“Going Green” is a way of life that encompasses everything from what we eat to where we shop to how we run our households. When looked at from a grand scale, you may think there’s nothing you can do that can curb environmental woes, but you’d be wrong. Environmental sustainability starts with small steps practiced by individuals. As practices become more widespread, the effects become more obvious.

Although we’ve come a long way, there’s still work to be done. Here are 4 actions you can take at home to reduce your impact on the environment and move the country towards sustainability.

Sustainability

4 Actions To Support Sustainability

We’ve assembled 4 actions homeowners can take to decrease their environmental footprint and live a more sustainable life.

  1. Install Energy Efficient Lighting. Lighting is a big source of energy consumption in a household and contributes to carbon pollution. Energy efficient LED lights use just a fraction of the amount of energy needed by incandescent lights; they also give off less heat and last far longer. You’ll save money on your monthly utility bill and you’ll save money over the long-term since these bulbs won’t need to be replaced as frequently as other types of light bulbs.
  2. Add Rainwater Tanks To The Yard. Reduce the strain on precious water resources by installing rainwater tanks and use them to water your landscape and gardens or to keep birdbaths filled. You’ll save money on water bills, re-use a natural resource, and set an example for your neighbours to do the same. For added impact, consider using native plants in your home landscape. These species are perfectly adapted to our local environment and can weather natural conditions without our help. That translates to less work for you since they won’t need constant watering and fertilising to stay healthy.
  3. Shop Local And In Season. Transport of food from farm to shop is a huge source of carbon pollution. Not to mention the further food has to travel the less fresh it is by time it arrives at your shop. To obtain the freshest food and products least likely to be chemically treated to preserve freshness, shop locally. An easy way to do this is to visit farmers or farmers’ markets and to buy food that is in-season. In-season food likely hasn’t been shipped in from another country because it is readily available nearby. That means less petrol has been used to transport the food, fewer chemicals have been used to keep it fresh, and a local farmer is getting your money instead of a far-off farming conglomerate.
  4. Install Solar Panels. This one is more costly than any of the other suggested actions, but solar panels will help you get off the grid and reduce your reliance on fossil fuels. Getting energy to run your home from the sun means you aren’t contributing to carbon pollution from power plants or contributing to the environmental degradation that happens with petroleum extrication.

 

Learn more about going green with energy efficient LEDs at www.ledified.com.au.