mdolla: 5 Techy Ways to Make Your Home more Eco-Friendly

In 1957, a study on earth’s climate conducted by scientist Roger Revelle discovered a frightening ecological phenomenon with the potential to disrupt the world’s climate, animal and plant life as we know it. By 1970, further scientific research had begun to validate these findings. They showed that human activities and the amount of carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere had sparked rapid changes such as droughts and famine in Africa, the Ukraine, and India.

This phenomenon was termed ‘global warming’ and the rapid changes it fostered in the twentieth century forced the international community to come up with several solutions to tackle the amount of fossil fuels burned by implementing the United Nation’s Paris Agreement. As admirable as this agreement is, it is also important to note that the task of stabilizing the earth’s ecosystems falls on our collective shoulders and each of us has a part to play in tackling global warming. Here are 5 technological revolutions you can apply in making your home more eco-friendly.

1. Start by Shrinking Your Carbon Profile

The first step in shrinking the amount of carbon dioxide your home produces is to identify the errant products or items that need to go. These products range from your cooling and heating conditioning systems to the food your family consumes. The next step is replacing these items with energy-efficient alternatives. The mobile app GoodGuide has been developed to provide you with a simple means of calculating the energy efficiency levels of the items you buy in your local market. The GoodGuide app has helped many people find eco-friendly products while they shop through taking a photo of an item’s barcode, then instantly providing information on how green the item is through a science-based rating.

2. Light up with Energy Efficient Bulbs

The traditional incandescent 60-watt bulbs used in most homes uses up 0.84 kilowatts per day if used for 14 hours. If you calculate its monetary cost, you will discover that it costs about $30 per year to run. Unlike the incandescent bulb, an energy efficient bulb—either the Light Emitting Diode (LED) or Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL)—uses 25 to 85 percent less energy than the incandescent bulb. These technologically advanced options drastically reduce your energy consumption in the long run.

3. Invest in Energy-Efficient Appliances

Have you heard of the Energy Star label? In short, the Energy Star label is an initiative of the Environmental Protection Agency that helps manufacturers meet energy efficiency standards. It is quite similar to the ‘Quality Control’ pass but it focuses on pin-pointing energy-efficient products. Products with the Energy Star label are certified to be eco-friendly. An example is the Goal Zero recharging kit, which is a great product that reduces dependency on power outlets through its unique use of solar energy.

4. Power Your Home with Renewable Energy

Incorporating renewable energy sources as a solution to tackling energy wastage problems is not anything new, but its low usage rate by homeowners is quite troubling. Currently, multiple tax breaks and tax credits have been earmarked to serve as incentive for residents of both domestic and commercial building structures to adopt renewable energy policies. The tech community has also played a part in tackling these usage issues. The Green-e Energy project is currently making it quite easy for everyone to seek renewable energy sources.

Through the Green-e Energy project, you to locate and patronize utility companies that generate at least 50% of their energy from green sources by simply conducting a quick online search. Conversely, the Wind Farm Locator app provides another option for locating wind projects, checking out their installed capacity, and taking advantage of the clean energy they offer.

5. Clean with Eco-friendly Cleaning Products

On average, 60 percent of the cleaning products and agents used domestically are harmful to both your personal health and the earth’s environment. In 2000, the US Poison Control Center stated that cleaning agents contribute 10 percent of all toxic exposures the department processed. This means that a large portion of the soaps, detergents, sprays, and disinfectants we use are not eco-friendly. To tackle this, some tech solutions have already been developed which do away with the harmful toxins which are the by-products of cleaning agents. Sanitary Tech products such as eco-resh, which makes use of UV rays, smart sensors, and apps for remote access are also used.

The responsibility of fighting global warming falls on all of us, and with eco-friendly domestic items, we can leave a better planet for generations to come.

Featured photo credit: creativeart / Freepik via freepik.com

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