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Living a green, eco-friendlier lifestyle isn’t something worth doing occasionally. It’s a lifetime pursuit to conserve natural resources and help keep our environment pollutant fee.
At the same time, there are certain practices better suited to one season vs. another. So, in honor of the fall season, here are a handful of green activities to help you contribute to the general good.
Host a swap party. Back to school is a great time to get all your friends together and swap kids’ clothing and toys to refresh your supply in exchange for clothes your kids have outgrown and toys they no longer use. No reason why the adults can’t join in the sharing fun.
Use electric or even hand-powered yard tools. Go retro with a hand-powered pair of gardening shears or push mower when tackling the autumn chores this season. If you aren’t quite ready to go old school with it, consider investing in electric options, that not only waste less energy than gas, but ease back on noise pollution – something your neighbors will thank you for, even if they do so silently.
Move furniture or any obstructions from vents or registers on the floor so the air can move freely. That means less energy and fuel will be needed to keep you warm and comfortable this winter.
Check window caulking and entry-door weather stripping for air leaks. Forced air heat is meant to stay indoors and not waste its time trying to warm things up outside.
Arrange furniture to block cold air. Many older homes have at least one wall that lacks proper insulation, allowing the cold to seep in, meaning more heat is needed to warm up that space. Line up heavy furniture like sofas and armoires or use decorative quilts to help insulate the room.
Switch to green cleaning products. During the cold weather months, you spend more time indoors, of course. But you also do so with the windows closed. By doing so, the toxic by-products from commercial cleaning products have no avenue of escape. That makes now the perfect time to concoct your own green cleaner alternatives using such common household ingredients like vinegar, baking soda and lemon peels and juice.
And then there’s your furnace. It uses electricity and probably gas, too. But, with annual preventive maintenance, it doesn’t need to use as much. To help you save even more money to heat your home, contact GBT Heating & Cooling today to schedule a home furnace cleaning and inspection. It’s one of the greenest things you can do.