Green Presents for the Ethical Home
We’ve got some way to go until we can all call our homes truly eco-friendly or ethical, but even the smallest changes can have a big impact to the environment (and our wallets). Creating an ethical home isn’t necessarily about making large-scale alterations to your house in order to reduce your carbon footprint. Being ethical is a personal choice that places more emphasis on the social and environmental responsibilities of being a home owner. We can all do our bit, and we can help others by buying them green presents for the home that will hopefully encourage them to be more environmentally aware too.
How to become more ethical in the home
If you watch television programmes about green living you may feel exasperated by the amount of money spent by some people to make their homes eco-friendly. If you can afford it, and if you live in a part of the country with plenty of land around you, then this type of lifestyle is achievable, however for the majority of us it’s a case of making the best out of what we already have. But don’t think for one moment that living in a house or flat in a city means that you can’t do your bit for the environment.
Five simple steps to being eco-friendly at home
1). Energy is the one of the biggest factors in becoming more ethical in the home. Reducing your energy bill is a major step toward being green (and having more money in your pocket). Simple things such as not leaving appliances on standby and turning the light off when you leave the room can cut your usage dramatically.
Switching to energy-saving light bulbs and buying appliances with a high energy-efficiency rating can also make a huge difference to your bills. You can also buy your energy from companies who offer electricity from renewable sources (such as wind power). Although the main providers such as British Gas and E-On have green tariffs, a dedicated green energy company is committed to generating energy from a purely environmental point of view.
2). An ethical lifestyle can also be a natural one too. Being more environmentally friendly is better for your health so look for eco-friendly cleaning products that aren’t produced using chemicals. Ethical hygiene and beauty products produced using natural ingredients will help reduce your body’s exposure to harmful chemicals.
3). When carrying out improvements to your house or flat, buy eco paints and products made from sustainable materials. Reducing exposure to toxic chemicals found in traditional paint products is better for your health and sustainable materials reduce the devastation on natural resources.
4). Recycling is easily carried out these days. All councils provide a recycling collection service or facilities so ensure any waste in the home that can be recycled is put out for collection or taken to the appropriate place. Also try to buy products that have been made using recycled materials to continue the cycle and buy products that have the minimum amount of packaging to encourage manufacturers to produce less waste.
5). When it comes to food, look for products that are organic and fairtrade (make sure to look for a certified logo). Reducing food miles or buying products that help impoverished communities is a great way to do your bit for the environment and society as a whole. You can also try growing your own herbs, vegetables and fruit.
Green gifts for friends and family
Some of these recommendations will be down to you to implement in your own home but you can encourage others to do the same by explaining the benefits to them. If they’re not doing so already, they’ll learn something new and hopefully save themselves some money.
You can also steer them in the right direction by giving a green gift. Sustainable gifts for the home and garden are readily available online and when you give the present, you can explain the benefits of the gift so they’ll know what to look for in future when buying for themselves.