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6 eco-friendly changes you can make in your home & garden

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There has never been a greater emphasis on being kind to the environment than there is right now. People in all walks of life are making changes to their everyday routines in order to go green and look after the world in which we live in. Even the smallest of changes can make the biggest difference, so if you are unsure of some of the minor alterations that you can make, here are some suggestions below.

Composting

For us gardeners, we are always on the lookout for the best materials to use to help grow our gardens. The best means of giving plants the nutrients that they require is by composting organic materials and using the compost in the garden.

Some of the materials that can be composted over time include, but are not limited to:

  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Eggshells
  • Water
  • Leaves
  • Dead flowers
  • Weeds
  • Sawdust
  • Old newspapers
  • Tea bags
  • Grass cutting

Growing your own produce

Aside from being more eco-friendly, growing your own produce in your garden can help to save you money in the long-run. Fruit and vegetables are transported across the world to your local supermarket, so just think of the air miles that have been accumulated.

How much you can grow obviously depends on the size of garden that you have to play with, but some produce that can easily be grown in even the most modest of gardens include:

  • Potatoes
  • Strawberries
  • Herbs
  • Onions
  • Peas
  • Mint
  • Tomatoes
  • Beetroot

Do away with plastic

Plastic is the number one evil against eco-friendly fighters as it can take upwards of 1,000 years to decompose. There are countless stories of animals becoming caught in plastic packaging that has been thrown away without so much as a care for the harm it is causing.

Biodegradable packaging, such as paper bags, is much kinder to the environment and doesn’t have to cost the earth, either. If you visit this website, you will find a wide variety of eco-friendly packaging that you can incorporate into your everyday life as a viable alternative to plastic.

Turn off electrical appliances

How much do you think households could save if they just turned off their electrical appliances as opposed to leaving them on standby? A few hundred? A thousand? A Million?

According to the Energy Savings Trust, as much as £1.7 billion could be saved collectively if all households in Great Britain turned off their appliances when not in use. That equates to between £45 and £80 per year per household that is being wasted on appliances to do absolutely nothing.

Rainwater harvesting

If you are a keen gardener than no doubt you often find yourself outside watering the plants, especially during the summer when there is less rainfall. While the tap water that you are providing them is helping to keep them alive, it isn’t the best thing that you can give.

Rainwater possesses more natural minerals, and less harmful chemicals, that helps plants to flourish. By investing in a rainwater harvesting tank, you can save up on better quality water for your garden, as well as cutting down on water costs in the household – just another way to keep green and save money.

Recycle, recycle, recycle

Lastly, it cannot be stressed enough – always remember to recycle where possible. When garbage day comes about we know that it can be tempting to throw recyclable items into the trash, but it really isn’t doing you or the environment any favors.

Make it easier to recycle by having two bins in each room – one for normal trash and another for recycling. This way, there can be no excuses for the two types of waste to be mixed together.

So fess up….have you ever thrown something out that could have been recycled? Yep. Guilty is charged here!

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“And he who waters will be watered himself.”
• Proverbs 11:25 •