How to Make Your Apartment More Eco-Friendly

Saving the earth starts at home. It’s easy to make changes in your apartment to help it be more eco-friendly. We’ve heard people say that they need to own their apartment in order to make it green. This is not the case at all. As a renter, there are things you can do attain the more eco-friendly apartment you desire.

Make Your Apartment More Energy Efficient

Make Your Apartment More Energy Efficient

Our tips for achieving this include:

  • Use shades or window treatments to control the amount of heat that enters the apartment. When it’s colder outside, close the shades or windows treatments to trap heat inside your apartment.
  • Put your thermostat in energy saving mode. Many of thermostats we have at Garden Communities have timers. Utilize the timers to decrease the temperature of your apartment when no one is in the apartment or when you’re well into a night’s sleep.
  • Take advantage of the energy efficient lighting that’s in the market. Energy efficient light bulbs should be your go-to bulbs. An Energy Star qualified lightbulb saves users approximately $6 each year in electricity costs and more than $40 over its lifetime.

Reduce Waste

According to the Clean Air Council, more than 7 billion pounds of PVC are thrown away in the United States each year. Of those pounds of trash, only about 1% is recycled.

  • Recycle! Glass, most types of plastic, aluminum, steel, and paper (including newspaper) can all be recycled.
  • Shut electronics when they are not in use. There’s no reason that TV needs to be on when it’s not in use – no do lights.
  • Reduce water consumption. We are all guilty of taking long showers and sulking in a relaxing bath. It’s fine to do so, in moderation. More times than not, take shorter showers and refrain from taking baths as much as possible. Plus, make sure when water is not in use, it’s shut off completely.
  • Opt for online books over paper books. With the boom in e-readers, it’s easy, and fun to read newspapers and books online. If you unable to get used to reading on an electronic device, be sure to recycle newspaper when you are done reading it and rent books from a library or borrow them from a friend to be “book eco-friendly”.
  • Save Some Water… Water conservation is extremely important with Southern California’s ongoing drought. Just a few small things, like not running your sink while brushing your teeth, can have a large impact.

Literally “Green” Your Apartment – with a Home Garden

Having a home garden reduces environment footprints, saves you money at the grocery store, and provides you with the freshest produce that’s also free of unhealthy chemicals. The following are some of the easiest vegetables to grow indoors, according to Readers Digest. We personally feel they will grow well in your New Jersey, New York, or Connecticut apartment.

Tomatoes       Peppers         Mushrooms         Eggplant

Information on container gardening.

As you can see from the above, making your apartment more eco-friendly is easy and saves you money!