The world is fighting with many problems these days with global warming and water scarcity topping the list. Fumes and smoke from cars, factories, deforestation, and other activities contribute to the heating and polluting of the earth. The increase of CO2 emissions all over the world, especially in populated areas is a matter of concern for a lot of environmentalists. Humanity is striving to make changes to their activities to make them environment-friendly.
Governments all over the world are monitoring big industries to make their practices less harmful to our environment. Huge rallies take place all over the world every now and then to protest against some activities that need change. People are doing their bit to make this world a better place for themselves and the coming generations.
You can contribute to the cause too! The changes always start at home and we have prepared a list of activities and changes that you can follow to do your bit in the fight against global warming.
Solar Energy
Probably the most promising solution to our problems of today is solar energy. We can easily harness the power of the sun and convert it into energy. Our homes can be totally self-sufficient by installing a solar power grid that can power up all the different appliances we have. Since solar energy does not include the burning of any fossil fuels like gas and coal, there is no CO2 emission that we need to worry about.
LED Bulbs
Filament bulbs are slowly growing out of fashion and if you have not yet started adopting the trend of changing them with LED bulbs then you probably should. LED bulbs are as bright as filament bulbs and offer a host of advantages over filament bulbs. Filament bulbs give out a lot of heat and use much more electricity than LEDs. Not only that, LED bulbs to have a much longer life which means you won’t have to keep making a run to the market every time a filament fuse goes off.
Environment-friendly paints
The VOC in paints that we use to coat the walls of our houses contributes a lot to the greenhouse effect that we see today. Even the process of manufacture of these paints emits CO2 into the environment which is again a major greenhouse gas. Shifting to environment-friendly paints might cost us a bit more but saving the environment should be the priority for everyone.
Smart thermostats
Smart thermostats are becoming more and more common in houses in cold regions. In most of the centrally air-conditioned houses, people usually forget to turn off the heat when they leave their house. A smart thermostat can be programmed to turn off the heating according to your daily schedule. So if you usually leave your house in the morning at a specific time then you can program your device to automatically turn off the heating at that time. This simply saves a lot of energy that is commonly wasted in a lot of houses.
Aquaponic systems
It is a common hobby to have plants and aquariums full of fish at home. Although you have to keep watering the plants and you need to regularly change the water in the fish tanks, there is a new ingenious method to save the water in these processes by rotating the same water for both these activities. The water in the fish tanks has a lot of fish excretion which is nutrition for plants, so you can use that water for irrigation purposes. The plants use up all the nutrition from the water and replenish it with oxygen which is perfect for the fish. Thus you can interchange the water in such a rotation. Of course, setting up a system like this can be quite complex. Experts at FarmingAquaponics.com suggest using a piped irrigation system for easy setup. Adopting this system can reduce the amount of water needed by 75% which is a lot considering that this will be all year round.
Avoid Dryers
It is quite convenient to simply use the dryer after washing your clothes. This is quite a waste of electricity as hanging the clothes on a line out in the sun will dry them equally well. Apart from helping the environment, this activity can provide some good exercise for you.
Harvest Rainwater
Water scarcity is a major concern the world is facing at the moment. There are techniques to turn the salt water into potable water but they are highly uneconomical. We are, however, wasting a very precious source of freshwater on a regular basis and that is rainwater. Rainwater is fresh and pure. Every time it rains a lot of water is wasted as it runs into the ground, sewers, and other places. If every household was to convert their rooftop to harvest rainwater the problem of water scarcity will be fast-fading.
Recyclable Product Wastebasket
Every household produces a fair amount of waste. It is usually a mixture of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. Have a look at your dustbin and you will notice a mixture of paper and plastic along with food leftovers. Separating this waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste can open up a string of ways in which you can help the environment. The biodegradable waste such as banana peels and other organic leftovers can be used as compost for your lawn while the non-biodegradable waste can be properly disposed of without harming the environment.
Dishwasher and Washing Machine Practices
You must have seen yourself running the washing machine or turning on the dishwasher at half-load a lot of times. You need to change this habit immediately as it results in a lot of energy wastage. You can always wait for your washing machine to fill up to its capacity with clothes before you turn it on. Similarly, your dishwasher should be nearly filled up with dirty utensils when you use it.
Some very simple practices that you can do at home can bring about change. You can inspire a lot of people around you who will do the same with the people around them. You need to take up the responsibility to bring about the change and the change will start at home. These changes are for yourself and the future generations who deserve a healthy environment with fresh and clean air to breathe.