What does it take to have an eco-friendly home? With pressing environmental issues that needs immediate addressing to an overwhelming amount of info on the internet- it’s easy to get lost. It’s easy to think, “but oh, how does me using less plastic help?” Truth is, it does. And to have an eco-friendly home, you don’t need to start with installing solar panels. There are simple swaps you can continue doing over time to have a beautiful eco-friendly home and you wouldn’t even know!
Here are a few things we did and are continuing to do to ensure we leave lesser footprints.
Switched to fabric & net bags
For most of my life, I crammed the veggie tray inside my fridge. No, seriously, my mama taught me to be brave and all that but veggie management? Nah. Completely forgot that one. In turn, veggies were getting squished and spoilt faster. Then, I turned to ziplock and im afraid the results were not so good either. Thing is, vegetables and fruits need to breathe if you wish to prolong their life no matter what the refrigerator company tells you. Been a few months I have started storing the everyday veggies outside in net bags and fabric bags and they stay as good as new.
This time, when I went to the IKEA store in Almhult, I grabbed a pair of KUNGSFORS net bags for my kitchen which are ideal for food storage. Keeps fruits and vegetables fresh for longer since air circulates through the net bag and they are also pretty rad for high humidity areas like Mumbai. Not to mention, they look smashing and I cant wait to style my autumn fruits in these!
As for our everyday, we have our own cloth bags from TruLiving that we use to shop, store and carry! Buy here
Switched to recycled plastic
Plastic is a good material. No seriously, it is. It is not plastic you should be hating but your use of it and taking it for granted-ness. Plastic is such a versatile material but unfortunately the planet is now full of it and saying no to plastic can be quite detrimental because where will all that plastic go? Enter IKEA’s brilliant NYPON plastic planters. Looks like a concrete pot, but is made from minimum 70% recycled plastic. You can drill drain holes in the bottom, add felt pads and stack them to save space too. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, these are the best looking, minimal planters ever.
Switched to glass bottles
Our plastic bottles were worn out and it was time to buy new ones so I made that shift! All glass, clear bottles for the home that looks good, is on budget, easy to clean and keep forever and the water tastes good too. My husband keeps cribbing that they’ll break but maybe the problem is not the bottle. I need to figure out a way to keep them at night for easy access without the fear of breaking them. Any idea?
Switched to natural loofah
Switched to essential oils over aerosol sprays
I love a bit of home fragrance and it’s been years that we switched to essential oils. Add a few drop of it on the mop while moping, add a few drop to a spray bottle and spray your upholstery ( dont go overboard), or just add a few drops to your carpet, in reed or electric diffusers. Essential oils are good for your and the environment.
Switched to LED and CFL
I have a lot of light in my home- all directed to create puddles of lights in areas and we have switched to LED and Energy saving CFLs to help us cope with the bill. I have two sore spots in my home though- 1) the AC in my bedroom is not energy efficient at all. That must be changed. 2) My oven shares the same plight. The minute the bank account looks a bit healthy, these will be changed. Any reccos?
Projects inline
Over the months, I will also create a full scale composting mechanism that’s suitable for apartments and try and make the green corner going. That is one thing I have been meaning to do forever and somehow it hasn’t happened yet.
Now green corner reminds me to speak to you about Space 10, a lovely, lovely outfit that is innovating alongside IKEA for a better future for the many. Their blue print of a green corner just got viral and I was so lucky to be a part of it to see it all.
About that later. For now, just remember, if you do little good things, consciously and consistently, every day, you’ll see how it adds up to make a major difference not just in your life but in the life of many. Take little steps. That’s enough!