No one is suggesting that you tear down your current home and rebuild it as a 100% eco sanctuary. To even attempt such a thing would defeat the purpose. You can’t tear down a house and rebuild it without some adverse effects to the environment. It is simply not possible to eliminate all adverse effects of living. Nor is it a realistic goal for the foreseeable future.
However, if you are already in the process of remodeling, there are some significant enhancements you can make to have a smaller environmental footprint. Here are two:
Eco-friendlier lighting
The first thing you can do when renovating is to remove all the lightbulbs, put them in a bag, and give them away. Start fresh by installing energy efficient light bulbs. LED bulbs are a particularly good choice. Initially, they are much more expensive than typical incandescents. But they are absolutely worth it. The bulbs practically last forever and have a fraction of the environmental footprint as standard bulbs over time. You can do it yourself. And you will love the way it looks.
Eco-friendlier water
A water purification system is a great idea for obvious reasons. But one of the best reasons to upgrade your water processing system is that you will waste much less water. Filtered water is a luxury that has environmental costs. RO systems can be particularly wasteful. There are better choices that give you great tasting water with a lot smaller environmental footprint. Keep the taste; lose the waste.
Unfortunately, all the eco-friendly products in the world will not help if no one buys them. I believe that the call for eco-solutions is being largely ignored by homeowners because of how green is being positioned in the marketplace.
Green is not about saving money
Green is often pitched as a way to save money on utilities. This assumes that green would be an attractive choice for the kind of people who need to save money on utilities. That demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of that demographic.
If making your monthlies is an issue for you, then your greater concern is about initial expense of products and services, not nebulous, long-term savings. The only cost that matters is the out-of-pocket cost right now. That reality does not favor green products. There is a reason that the people who go green tend to have a greater household income.
Green is not about ideological fanaticism
One thing that frightens off a lot of people from green initiatives is the ideological zealotry of some as portrayed in the media. Not everyone wants to be associated with hippies and counterculturists. That is an unfair characterization. But it is how a lot of people see it. Even talking about green as a movement, is off-putting to many. Green products suffer when presented as a money-saving scheme, or as an ideological movement.
Green is about responsibility and community
Frugality and idealism are nice. But when it comes to environmentalism, they don’t really move the needle in a positive direction. There are good reasons to go green even if it costs you money, and you don’t buy into all the idealism.
The primary reason for seeking eco-friendly solutions is that it is the responsible thing to do. It is highly irresponsible to be intentionally wasteful of limited resources. This is doubly true when better options are available.
Equally important is the fact that we have to share this planet and its resources with other people. Not only do these resources have to serve the people of the world today, but the people of tomorrow, and tomorrows to come. If polluting only effected you, it would be a questionable activity. But because it effects everybody, then you have to factor in the social consequences of your actions.
The benefits of good environmental citizenship far outweigh the initial costs associated with going green. If the people with the greatest means refuse to do it, eco-friendliness will hardly be aspirational for those living paycheck to paycheck. And since you are already remodeling, even one eco choice can make a big difference to the environment, and the community.
Article Submitted By Community Writer.
