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Teaching Your Little One About Sustainability Through Fun Projects

November 12, 2021 0

Taking care of our environment has become a top concern around the world. If you have children at home, it’s time to start teaching them about sustainability so they can grow up with knowledge on how to make the world a better, greener place.

Here are a few fun projects you can do as a family that’ll give your children a solid foundation for sustainable living.

Learn How to Care for Indoor Plants

If starting a vegetable garden in your backyard isn’t a task you’re up for just yet, you can teach your children how to care for plants in an easier fashion by adding indoor plants to common living spaces in your home. With over 28 million small businesses throughout the country, you can surely find a greenhouse or two in your area that sells an assortment of plants to choose from.

Start with plants that don’t require a ton of upkeep. Aloe vera plants, snake plants, cacti, spider plants, baby’s tears, and prayer plants are a few easy types of plants your kids can handle. Go over how to pot, repot, water, and care for the plants on a daily and weekly basis. You may have your kids write down which days they need to water the plants on their personal calendars so they can own the responsibility of caring for them on a regular basis. Once they’ve mastered the easy plants, you can move to plants that require more care.

Turn Cardboard Into Art

Between cereal, pasta, and other snacks in your pantry, you likely have a lot of cardboard boxes filling up your recycling can. While recycling is the best way to dispose of these boxes, you can also turn this “trash” into art.

Your kids can turn flat pieces of cardboard into their own board games, create a painting for their playroom, and even create themed pieces of art during the holidays. For example, you can create cardboard turkeys for Thanksgiving festivities and snowmen and reindeer for the December holiday season. By creating art with cardboard, your kids will learn how to make a product useful for something other than holding food.

Create Nature-Themed Picture Books

If your children attend one of the 87% of private schools that have fewer than 300 students, they likely have an excellent selection of kids’ books to choose from on a daily basis. Your children probably spend a good amount of time reading and writing at school, but how can they bring these skills home and learn about the environment at the same time? Creating handmade nature-themed picture books is a unique idea you can get started on right away.

All you need is your cell phone or another type of camera, a printer, empty scrapbooks from a craft store, glue or tape, and colorful writing utensils. Take your kids outside in your backyard, around your neighborhood, and to local parks. Have them take a bunch of pictures of the nature that surrounds them. Then, get their photos printed. Create a crafting station at your dining room table and let your kids get to work gluing or taping their photos in the scrapbooks. Encourage them to a write caption for each picture. Not only will your kids love their handmade books outlining their naturesque adventures, but they’ll get in some writing practice, too!

Encourage Your Kids to Become Leak Investigators

Did you know that fixing easy-to-fix leaks can save you about 10% on your water bill? Dripping faucets and worn toilet flappers are among the easy-to-fix leaks everyone in your family should be aware of. To help avoid water waste in your home, encourage your children to become leak “investigators.”

Show your children the signs to look for in a bathroom, the kitchen, and the laundry room that indicate there’s a leak. For example, if your children notice damp or damaged flooring, strange noises when the water is on, reduced water pressure, or water stains, there may be a water leak in your home that requires some further investigation.

Teaching your children about sustainability and how to better take care of the earth around them is a responsible parenting move. Consider these fun projects as you teach your kids the best ways to take care of our environment and reduce waste at home.

The Best Way To Take Care Of The Planet? Take Care Of Yourself

November 4, 2021 0

The desire to adopt a greener lifestyle is something that unites millions of people across the nation at this time. However, finding the motivation to stay consistent in those endeavors is often a fairly difficult task. Learning to focus on the personal benefits will change this forever.

Many aspects of self-care will bring eco-friendly rewards as a by-product. Here are four of the best solutions that will deliver stunning results for you and the planet.

#1. Improve your diet

A healthy relationship with food is one of the most beneficial lifestyle changes you’ll ever achieve. The fact that it will boost your well-being is the main focus. Still, many of the steps will actively reduce your carbon footprint too. After all, the key attributes of a winning diet include eating more fruit and veg while reducing your reliance on processed foods. Cutting your meat intake can also support the bid for a greener lifestyle while also delivering physical health rewards. Drinking more water is another positive step, just be sure to avoid plastic bottles.

