50 Years of Earth Day: 6 Ways to Fight Climate Change from Home
Earth Day is about all of us
The 50th anniversary of Earth Day is on April 22, and the theme is climate action. Both opportunities and obstacles to action around climate change have revealed to us that the time is now to take charge and protect this planet—our only home.
Since our #healthyobsession is with home health, any risk to our world’s habitability is reason enough to wake up and act. Climate change does not discriminate. It affects life’s essentials: the air we breathe and the water we use. Luckily, there are some positive actions you can take from the comfort of your home.
1. Use sweaters and blankets
During cooler months, set your thermostat as low as possible. Even a few degrees can make a huge difference over time, not to mention energy cost savings. Keeping sweaters and blankets in convenient places around the home will help build better habits. You can also take advantage of heat from the sun by opening curtains on your sun-facing windows, and be sure to close them at night. If you have drafty windows, tight-fitting, insulating drapes can have a big impact.
2. Turn down your water heater
It’s easy to turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (about 120°F). You can save energy and as a bonus, avoid scalding your hands.
3. Keep it cool with the laundry
You may be surprised to know that 90% of washing machine energy typically goes towards heating water. A good rule of thumb is to keep it on cold, and don’t touch the dial.
4.Upgrade appliances and use Eco Mode when available
Upgrading appliances can help conserve energy in your home. Many modern appliances naturally conserve energy, or feature an efficient Eco Mode, like on the Airmega 400.
5. Filter your own water
Sadly, we’re up to 1 million plastic bottles used per minute, and 91% of those go unrecycled. Filtering water at home and bringing a reusable bottle wherever you go can really make a statement, and reduce the 60 million bottles thrown in landfills every day.
Learn about the Aquamega here.
6. Use a bidet
Not only is a bidet an excellent cost-cutting measure, it’s better for the environment. 15 million trees are cut down to supply the USA with toilet paper annually. It’s time to change the curve. Besides cutting back on toilet paper, Bidets have several cost and health benefits.
