There’s no space you can better transform into an environmentally safe, and health promoting place than your home. We by and large learn how to live responsibly in the home. There are many, many steps we can take to combat climate change from the comfort of our home. In this post, we’ve outlined 3 lifestyle changes that you can commit to today in order to help fight climate change.
1. Recycling & Repairing Electronic Devices
Smartphone devices, tablets, laptops and other electronic devices have changed the way we live. It’s hard to imagine that the materials used to create these devices are sourced from the Earth. The desire to always upgrade to the latest and greatest device is not a very sustainable one. Upgrading electronic devices without a real need encourages wasteful consumption and spending. Having an economy that encourages debt is not sustainable in the long run or good for our health. Many surveys and research studies have been released over the past 5 years, all connecting debt to mental and physical health diseases such as depression and high blood pressure.
Electronic waste is also especially bad for the environment—containing many harmful chemicals including mercury, lead and arsenic. That’s why it’s so important that we recycle electronic devices. You can take your old electronic devices to a nearby Staples or Whole Foods stores for recycling free of charge. Every county in NJ also has drop off stations for recycling electronics. Be sure to check the calendar for where and when you can drop off your devices for recycling in Union County—drop off points are occasionally one town over from Plainfield in Scotch Plains. Compared to stores like Staples and even Whole Foods, Union County’s recycling station accepts a wider array of devices like TVs for recycling.
There are also many ways you can extend the lifecycle of your old devices. The first is by selling your old device on sites like Craigslist, ebay or Swappa. You can also flex your creative muscles and practice being more resourceful by repairing your electronic device yourself. There are thousands of instructional videos dedicating to DIY and tech repair on YouTube! Adopting a Dr.Fix It attitude is both better for the environment and your wallet!
2. Growing fruit and vegetables in your backyard
Backyard gardening as a family will make everyone in your family more conscious of the foods they’re eating. When you’re in control of what’s grown, you get to decide how to protect your fruit and vegetables from pests. The most commonly used vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes and peppers are even some of the easiest to grow! Many parents would love to only purchase organic produce, but can’t afford to. Growing produce in a backyard garden is both cheaper and healthier than buying pesticide ridden produce.
Organic soil is also a natural climate change fighter! Researchers have found that organic soil traps more climate change causing CO2 than soil laced with large amounts of fossil-fuel based nitrogen fertilizer. (Yes, you read that correctly—the fertilizers farmers put on food are derived from the fuel we pump into our cars.) Organic soil also retains more water than nonorganic soil—making it the right kind of dirt to combat two key effects of climate change: severe flooding and extreme weather.
If you don’t have a large yard, you can grow your fruit and veg in containers, They can sit on a deck, patio, plot of grass or even cement. (This article contains detailed instructions on how to get started with your home food garden.) And don’t be discouraged by the weather as it begins to cool off! Even in the fall and winter you can experiment with growing plenty of produce in your home garden.
3. Using Your Home to Harvest Rainwater
Across the nation, rainfall is becoming more infrequent. California is not the only state suffering from drought. Scientists expect the effects of climate change, including extended droughts, to become more severe along the East Coast.
Now’s the perfect time to experiment with collecting rainwater and using it in your home. A 2,500-square-foot roof can harvest around 1,500 gallons of water from an inch of rainfall— supplying a four-person household with enough water for four days. You can use your harvested rainwater for gardening, and, with the proper equipment, for drinking and cooking. Installing a rainwater catchment system is simple, and doesn’t require any permits or professional installers so long as you only use the water for outdoors purposes. Some states are even rewarding citizens for installing rainwater catchment systems in their homes. NJ currently isn’t one of them but it could be in the future.
Using the water collected in these rain barrels to water your lawn or home food garden could be a fun way for your family to develop a deeper appreciation of nature. Rain barrels can be purchased from stores like Home Depot for less than $100.
Which of these changes are you going to make? Share how you’re transforming your home into a green home in the comments, and inspire others to do the same!
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