#2. Boost the home setting

Creating a positive home atmosphere can work wonders for your health. As well as boosting your mental wellness, it can actively support your physical wellness. Adding insulation and upgrading your HVAC systems will make illnesses less likely. This is due to improved heat efficiency and air quality. Those steps will also aid the environment and your long-term bank balance. Switching to eco-friendly cleaning materials and a solid cleaning schedule will work well too. Again, the focus is on your breathing health. Yet, your carbon footprint will fall.

#3. Seeking Quick Physical Recoveries

When you get injured at work, during sport or in daily tasks, focusing on your recovery is key. It’s OK to be self-centered at this time and worry primarily about what will bring the fastest return to normality. In reality, though, a faster recovery will put less strain on resources both at home and in medical centers. Therefore, quick responses with suitable wound care will help your body heal quicker and avoid infections. Once again, the main reason for doing this is that you will get back to your best far sooner. Still, the fact you’ll use fewer materials and make fewer trips to the hospital will lower the carbon footprint.

#4. Spend more time outside

Spending more time outside is one of the best ways to support the planet. Whether actively taking on tasks like planting trees or just enjoying the great outdoors is up to you. Either way, embracing nature and the simple things in life will mean that you use fewer resources like gas and electricity. Crucially, ideas like nature walks are great for your physical and mental wellness. Outdoor activities are also a great outlet for creating magical memories with friends and family. Better still, it’s a good way to maintain social distancing from large groups inside. Right now, that’s as big an incentive as any.

Simultaneously looking after yourself and the planet is a truly beautiful thing. You’ve got this.

Practical Ways You Can Keep Your Home Pest-Free

October 29, 2021 0

Pests are not only annoying, but they can also carry diseases and wreak havoc on your home. They’re also expensive to exterminate, so it’s in your best interest to keep them out in the first place. 

Here are some practical ways you can keep pests out of your home.

Deal with Stagnant Water in the Compound 

When it comes to keeping pests at bay, water is a common culprit.  Pests are attracted to stagnant water so avoid leaving any open containers outside the house or in your property for too long. 

If you have an outdoor area with lots of vegetation and ponds or pools, keep them clean as this would help reduce possible mosquito infestations by getting rid of their breeding sites. Also, if your home is highly infested with mosquitos, you may want to consider a mosquito trap outdoor. This will be more effective compared to other ways of getting rid of mosquitos.

Trim All Trees and Bushes 

Trees and bushes can be a breeding ground for pests such as ants, cockroaches, ticks, termites, and mosquitoes, to name a few.  By keeping them trimmed away from the house, you are reducing their access points into your property, reducing the likelihood of having an infestation or being bitten by mosquitoes.

Seal Holes and Cracks 

It’s advisable to seal holes and cracks, such as in the home’s foundation. Sealing gaps around windows and doors is a great way to prevent pests from entering the home. There must be no standing water or moist areas where bugs can breed and spread throughout your house if you have a crawlspace.

Cover All Trash 

Cover all trash cans completely, even if you only throw away some paper towels or empty boxes. This will prevent rodents from getting into your home. You can also sprinkle cayenne pepper around your doors and windows to keep pests away.

Use Natural Products

Natural products are great for keeping pests away from your home. Peppermint oil is a great way to keep ants and other little bugs at bay as they hate the smell of it. Try putting some on cotton balls or even around windows. 

You can also mix peppermint with water in spray bottles and use them as an all-over body spray, too, if you’d like. The pungent smell will work wonders against insects that come near your house. 

Evict All Mice 

Mice have been a nuisance in homes worldwide for centuries, and while some may consider them cute, they are more of an annoyance from a homeowner’s perspective. Mice can spread diseases through their droppings, so it is vital to get rid of mice quickly before things go downhill.

To evict mice from your home, you need a multi-pronged approach that will also affect any of their offspring or other family members they may have hiding in the walls and other hard-to-reach places.

