Easy Ways to Make An Eco Friendly Homestead

I know we all want to do our part to protect the environment, but when you don’t have a large income that can be seem difficult, if not impossible. But doing your part doesn’t have to be hard. Small steps add up to a big difference, you just have to know which ones to take.

Here are 4 quick and easy steps we can all work on in our homes and homesteads in order to be more eco-friendly and sustainable.

Use less water.

Saving water is all about small steps, here are a few that will help save big.

• Shut off the water while you brush your teeth
• Take showers that are a minute or two shorter
• Only flush the toilet when you need to
• Only run full loads of laundry and dishes
• Buy from sustainable producers. These are farmers, ranchers, and other producers that use techniques that pollute less and use less water. You can do some research online or ask at your local organic market to find these products.
• Use water-conserving measures when watering your garden, use timers, drip irrigation, water early in the morning so there is less evaporation.

Use less energy.

If you don’t have the money to buy a hybrid car or convert your house to solar power, you can make a big difference with small changes.

• Buy energy-efficient appliances. They may be more expensive, but make up for the increased cost in lower energy bills.
• Unplug chargers when you’re not using them. Cell phone and other chargers use up powers even if there’s nothing attached to them.
• Put devices with remotes, like T.V.s, VCRs, and stereos, on a power strip and turn it off when you’re not using them. These devices use a lot of power to run the remote receiver even when the device is off.
• Walk or ride your bike for short trips.
• Buy local products (or grow your own garden!). It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country. Buying local not only supports your local economy, it helps them use less energy.

When it comes to saving energy and water, it’s a great idea to get the kids involved. You can even make it a game. Have them track how much water and electricity everyone is using. You can compete to see who uses the least water. You can often count on your kids to help keep you on track when given the task.

Reuse.

Most of us know the three R’s: Reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we work on conserving, we often leave reuse out of the picture. While you can often find tips on how to reuse common products from other people, what you need most is creativity.

With a little thought, there are many items around your home and homestead that can be reused – toilet paper holders can be used to sow seeds for the vegetable patch. And old yogurt containers can be cut into strips to make plant labels. Old food jars can be refilled with homemade foods or can make great impromptu vases. And really, as Bea Johnson reminds us in the Zero Waste Home (which you can read my review of HERE), we should remember that there are actually five R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot. So make sure you also compost your kitchen waste and refuse when necessary.

Use or make environmentally friendly products.

When you go to the grocery store, you probably see more and more “natural” or “eco friendly” products every time. There are generally two big problems with these products: 1. Just because they’re more natural than regular products, doesn’t mean they’re entirely natural. 2, They’re often expensive.

If you want inexpensive, natural, safe products, why not just make them yourself. Vinegar is a great way to clean and disinfect glass and other surfaces. Need to remove stubborn stains? Just add some baking soda to your vinegar cleaner. Some quick searching online will lead you to hundreds of other natural safe home-made cleaning products.

We all know that going green means better for the environment, but it’s also better for you. Conserving resources also help to save you money, which is something most of us are happy to live with.

Related Posts:

• 7 Factors Needed for a Good Compost Pile
• How to Make Homemade Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent
• How to teach your kids to be Eco-Conscious
• The Zero Waste Home ~ Book Review
• 8 Ideas to Make Your Homestead More Sustainable
• Non-Toxic Ways to Spring Clean
• What are Essential Oils and how can I use them around the homestead?
• 10 Kid-Safe Ways to Remove Garden Pests

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