GREEN LIVING TIPS
So you want to live in an eco-friendly way and are looking for some green living tips? Living “green” is more than just a trendy phrase. It’s a commitment to conserving natural resources and minimizing the impact of human activities on nature.
Fortunately, there’s no limit to the level of commitment. You can be as eco-friendly as you want, and you can do it from your condo, house, townhome, business…even in your day-to-day commute. The more commitment the better, of course, but even making some simple changes in your habits will go a long way. It’s easy to get started.
Green Living Tips for Home:
- Recycle. Many communities have programs that make recycling as easy as dropping an item into a dedicated container instead of the garbage. The amount of acceptable items for recycling has increased over time to the point where some people now fill up their recycling containers faster than their trash cans.
- Reuse. Try using washable towels instead of paper towels and canvas bags for grocery shopping instead of plastic bags.
- Eliminate or reduce phantom power drains. That’s the wall chargers, computer screens left in sleep mode and all the other electronic devices that use a small amount of power when not being used. With the millions of these devices in use around the country, imagine the savings if they were all managed efficiently.
- Lower your thermostat in the winter and raise it in the summer. Living even two degrees cooler in the winter and two degrees warmer in the summer can save a lot on your heating and cooling bills.
- Don’t let water run unnecessarily. Even in the Chicago area where water is relatively plentiful, it takes large amounts of energy to pump, treat and then carry away water from our homes and businesses.
- Turn down the hot water tank temperature. Most home owners and condo owners (if they have access to the water heater) have the temperature higher than needed, often much higher.
- Responsibly dispose of all the hazardous materials no longer needed such as paint, motor oil, solvents, fertilizer, etc. Nearly all municipalities have a drop-off site or an occasional collection day for these items.
- Change incandescent light bulbs to energy-efficient types. Do this in your personal living space, and check with your condo association about doing it across the entire property.
Green Living Tips for Business:
- Recycle if there is a program available. Paper waste in offices is huge. If no program exists, consider starting one.
- Eliminate or reduce phantom power drains. See the Home tip above.
- Turn off office lights when not needed. Especially after hours, it is not unusual to find all lights burning when only a fraction of the staff, or no staff, are still at work.
Personal Green Living Tips
- Lose weight, get fit. Let’s face it, our beltline growth as a society has many negative ramifications. We need more material for clothing. We consume more food. More energy is used in the production, delivery and preparation of that food. More fuel is needed to haul us around in cars and planes and more medical care is necessary due to our lack of fitness. Obesity in our society is a prominent and increasing problem.
- Use your car more sparingly. Walk, bike, or use public transportation if possible. If not practical, at least try to consolidate trips to save fuel. Don’t idle excessively.
- Work/volunteer for earth-friendly issues.
- Visit a landfill (you will almost certainly have to arrange and schedule such a visit). Prepare to be amazed at the volume and type of material found there. Ask the coordinator or official for some basic facts, such as how much comes in each day. It’s an eye-opening experience.
Enjoy and apply these Green Living Tips for a happy, healthier environment! And don’t forget, even when buying real estate, you can find properties with green or eco-friendly construction and features. We’ll help you locate just what you’re looking for.
We’d love the opportunity to provide you with more information about green or eco-friendly condos in Chicago.
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