb usage and unplugging cords that aren’t in use are a great first step in conserving electricity at home.  Looking for new appliances or need new light bulbs?  Check out “Energy Star” machines or LED/Energy Efficient light bulbs!

 

Reuse:

Bags, Bottles, Towels, Oh my!: To put it simply, reusing = reducing!  There are numerous household items we can either swap or get creative with to increase our reuse.  Swap plastic shopping bags for reusable ones, find some fun kitchen towels to replace paper towels, cut back on plastic water bottles and find one you can use over and over! Ready to reuse all those glass food jars?  Use the jars as drinking glasses, vases, containers to organize office supplies, or to hold dry goods!

 

Recycle:

Spring Cleaning: One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!  This year, while cleaning out your home and closets make a pile to donate or sell!  Clothes can be brought to Goodwill instead of thrown in the trash.   You can find your unwanted furniture a great new home by posting the items on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Challenge yourself by searching for items you want to add to your home on these sites as well!

 

Bonus Points!

Green Thumb:  Planting an indoor or outdoor garden will save you money and supports sustainability!  Even better, create a compost/decomposition bin and use the results for nutrient-rich soil.  Fruit & vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells all promote plant growth!

Go Paperless: An easy way to reduce paper use and never miss a billing cycle is switching to paperless! Set up the process online for electricity, heat, water, and cable bills. Tired of receiving snail mail credit card offers?  You can cancel those too!