Four Ways to Create an Eco-Home
This Summer
Get your house in eco-friendly order with our environment-saving tips.
A key feature of summer 2019 has been extreme heat and record-breaking temperatures across Europe – a visible effect of climate change. However, if global warming is the villain to this story, then young teenage climate change activists have definitely been its heroes.
In response to a frightening UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which gave the world a target of just 12 years in which to halt irreversible climate change catastrophe, teenagers worldwide have been busily trailblazing school strikes to urge the world to act.
Since the movement got underway, it’s estimated that over 1.4 million students in 112 countries around the world have joined climate change protests, proving that big changes can come from small actions.
Inspired by the climate change concerned teens and their huge determination to help out Mother Nature, here are four small things you can do this summer to make a big, eco-friendly difference to your home.
Cheat on meat
Summer and BBQs go hand in hand and so do sausages, beef burgers and fretting about whether the chicken is thoroughly cooked or not. Despite charcoaled meat on a hot day being delicious to some, meat production is having a catastrophic effect on the environment. In fact, meat takes up 83% of farmland and produces 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions, with production of beef a severe offender, resulting in up to 105kg of greenhouse gases per 100g. This stat towers over tofu which produces less than 3.5kg per 100g.
So instead of piling burgers and chicken kebabs onto the grill this summer, get creative with some vegan-friendly options like meat-free patties, tofu and tempeh kebabs. Mmm, mmm!
Recycling is king
It may feel like the idea of recycling has been around forever, but many countries still have incredibly low recycling rates. The UK only recycles 39% of its waste, France only 35% and the US only 39%, according to a study by the non-profit fundraiser Planet Aid.
But it’s a super important staple for eco-conscious individuals. Waste reduction resource, Less Is More, revealed that recycling paper alone saves "17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, and three cubic yards of landfill space”.
Thinking of having a summer party? Be sure to put all the used beer bottles and packaging in the recycling once you’ve danced the night away. If you have any food waste left over, throw it in a compost bin.
Clean up the waste of your wash
Grass stains, extra sweat and the odd dropped ice cream means your washing machine will be getting a tougher workout than usual during the summer. They may seem like innocent household appliances, but washing machines can spew out a serious amount of CO2 and waste an incredible amount of water.
The average washing machine cycle uses around 0.6 kilowatts per hour and 166kwh per year - that’s enough to power your TV for three and a half days or the length of almost an entire cricket test match. An old-school washer uses roughly 170 litres of water per load – the equivalent to nearly three very welcome summer showers.
Why not give our ecobubble™ washing machine a spin? Its water consumption per cycle is roughly 39 litres, depending on factors such as the temperature set and size of the load. Invest in an ecobubble™ and it’s a massive four times less wasteful than an average machine.
You can also gain an energy saving of up to 70% per super Eco cold wash (at 15°C) compared to a conventional 40°C cotton wash, as the ecobubble™ only uses 0.17kwh at a time. Over the year, using an ecobubble™ machine has the same CO2 reduction equivalent as twelve whole trees. With the ecobubble™, it’s never been greener to keep your summer clothes cleaner.
Plastic Un-fantastic
It’s estimated that 8,000,000 pieces of plastic enter the world’s oceans every day, with 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution existing per mile of beach in the UK. A huge part of this build up comes from notorious single-use plastics such as straws, food packaging and drinking cups used at summer soirées everywhere.
As a society we’ve relied on plastic since the turn of the 20th century: it’s cheap, versatile and extremely useful in everyday life. But with plastic taking around 1,000 years to decompose, it’s one of the biggest threats to our environment right now.
Keeping the oceans and beaches free of single-use plastics this summer starts at home. In charge of salads at the next BBQ? Try shopping at markets that don’t use plastics in their packaging such as your local farmers’ market. Only offering guests reusable cups to drink from at your summer party is also a fantastic way to reduce plastic while giving your house an eco-friendly boost.
Do your bit for the environment with the ecobubble™ washing machine
Save time and money while fighting climate change with the ecobubble™ washing machine, our greenest ever washer.
The ecobubble™ washing machine
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