There are plenty of apartment hacks for loving the environment, even if you don’t live in an “eco-friendly apartment.” Here’s the good news: going green doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. It can actually be fun and a great way to save money. Here are a few ways to jump-start your green living:
Reducing Energy Consumption
- Unplug your gadgets. Many electronics consume energy even when they are turned off. By unplugging the TVs, DVD players, consoles, coffee makers, etc. in your apartment when you’re not home or they’re not in use can save a lot on your electricity bill every month.
- Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. Incandescent light bulbs use more energy and don’t last nearly as long so why bother?
- Be conscious of temperature. Running heat and air conditioning not only sucks up energy but also money. During winter, turn the heat down by 2 degrees, wear a sweater, and you’ll save green. Washing your clothes on cold will also cut back costs.
Reusing and Recycling
- Check out your local residential recycling. These days, most city apartment complexes have some form of recycling pick-up. Even people living in one-bedroom apartments can produce hundreds of pounds of recyclable waste each year. Visit your city’s website to find out what you can and cannot recycle.
- Invest in reusable grocery bags. From Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, cities all over the country are placing plastic bag bans. Not only is a good for the environment to stop using plastic bags, but also they could cut your costs if stores in your city charge for a bag.
Personal Best Practices
- When you can, try to use environmentally safe cleaning products such as detergent, surface cleaner, and bathroom cleaners. They clean just as well as products with harsher chemicals and are better for people and pets! You can find them at organic grocery stores and plenty of mainstream stores. Better yet, you can even find many cleaning product DIYs that are all natural and will help you cut back on spending.
- Be mindful of water use. Most people know it’s better to turn off the water while brushing their teeth. However, other activities like running a bath and running the dishwasher half-full are just as bad (or worse) for water consumption.
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