Use of furniture & lighting made from durable eco-friendly materials like Sisal fibre, sustainable timber or bamboo.
Select room colour schemes wisely so as to brighten up the interiors. This reduces the need to have lights on during the day.
Plastic bottles can be cut to make flower pots and toys.
Switch to LED energy saving bulbs that are cost saving, have a long life span and are energy efficient .
Stop using disposable paper bags and equip your home with reusable bags.
Plant trees around your home to cleanse the air. Check with your local landscaper for easy to maintain plants that require little attention to thrive.
Organic waste from the kitchen can make perfect organic manure if mixed with soil and left to decompose.
Sort organic waste from plastics, check with your local supermarket if they have collection point for returned bottles and other used plastic and glass containers for recycle.
With the increased popularity of solar energy choose to install solar panels as they reduce the cost of power considerably.
At the construction stage install skylights on the roof to bring in light to your house. This cut downs on electricity for bulbs that would otherwise be on during the day.
Put your lights on timers while it’s important to illuminate your home, leaving the lights on can be an unnecessary waste of energy. Purchase a few timers and program them so that the lights come on and turn off at the most beneficial times
Install gutters on your roof to collect rain water in tanks during the rainy season this water could be used in gardening.
Construct houses with large windows to improve on ventilation and bring in as much light as possible.
ECO TIPS AT THE OFFICE
Use of furniture and lighting made from durable eco-conscious materials like sisal, bamboo and sustainable timber.
Use electricity wisely by turning off computers, printers and other office machinery until you need them. Use LED lighting as they are free from toxic chemicals, energy efficient and have a long life.
Configure office printer to print on both sides of the page. Most printers are also equipped with one or more options like toner save mode/economode/draft options for printing. Embrace this option when printing draft documents or emails that need to be printed.
Use environmentally friendly office products, they will not only cost you less in the long run but will also cut down on waste and pollution e.g. refillable cartridges.
Buy only the things that you need i.e. consider buying recyclable and washable glasses at the water dispenser rather than the disposable ones.
Encourage use of public transport ,car pooling, biking or walking to the office this reduces fuel consumption as well as air pollution from fumes emitted by motor vehicles
Think before printing, aim for a paperless office by cutting down on printed material print only when it is absolutely necessary. Encourage on screen reading for documents that do not necessarily need to be printed.
Shred documents that are no longer needed. Organize for a common collection point where all waste paper can be collected and sent to recycling firms. Newspapers can be used for packaging.
Use motion sensored lights as they are electricity efficient and have added advantage as a security measure.