Keep Your Home Clean 

Keep your home clean to keep pests out, as they prefer dirty and moist areas. Be sure to clean your kitchen counters daily and sweep or vacuum the floors every day. 

Wash dishes straight away after use, rather than letting them sit in the sink overnight. Keep food covered when you’re not eating it and be sure to throw out any rotting fruit that falls onto the ground since this will attract insects such as ants. 

Residential Cleaning

For many people, the thought of cleaning their home is enough to send them running for the hills. Fortunately, there are eco-friendly residential cleaning services that can take care of the dirty work for you. These companies employ experienced and trustworthy cleaners who will clean your home from top to bottom, leaving it spotless. In addition to saving you time and energy, residential cleaning services can also help to improve your indoor air quality by removing dust, pollen, pests and other allergens from your home. If you’re looking for a hassle-free way to keep your home pest free, consider hiring a residential cleaning service.

The above are some of the best ways to keep your home pest-free. Be sure to use them for excellent results.

Should You Invest In A Home Battery?

October 27, 2021 0
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Just ten years ago, home batteries weren’t even an option. While the technology existed, no companies were offering homeowners the option of hooking them up to their mains systems. Instead, if you wanted backup power during a power cut, you had to invest in a polluting and loud diesel generator. 

With the advent of home battery packs, though, that’s changing. These systems collect energy from solar panels during the day and then distribute it around your home when you need it.

Battery packs solve a major problem of the solar panel industry – the fact that solar arrays can only collect energy when the sun shines. With a battery in your home, you can collect solar energy during the day (perhaps when you’re out at work), and then use the energy in the evening to power your TV or kettle. 

In addition, installing a home battery lets you overcome some of the technical constraints of a traditional solar electric system. You get to keep the energy you produce, instead of having to sell it to the grid or let it go to waste. 

The Benefits Of A Home Battery

As you might expect, there are multiple benefits of a home battery beyond just providing you with a steady supply of electricity that you can use in the evening, 

Power During An Outage

Home batteries essentially make you entirely self-sufficient. So long as the sun continues to shine, PV panels will continue to collect energy and your battery will continue to charge. Therefore, during a power cut, you can continue using your lighting and appliances. You may even be able to ration your use of electricity, allowing you to survive adequately off-grid for weeks at a time. 

Power Your Electric Vehicle

If you have an electric vehicle, you can also use your battery to charge it. During the day, solar panels collect electricity and store charge in the home battery. Then, when you charge your vehicle at night, you can hook it up to your mains, drawing down on your home battery reserves. Some systems may also allow you to draw power directly from solar panels themselves 

Reduce Your Costs

Home batteries lower your costs. Once you purchase the battery, the energy you use it to store is essentially free. You’re able to use it later. 

Furthermore, your meter stops running backward. You no longer have to sell your collected energy back to the grid at a lower rate. You simply collect and use what you store without having to pay premium prices. 

What’s amazing about battery technology is that you don’t even need solar panels to benefit. You can simply use your battery to draw energy from the grid when it is cheap and then use it to power your home when prices rise again during peak hours (such as the evenings). 

Better For The Environment

Lastly, battery technology is generally better for the environment. It reduces the size of the supply chain and impact on natural resources. 

Battery production is not entirely eco-friendly. Many chemistries contain chemicals which can harm the environment. However, the impact is orders of magnitude lower than it is for conventional energy production. Coal-fired power plants require enormous quantities of resources, including capital and raw materials. 

Estimates suggest that with battery technology, people consume an average of 70 percent of their own electricity. That means that they essentially slash grid demand by a whopping 30 percent – quite considerable. 

What To Consider Before You Invest In Battery Technology

Before you invest in battery technology, you’ll want to consider the following. 

The Cost

How much you spend on home batteries depends largely on the size of the battery. Most batteries offer somewhere between 3 and 20.5 kWh. Price per kWh is around $700. So the price of your system will depend on how many kilowatt-hours you get installed. 

