Here at Palo Verde Homes, we believe that there is no need to sacrifice the health of the environment for pleasant living. Taking care of our mother earth is very important and we do our best to make all of our homes the most eco-friendly and energy-efficient as they can be. In fact, we have been recognized as an Energy Star leader in homebuilding. We don’t want to stop there though. We are always looking for ways to improve and make the planet just a little bit cleaner. Here are some ways that you can help improve the earth with just a few small changes that can even save you some money in the process.
Use More Rags
Rags are far more sustainable than using paper towels to clean and use at the dinner table. Cloth napkins at the dinner table also help make everything feel just a little fancier. Using rags to clean uses less waste because rags and cloth napkins are reusable. All you need to do is stick them in the washer. With reusable rags and cloth napkins, you are largely cutting down on paper products, which means that there is a lot less taking up space in a landfill somewhere.
Buy Some Dryer Balls
Again, the less paper that you use the better, and you can easily cut down by buying fewer dryer sheets. Dryer balls can last for approximately 100 loads and make your clothes just as soft as dryer sheets do. It’s time to get rid of single-use items and time to aim towards reusable materials.
Cut Down on Dryer Usage
This is an appliance that we use way too often. Many times, we don’t need to put our clothes in the dryer for as long as we usually do. You can probably afford to take your clothes out a few minutes earlier. You can also just skip the dryer altogether. Hang your clothes out to dry on a clothesline or invest in a nice drying rack to eliminate the need for a dryer.
Shop Vintage
For this, we mean both clothes and furniture. Don’t buy a used mattress or anything, but if you see a nice vintage chair that barely has a stain and was kept in good condition, go for it. This means that there will be fewer things in landfills. Vintage clothes can be really cute and stylish if you find the right items for you. It’s one less thing going in the dump. Also, don’t be afraid of taking your clothes and furniture to get repaired if they’re torn or broken instead of tossing them out. It saves space at landfills and it is probably less expensive than buying new ones.
Get Some Plants
A few houseplants are always a pleasant sight in anyone’s home. They can give you and your family some well-needed oxygen and they look beautiful. The world needs more plants, so give it more plan. Consider also growing your own herb garden. This will save landfills from the packaging that comes with them when bought in a store and will smell lovely in your home.
Get a Compost Bin
Speaking of plants, maybe it’s time that you get a compost bin. Compost is a great way to put use to all of your food scraps so that they don’t go into the trash and into a landfill. You can save up all of your food scraps and use them to fertilize your plants. There are plenty of compost bin containers that can go right on your kitchen counter and hide the smell.
Invest in a Good Water Filter
Don’t be afraid of drinking the water that your house provides for you. No more plastic single-use bottles and jugs in your house. Switch to a nice reusable bottle and some nice water filters to have all of your tap water taste nice and fresh.
Get a Low-Flow Showerhead
Here is another big yet small way for you and your family to save some water. You won’t even feel the difference if you manage to find yourself one with good reviews. It’s a very subtle change, but it will save a lot of water for our planet, and it will make its money back in no time with all of the money you’ve saved on your water bill.
We here at Palo Verde Homes deeply care about the environment and try to build our homes to be as eco-friendly as possible. We do our best to give you the best home while saving the planet. Hopefully, this list has helped you become more environmentally conscious and make some small but impactful steps towards being more eco-friendly. If you have any questions about the homes that we build, don’t hesitate to contact us.
