Sustainable condo living is easier to achieve than most people think. You can transform your condo into an eco-friendly environment, and it won’t cost you a fortune to do so. Wherever we live, we must embrace sustainable living, carrying out environmental practices that will ensure the safety of ourselves and those around us.
With these simple steps, you can start going green in your condo.
Consider Renewable Energy
When you think of renewable energy, think solar or wind. You can make a difference when you switch to other renewable energy. It isn’t as hard as some people imagine it to be—in fact, you can do it wherever you’re located. You might find you have more options for going off-grid in a house, which is a great way to live sustainably, but you can find renewable energy options that work while living in a condo such as buying your electricity from a utility that generates solar or wind power. Talk to your condo board and ask what renewable energy options might be on the table.
Location
One of the things to look for when buying or renting a condo is location. Consider choosing a location where it’s possible to have a short walk to your workplace, grocery stores, and other commercial centers around you. You can get to places to do your errands and still get home in the nick of time.
Access to public transport is not only for those who don’t have cars. Public transportation can be less expensive and more eco-friendly than owning your own car, especially if you live in an urban area and don’t have access to a parking spot. If you want to adopt sustainable living in your condo, you can reduce carbon emissions by using public transport more often or by taking a walk.
Get the Green Building Project Checklist
Use this handy checklist on your next project to keep track of all the ways you can make your home more energy-efficient and sustainable.
Live Green
You have your condo unit to yourself which means that within reason, you can do whatever you want in it. Air dry your clothes instead of using the building’s dryers. Always take the stairs. Be vegan. For sustainable practices, you should consider houseplants and indoor gardens. Houseplants help keep the air clean, and absorb toxins as well as carbon dioxide in the air. From a few plants to an indoor herb garden to a living wall, you can make your condo a thriving green space.
You can also talk to the management of the building or community and ask them to consider green practices around the site. You can ask them to do something simple to start, like increase the greenery all around the building.
Waste
One of the things you’ll have to consider when living in your condo unit is how you handle the waste. Your trash should be disposed of properly, and this does not mean just dumping it off. Sustainable living will also mean that you sort your recycling, and might also mean finding off-site places for certain types of recycling if they’re not available in your building.
One of the best ways of reducing waste is to be aware of how much you buy and to only buy the things you need. Some cities make provision for local food waste, and it is also a great idea to find a compost drop-off around you where you can dispose of your organics properly. You can also reduce waste by carrying with you reusable bags anytime you go shopping. This helps reduce plastic use and saves you money.
Consider Your Home Technology
Living healthy also requires you to consider sustainable practices in your choice of home equipment. You need to buy eco-friendly products, from your lightbulbs to your smart TV. If these are not already in place in your condo unit, you should consider upgrading to more eco-friendly options when these items wear out.
You can also save energy and money by setting the temperature back when you are not in your condo. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, you can manually turn off your heat or air-conditioning as you leave. Your home technology is not only limited to your TV and air-conditioning. You should also consider sustainable living in your bath area. Having a shower head and faucet aerators that reduce water wastage without affecting the water pressure is a good option.
If you have any concerns about certain practices in your condo, you can always talk to the management company. Sharing your ideas on how they can adopt sustainable living in the condo is a great idea. They can save money and resources on behalf of the residents and feel good that their sustainable living choices will help support the fight against climate change.
Feature image: Pixabay; Image 1: Matthias Zomer
