Technology constantly evolves to improve our lives. However, one of tech’s most significant benefits is helping you lead a more sustainable and greener life through everyday products. From Urban NW Homes, here are a few ways to help the environment and strive for a more sustainable lifestyle.
Reduce Your Use of Plastic
One of the simplest ways to live a greener life is to reduce your consumption of plastic products. Ways you can help are:
- Use a refillable steel or glass water bottle
- Take reusable cloth bags when shopping
- Avoid plastic straws and cutlery
- Buy food in bulk
- Use glass storage containers
- Recycle any plastic items you do use
New technology has even provided a way to take care of your teeth and avoid plastic products. Biodegradable floss packaged in a refillable glass container with a compostable or steel cap is one option. You can also use a bamboo toothbrush instead of plastic and get your toothpaste in a tablet instead of a plastic tube.
Go Solar
Installing solar panels on your house helps you use renewable energy to provide your home’s electricity. It’s a great way to protect the environment and save money on your energy bill. Prices for solar panels have decreased as technology improves and the systems become more widely available.
The average cost of installation varies depending on the size, number, and type of solar panels you need and whether you are going off the grid or connecting to a utility company. You won’t have to budget much cash for repairs as most systems come with a 15 to 25-year warranty. Taking advantage of any local, state, or federal tax credits also helps reduce the cost of going solar.
Install Smart Home Devices
New technology provides smart home devices that save energy. For example, an intelligent thermostat regulates your home’s temperature to use less energy when you aren’t there. Combine this tech tool with automated window treatments that close during the hottest time of day or open to warm a room on sunny days. Smart lighting uses LED bulbs that turn on when you walk into a room or are controlled remotely through a smartphone app.
Recycle Your Used Electronic Devices
There’s no need to throw away that old smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop. You’ll find companies online who buy your used electronics, refurbish them and sell them to someone else. If it’s not sellable, parts of your old device are recycled, which saves energy on creating new raw materials. Research by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that recycling one million cell phones provides:
- 35,000 pounds of copper
- 772 pounds of silver
- 33 pounds of palladium
- 75 pounds of gold
Not only are you helping the environment, but you also make some cash in the process.
Choose Digital Streaming Options
Watch your favorite movie on a streaming service as often as you desire and have no DVD to discard later. Music streaming channels let you listen to whatever you want without needing physical CDs. Likewise, ebooks are read and stored electronically, freeing up your shelf space and saving the trees used to create paper books.
If you use an ereader or tablet, you can even use it to view images. Simply convert them to PDF with this tool. The online converter can take your image files and convert them to PDFs, expanding the utility of your device.
Every effort you make to use technology for a greener life counts. Your choices make a difference, whether as small as plastic-free dental floss or as large as installing solar panels on your home.