Hopefully, everyone is starting this year off right, and hopefully, we haven’t all already broken our New Year’s Resolutions. I won’t tell if you won’t.
Monday was National Cut Energy Costs Day, which aligns perfectly with the start of the New Year. It’s a great time to reevaluate what you could be doing to not only save yourself some money but help the planet, too.
Cut Your Energy Costs
Utilize Natural Light
If you’re lucky enough to live in a home with a lot of natural light, you really don’t need to have to lights on all day. Try being more considerate of when you need the extra light.
Put Decorative Lights on A Timer
This may be a little more applicable during the holidays, but plenty of battery-operated lights and decorations have a timer option on them, or you can add a timer to them. Set it up so that they’re on when you’re home and can enjoy them.
Wash Your Clothes in Cold Water
You can get away with washing most things in cold water. Plus, you don’t have to worry as much about the colors running.
Line Dry Your Clothes
Drying your clothes on high heat over and over again can wear them out a lot faster and even shrink some, in my experience. Save on energy costs and make your clothes last longer by line-drying!
Be More Eco-Conscious at Home
Recycle and Reuse
Make sure that you have up-to-date information on what is and isn’t recyclable in your area. You could unknowingly be tainting your entire batch of recycling. Also, how many things do you reuse in your home? Could you keep that pickle jar as a flower vase? I bet all those amazon boxes could be saved for Christmas!
Donate Unused Items
Donating household items and clothing that you no longer use is much better for the environment than throwing them in the trash.
Grow Your Own Food
This can be intimidating at first, but start with some herbs for cooking, or make your own mint tea. You’ll have that green thumb in no time if you start small. Check out the AeroGarden, it makes growing your own food super simple!
Natural Cleaning Products
Chemicals in cleaning products can have harmful effects on our kids, pets, and us! There are many products out there that are still effective without all the harsh chemicals. You won’t believe the wonders you can do with just some vinegar and baking soda! For more tips, read our blog on sustainable cleaning.
Medcom is continuously working to be a greener company for the future of our clients and employees. However, we know that it can be intimidating when you begin learning about all the ways you ‘should’ be minimizing your carbon footprint. Just know that every small change makes a difference, and we appreciate you. Now, go change out those lightbulbs!
