Arborists in Vancouver, BC, Canadashare ways that homeowners can improve their sustainability
Eco-Friendly Changes for Homeowners
With Earth Day just around the corner, many homeowners are wondering how they can be more sustainable. Well, there are many ways! People may often think sustainability is a daunting task, but in reality, small changes in behaviour can make a huge positive impact on the environment. Here are 5 ways for homeowners to improve sustainability.
1. Limit Water Consumption and Energy Use
Homeowners can drastically decrease their water consumption and energy use related to home appliances and technologies. This will not only help the environment, but it will also help to lower monthly energy bills!
Some easy ways to control water and energy consumption include:
- Avoid half loads of laundry
- Avoid pre-rinsing dishes
- Hang clothes up instead of using a dryer
- Limit A/C and heat usage by adjusting thermostat settings
- Shorten shower time
- Turn off lights when not in use
- Use energy efficiency lights
These changes require minimal additional costs and time, but they can make a huge difference in homeowners’ energy consumption.
2. Limit Paper Waste to Save Trees
Homeowners can save millions of trees by controlling their paper usage.
Some easy ways to limit paper waste include:
- Cancelling paper bills and bank statements
- Saving unused paper napkins
- Unsubscribing to junk mail listings
- Using e-tickets instead of printed ones
- Using spare / old paper as scrap paper
One of the greatest benefits of technology is that it easily allows homeowners to go paper-free, so many of these changes (like cancelling bills or junk mail) can be made within a matter of minutes!
3. Reuse and Recycle
Reusing whenever possible is extremely helpful for the environment because it requires absolutely no energy! Homeowners can incorporate reuse techniques easily by purchasing reusable containers, utensils, and travel cups – all of these will help to decrease plastic waste.
If reuse is not possible, homeowners should be sure to recycle, particularly when it comes to aluminum, glass, and paper. Recycling greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, waste accumulation, and overall energy use. The amount of energy it takes to recycle aluminum and glass is considerably lower than the energy required to create new products from scratch. And recycling paper saves a significant amount of trees!
4. Plant New Trees and Maintain Existing Ones
Planting and maintaining trees is one of the most significant ways homeowners can improve sustainability. Trees play a very important positive role in the environment because they control air quality and oxygen levels, prevent flooding and pollution, house different wildlife species, and more. This is why tree planting is one of the most popular Earth Day activities!
Homeowners should maintain existing trees by checking in on tree health care. One of the easiest ways is to handle maintenance is to hire a professional tree service company.
Arborists will not only perform tree risk assessments, but they will also provide a variety of helpful maintenance services:
- Tree trimming
- Tree pruning
- Tree removal
Planting and maintenance of trees, whether done alone or by a professional, is one of the most tangible and direct ways for homeowners to help the environment.
5. Encourage Others!
Encouraging other homeowners to also make sustainable changes can multiply homeowners’ impacts on the environment. So start spreading the word to grow sustainability efforts even more!
About VI Tree Service
VI Tree Service of Vancouver, BC, Canada has been providing residential and commercial tree services since 1990. With over 50 years of combined experience, their team of arborists uses organized, safe, and environmentally conscious practices to serve customers. They offer free, transparent estimations and guaranteed client satisfaction. Give them a call for tree service help today!