In celebration of Earth Day this Saturday, check out these strategies for reducing the carbon footprints of your home.
Earth Day is celebrated annually for awareness of the environmental problems that the earth is facing, caused by us, and is affecting all living things. To partake in helping achieve sustainability, here are some strategies that can reduce your carbon footprint at home.
- Harvesting renewable energy, such as the installation of Solar Panels [1,2] if you want to learn more about why you should add solar panels to your home, check out our previous blog here)
- Doesn’t generate air pollution and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions compared to burning fossil fuel
- Low maintenance since its parts remains static
- You won’t be subjected to unpredictable price increases in electricity bills since you’re harvesting your own energy [1,2]
- Low e, double or triple pane windows can help insulate your home
- Energy star appliances – choose high energy star rating appliances to be more energy-efficient while lowering your bills
- Low-flow Toilets
- When picking new toilets for your home, install low-flow toilets to help conserve water. Hit two birds with one stone, lower your water consumption and lower your water bill.
- Rainwater for irrigation
- Collect rainwater to irrigate your garden, but of course, check with your county or state laws first if it’s legal or if permits are needed. In the state of Washington, rainwater collected from the roof does not need a water rights permit [3]. To know more about rainwater collection in Washington, read more from the Department of Ecology here.
- Plants, especially trees, absorb carbon emissions in the atmosphere while lessening the impact of urban heat island. For a deeper read about plants and carbon emissions, check out this article by the National Wildlife Federation [4].
Aside from these strategies, what practices are you actively doing to help reduce your carbon footprint at home? Let us know! If you’re interested in knowing more about why carbon footprint reduction is important for your home’s value, get in touch with us; you also might want to find other helpful tips about real estate, so check out this Ultimate Guide to Real Estate compiled just for you! Community Real Estate is a team of Trusted Advisors / Realtors in Tri-cities, Washington when it comes to real estate and home equity positions.
References
[1] United States Environmental Protection Agency. (August 2013). Renewable Energy Fact Sheet: Solar Cells. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-08/documents/solar_cells_fact_sheet_p100il8r.pdf
[2] Weissman, G., Searson, E., Sargent, R. (July 2019). The True Value of Solar: Measuring the Benefits of Rooftop Solar Power. Environment America and Frontier Group. Retrieved from https://environmentamerica.org/sites/environment/files/resources/AME%20Rooftop%20Solar%20Jul19%20web.pdf
[3] Department of Ecology. (2018). Rainwater collection. Retrieved from https://ecology.wa.gov/Water-Shorelines/Water-supply/Water-recovery-solutions/Rainwater-collection
[4] National Wildlife Federation. Gardening for Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Environmental-Threats/Climate-Change/Greenhouse-Gases/Gardening-for-Climate-Change
More Reads:
Gibbens, S. (May 16, 2019). Plants help absorb our carbon, but for how much longer?. National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plants-help-absorb-carbon-emissions-for-now