By now, we all know the importance of reducing our carbon footprint and making changes to our environmentally unfriendly habits. But how many of us have actually changed anything in our day to day lives? My guess is not enough!

We tend to pass the buck and not bother making changes because we feel like the problem is too big to be solved by us alone. That’s no reason not to try and make a difference though. There are loads of easy changes you can make around the house to get greener. Try these ideas!

Photo source: s0.geograph.org.uk

Turn Out the Lights

This doesn’t take any effort at all. It’s something we should all do; most of us are guilty of leaving on lights unnecessarily. You leave the room and don’t bother turning out the lights, this has to change. Lights use up a lot of energy, so as well as turning them off when they’re not in use, switch them to energy saving bulbs.

Try Working from Home

To work from home, you’ll have to have the approval of your employer. But if the opportunity arises, grasp it with both hands! Not only will you save time stuck in traffic jams and money on fuel, but you’ll also emit a lot less carbon dioxide throughout the day. If this isn’t an option, you could always try carpooling with colleagues.

Do You Need Two Cars?

While we’re on the subject of cars, do you really need to run two of them? It can seem like the common sense thing to do if you have two drivers in the household. But think of all the money you’ll save by getting rid of one of them. It might be workable to travel together and take it in turns to drive and drop each other off at work.

Go Paperless

If you have a tablet device in your house, there’s no excuse for using much paper. All the documents and books you’ll need to read can be read on your tablet, so don’t print them off. You can also save paper by using email and online communication instead of writing letters.

Change Your Appliances

Old appliances are a lot less energy efficient than more modern models. This is especially true of heating and cooling systems. So if yours is old and tired, replace it with a new one; contact http://www.academyair.com for more information. Make sure your appliances aren’t left on standby, switch them off when they’re not in use.

Recycle Everything

Most of us recycle some things, sometimes [if you don’t, you should!], but a lot of us still don’t recycle as much as we could, and should. Glass, paper, plastics and food waste are musts. But what about your old clothes? Or your old electrical appliances? They can all be recycled too. Alternatively, you could donate unwanted items to charity.

Hang Your Washing Outside

Instead of wasting energy by heating a radiator, why not hang your wet washing outside and let it dry that way. It might take a bit longer, but you’ll save a lot of energy and money in the long term!