8 Easy Ways To Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

We should all put some thought into how our lifestyles impact the earth and what changes we can make. Like many other things, eco-friendly practices can start in the home. This doesn’t mean that you have to go replace all of your electrical wiring with solar panels; even the smallest changes can make a big difference.

These 8 tips can be accomplished with fairly little cost, and fairly high benefits. Each one will help cut down on waste and beautify your home at the same time. Really, what do you have to lose?

Decorate with plants. Gathering flowers, bamboo or greenery in vases makes for a beautiful, low-cost accessory. Or, bring the outdoors in with live potted plants- they look beautiful and they also act as natural air filters and purifiers.

Photo: House Beautiful

Repurpose furniture. Instead of buying new furniture, look around your home for pieces that can be given a new look or a new function.

Photo: House Beautiful

Shop for furniture locally. Buying your furniture and home accessories within your local community cuts out the shipping practices that can be costly to you and to the environment

Make it easy to open your windows. Avoid obstructing windows with furniture or ornate window dressings. Instead, look for simple, functional window treatments that will let you keep windows open in nice weather. Keeping windows open naturally cools your home and freshens the air.

Photo: Elle Decor

Invest in thicker curtains for the winter. Double-lined curtains and window treatments cut down on the amount of artificial heat needed to keep you warm.

Make recycling easy with pretty containers and baskets. Consider buying more permanent containers for recycling, such as woven baskets or wooden bins. These containers cut down on plastic waste and also look a lot prettier.

Use bamboo. Bamboo is one of the most durable “green” materials out there. It is beautiful and versatile- you can use it as flooring, as a countertop, or as furniture.

Photo: Martha Stewart

Happy Designing!

Kama Weinberger, ASID, IIDA, CIDC

NCIDQ #13079