You already know that most climate change issues are driven by large corporations, which takes the stress level off your home—it’s not actively your fault that the world is burning. However, this doesn’t change your concern or the need to be an informed citizen who wants to have good stewardship over the things you are capable of changing. While helping apply pressure to the lawmakers who can make the big changes, what sort of things can you do as a homeowner in order to consume less of the planet’s precious resources?
Downsize
A current trend on the real estate market has created prices which are hard to ignore. This coupled with your own desire to use less can be the perfect time to downsize with style. Whereas in the nineties, it was a status symbol to purchase a “McMansion” style home with copious space, now the opposite is true. Modern consumers are working to minimize both their needed and wanted space, and utilize what they have more effectively.
Reduce Your Utility Usage
While large corporations need to be more responsible towards the environment, it’s still a good idea for you to prepare your own home. The ability of solar panels to remove CO2 from the atmosphere is equivalent to 50 trees. You can get solar panels through your energy company, but purchasing them outright is a much better plan. It saves more for your home over time, and you’ll know that your home is self-sufficient in a way that is not hurting the environment.
Hardscaping Not Landscaping
Water is a very difficult resource to obtain, especially in the western parts of the United States. While you can be like fathers of old, limiting shower time for teenagers, and complaining about how many loads of laundry your household does, a far better bet is to limit how much grass needs watering on your lawn! Lawns use an average of one third of all residential water usage in most communities! Your yard need not be filled with cacti to save that usage. Things like clover, mosses, and other ground covers are excellent for retaining water and protecting you from household usage. Even better? They don’t need mowing!
Your home likely does what it can to reduce waste already, but there are other ways to help. Intentionally using fewer resources is a complex goal. Luckily there are many small solutions like these that can help you consume less and save more!
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