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How To Go Green in an Apartment
Smartland is a huge proponent of going green any way possible! We not only try to implement environmentally friendly policies as a company and promote green amenities, but we encourage our residents to do the same. Now, we’re not just going to demand you completely change your lifestyle or even come up with your own ways of going green where you live. Instead, we’re going to share with you some easy ways to go green while living in an apartment.
Changing From Within
Let’s start with the inside of your apartment (that’s probably the place you have the most influence over). You’ve probably heard this one over and over and over, but that’s because it bears repeating: Change your lightbulbs! Switching to energy-efficient lightbulbs is by far the easiest way to go green and you’ll have better lighting in your apartment. Changing the lightbulbs in your home to CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) or LEDs (light-emitting diodes) is only a good thing for you and the environment. They last longer and waste less energy. You will buy fewer light bulbs, save on electricity, and also help the environment. That’s what we call in the business a rare win-win-win scenario.
Next, let’s go over some things we can do personally to be greener in our apartments. These are some easy things you can do physically to help out. Remember to turn lights off when you’re not using rooms and to shut off electronics too. Having a power strip can make it easy to turn on and turn off multiple things and will save money. Along with not leaving your electronics running, try to not leave the water running more than you need to either.
We recommend installing insulated shades or heavy curtains which will naturally keep your apartment more temperature-controlled leading to less use of heat or AC. A lot of energy can be saved by just adjusting the curtains. Also, try using chemical-free cleaning products when you need to tidy up. These are better for the environment and your own health. Finally, divide up your waste into trash, recyclable, and maybe compost. Simply having different bins for each of these will help. If you don’t have a recycling program at your apartment, see if you can’t get your landlord to start one!
The Green Outdoors
We’d like to talk about some eco-friendly things you can do for the exterior of your apartment. This is a bit more limited since you only have direct control over your unit, but we still have a few ideas you can try out. Attempt to set up a compost pile. With permission from your landlord, start a compost pile and encourage others to contribute. This will be helpful for the next green thing to try: start a garden! One of the best things for the environment and for a living community is a garden. You can use the compost as natural harmless fertilizer and you and your living community can tend to and grow some of their own food and work on something together. Grow plants and grow closer.
The last thing we recommend is trying alternative transportation. Forgo the car and walk, bike, or take public transportation sometimes. Save yourself some gas and help the environment at the same time. Biking is a great way to be healthier as well as going green and we fully encourage it and other green habits.
Save The World
Going green isn’t exactly easy. There’s a lot to consider and remember, but it also doesn’t have to be so hard. Implementing even one or two of these recommendations still contributes to a greener, more sustainable community and lower your environmental impact. Don’t feel like you have to completely change the way you live, just make a few easy adjustments and you’ll be saving the world in a few simple steps!