The Lifespan

As you might suspect, batteries don’t last forever. In fact, over time, they degrade and lose capacity. Right now, there isn’t much that manufacturers can do about this. Battery chemistry features mean that most batteries will eventually require replacement, no matter how well you look after them. 

However, ten years is still a long time – enough to make savings. 

Physical Size

You’ll also want to think about the physical size of the battery. Some are quite large and heavy and usually require a service room where engineers can hang them. They tend to be around 1 meter long and 15 cm deep, though designs and styles vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. 

Batteries contain a range of components. The majority of the weight and volume is taken up by lithium-ion cells. Other components include the electronic control system which allows the battery to charge and discharge automatically, as well as the inverter to produce an alternating current that you can use in your home. High-performance batteries also require a cooling system to keep them at optimal temperatures during operation. Current batteries do not convert stored energy into electricity with 100 percent efficiency. 

How You Want To Use Your Battery

Another consideration is how you actually want to use your battery. First, you’ll need to check whether the built-in inverter is suitable for your purposes. Inverters take direct current from the panels and transform it into alternating current for your devices. 

If you want your battery to work in the home, you need a two-way inverter. This will allow the battery to both charge and discharge in the correct manner. You may also need to invest in a backup system or grid-forming inverter if you want to use your battery during blackouts. 

Some batteries offer integration with vehicle-to-grid technology. For instance, you might want your battery to act as a buffer to regular flows. You might also want to connect your home battery to your car battery for powering your home at night and avoiding high grid tariffs. 

In summary, whether you invest in a home battery is very much a personal choice. Given the current economics, however, the vast majority of people stand to benefit. 

How To Ensure Eco-Friendly Home Waste Management

October 27, 2021 0

As environmental challenges become more prevalent, you must do your part to ensure that all of your households are more environmentally friendly. An excellent place to start is to examine your waste disposal processes more closely. Are you looking for ways to help the environment by managing your waste at home? Here are a few tips.

  1. Composting

Organic waste generated in the kitchen, such as vegetable peels or clippings, are great for a compost pile. Compost piles are a great way of producing healthy fertilizers for your garden. Worm composting and bokashi buckets are two examples of composting processes that take up little to no space. These compost piles result in compost development that is beneficial to the soil, thus making it more fertile. Some garbage remains after reuse and recycling; rather than burying it, use it to generate electricity. Anaerobic digestion facilities like septic tanks are beneficial in this situation; they take care of anything that rots and converts it into biogas and farm fertilizer.

  1. Use green waste for your yard

Green waste, such as yard trimmings, can be used to keep them out of landfills and supply nutrients to the soil or as animal feed. You can spread grass clippings over the grass and manage yard trash as efficiently as possible. It is now more crucial than ever to concentrate on measures to protect our environment.

  1. Use e-waste management techniques

Certain domestic items, such as outdated televisions and washing machines, must be disposed of properly to avoid causing environmental harm. It’s recommended to do some research before attempting to remove these on your own. Before you toss your e-waste out, see whether the manufacturer offers drop-off services or look for recycling programs in your province. This waste can also be taken care of by a professional garbage management firm. 

  1. Reuse plastic bags

The majority of people are now aware of the negative environmental impact of plastic shopping bags. Everyone should reuse any non-recyclable plastic bags. Keep them in your car or handbag, so you don’t have to buy another plastic bag from the supermarket. Invest in a couple of canvas bags for your next major shopping trip.

  1. Use of waste disposal equipment

The use of correct waste disposal equipment can be classified as environmentally friendly waste management. Garbage disposers are meant to shred bulk rubbish into tiny particles that dissolve more quickly. Waste disposal units and septic tanks make it easier to reduce waste and manage home sewage. Furthermore, because food scraps represent 20% of all waste in the environment, putting them in the garbage disposal rather than the trash would be a critical step toward converting them to fertilizer or renewable energy rather than ending up in a landfill. Plastic bags are often used to dispose of food waste, as is well known. The usage of disposal machines, on the other hand, reduces the amount of plastic bags used. As a result, fewer plastics end up in landfills, reducing land pollution.

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