energy

Making An Individual Contribution To Fighting The Climate Crisis

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With a deepening climate crisis, it is becoming ever more clear that we need to be taking much better care of our environment. Whether the focus for doing this should be on governments, businesses, or the individual may be something that world leaders cannot seem to reach a consensus on, but it does remain that we should all be doing something. And instead of waiting around for governments to tell us what we need to be doing, we should all be taking decisive action right now to reduce our impact on the planet. After, it is the only one that we have. 

 

Here are some areas in which you should consider making improvements in your life. 

 

Water Conservation

 

While 70% of the planet may be covered by water, most of this is not drinkable. There is less and less drinking water available and many countries are facing a crisis point. Some areas of South Africa recently came very near to having to permanently turn off their municipal water supply because of a lack of water. Fortunately, citizens got behind water conservation measures and reversed the trend. However, it is still estimated that within the next five years two billion people will be without clean sanitary water that they can live off 

 

Our clean water supplies are getting used up in several different areas. Many industries such as agriculture will use vast amounts of water in production, and across the globe individuals often treat water as an infinite resource, which it is not. 

 

Reducing your water consumption is something that you can do to help the environment. This starts by not flushing the toilet as often, not leaving taps running, having showers instead of baths, and not using a hose to water your garden. You could look at getting Team Poly water butts to collect rainwater which could be used for flushing toilets and watering your garden. Making good use of natural water delivery systems takes the pressure off the valuable water reserves that we all so vitally need. 

 

Switch To A Green Energy Provider

 

With many major power companies still burning fossil fuels to create power for our homes, it is clear that this is an area that needs improving. While you may not have the power to change this as an individual, if enough people start to switch to green suppliers, this will push the major power providers to change the way that they do business or face extinction. 

 

There are many great green energy suppliers out there, many of whom are great in the way that they manage their customers and run their businesses. Check out the credentials of a few operating in your area, compare their prices and services, and ditch the smog-producing power companies that we just don’t need in society anymore. 

 

Then, look for ways that you can improve and reduce your energy consumption by switching off unnecessary appliances and lights when you are not using them.

Simple Ways To Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

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There are a lot of things that help to qualify somewhere at “the perfect house” and a lot of those things are going to be different for different people. However, there are always going to be certain things that all homes will need to have. No matter what, the majority of house hunters want somewhere structurally sound, clean, and well laid out. But there is one thing that more and more people have begun to decide is an essential feature that their home needs: it needs to be energy efficient. After all, not only does an energy-efficient house help to protect the environment but it can also make a big difference in saving you money. It’s a key feature on a lot of people’s lists, but many of them don’t know how to go about making the place that they live in more energy-efficient. Fortunately, doing so isn’t that difficult or complicated. You can do it just by following a few, simple steps.

 

Watch your usage

 

One of the first, not to mention cheapest, things that you can do is to make sure that you’re keeping a close on eye exactly how much energy you’re using at home. After all, if you want your home to start becoming more energy efficient then the best thing that you can do is to reduce the amount of energy being used throughout the whole house. A lot of the kinds of things that you can do to use less energy in your home might seem incredibly small and simple. Things like turning lights off when you leave the room and not relying on your heating or air-con all of the time might not seem like they’re going to make all that much of a difference but the truth is that those little things add up incredibly quickly. In the end, you can not only make your home more energy-efficient but you’ll end up shaving a surprising amount off your energy bills as well.

 

Insulation

 

As the months start to move into the colder seasons, there’s no doubt that you’re going to want to keep as warm as possible. Most people tend to just crank up their heating and leave it that way for the rest of the year. However, that’s a pretty good way to not only waste a huge amount of energy but it’s also a great way to ensure that you spend a whole lot on your energy bills every month. Instead, why not think about making more of an effort to insulate areas of your home? The best place to insulate is likely to be your attic. A huge amount of heat escapes out of your attic and insulating it can help to reduce your need to keep your heating on all day. Sure, it might take an initial investment but the money you save because of it is well worth it.

 

More efficient appliances

 

Another incredibly simple thing that you can do to make your home a little more energy efficient is to invest in some more efficient appliances. Over time, a lot of appliances like washers and dryers become a whole lot less energy efficient, if they were even particularly energy-efficient, to begin with. Plenty of newer appliances are specifically designed to be as efficient as possible and it’s never been easy to find the right appliances. A quick google search is often all it takes to find the most energy-efficient appliances available.

 

Solar panels

 

One of the best ways to make your home more energy efficient is by installing solar panels. This might sound like a big and complicated job but it’s a lot easier than you might expect. Check out this blog post on solar panels 101 to get a better idea of how they work and their benefits of them. Solar panels are one of the best ways to make a real difference in the amount of energy that your home uses.

 

The reality is that a lot of the time, most of us would rather not think about the kinds of things that are involved in making our homes more energy-efficient. After all, many of them are inconvenient, annoying, or potentially expensive. However, the importance of an energy-efficient home goes beyond just your ability to save money, even if that is a big part of it. The truth is that making your home more energy efficient also makes a big difference in terms of your impact on the environment as a whole. It might be an inconvenience, but making your home more energy-efficient is worth it.

Channel Your Energy into Your Garden to Find Paradise

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Your garden may not feel like the most exciting part of your home. While your walls can be immediately improved with some wallpaper and a few throw cushions can bring color to any space, your garden will need a little more imagination and thought to bring it up to scratch.

 

The good news is that even the least experienced gardener can create a small paradise at home. Yes, it will take time and energy but if you are willing to channel your positivity into a worthwhile project, you are sure to succeed.

Water

The main reason that the gardens are so lush is that they have plenty of water. Adding a water feature to your garden, as well as a simple irrigation system is a great way to encourage wildlife to come and join in and ensure that every plant gets the moisture it needs. To do this, you will need a pump system to push the water around and a Berkeley b3zrm comes recommended – especially if you have a large area in a dry state.

 

The sound of water is well-known to be relaxing and it can even help you sleep. A simple fountain or tiny waterfall is all you need to introduce that gentle sound and start to build your paradise with sounds as well as looks.

Plants

If you aren’t so green fingered, you should choose plants that are likely to survive and thrive in your garden without too much input from you. This means choosing plants that are already suited to the environment you have. For example, you’d be hard pushed to never see a yucca in Louisiana so if that’s where you’re based, that’s the kind of thing you should go for!

 

When you arrange your plants, think about the height and width they will grow into, not just their size now. It’s important that plants have room to reach their full potential so even though you might have a bit of a gap to start with, nature always fills it up.

Nature

It is always tempting to control every aspect of your garden but a true paradise will find its own rhythm. This means encouraging wildlife to come into your garden as well as giving your plants a chance to thrive on their own terms.

 

There’s a reason that jungles and forests look the way they do: the plants and animals work together to find a balance of their own. Letting go of your garden this way might feel risky but you will soon reap the rewards of a hands-off approach.

 

Putting out food for birds and other animals is also a good idea. Though insects and bugs might be unwelcome inside, outside they are more than your neighbors, they are the reason your plants are looking so healthy! A bug hotel might sound like a kids’ project, but every garden should have one.

 

Your garden is your chance to relax in your own slice of paradise. It will take time to grow up but when you give nature a chance to thrive, it never turns you down.