Eco Fitness
There are a few different ways to get fit while being eco friendly and they all help in different ways. One thing you can do is simply to replace short car journeys with cycling or running where ever possible. This cuts down on your carbon footprint and gets you fit at the same time so you can get fit the eco way. Around 20 Minutes of cycling can burn 100 calories and can raise your metabolic rate meaning you take the pounds off, and keep them off.
Another idea is to exercise for charity. There are many cycling and running events our there to help various causes so get involved in them more rather than signing up to a gym. If you do sign up to a gym, don’t drive to it! Try to find a gym closer to home and run or cycle in to it to cut down on pollution and get fit the eco way on route. If you can’t get to one close to home, organise a car sharing trip with friends or colleagues or take public transport.
You could also consider eco-running if you do normally participate in running regularly. Take a couple of carrier bags with you on your run and where ever you see trash that shouldn’t be there such as cans or bottles, pop them in your bag as you jog past and throw them in the next bin you see. This not only keeps you fit and works out your legs it’ll work out other areas of your body too and actively helps the environment and your local area.
When it gets to the time when you have to change your exercise gear such as clothes or trainers, find some eco friendly clothing or purchase clothing from a local charity shop.
Green is Easy
Having more eco friendly homes is not just about the way in which people live inside them. It is also about what technology is used within the home itself, and encouraging the use of this technology wherever possible when building new homes, expanding old ones or simply adapting your home to a new eco friendly standard.
There are some great technological advances that really make a difference for eco friendly homes. Installing solar panels for instance can be a great way of reducing your electricity bill. More often than not the solar panels you encounter will be hot water panels. These heat the water directly around the system and then pump it into your hot water tank for use. These can however be costly and cost can go into the thousands.
For a more available alternative why not check your house insulation? There is a large range of housing insulation available that can dramatically reduce not only your heating bill but also your carbon footprint as well making an excellent first step towards eco friendly homes.
Switch your normal bulbs for energy saving ones! This technology got off to a rough start as the bulbs had problems with both price and the time it takes them to reach full brightness. This is no longer the case, they are still more expensive then regular bulbs but they last much longer and will save you money in the space of just one year. The bulbs available today react speedily and reach full capacity quicker then the original energy saving bulbs.
Make your self a compost heap at the back of the garden. Getting into a regular routine disposing of your kitchen waste to the compost heap will provide you with nutrient rich soil for growing your own home grown fruit and vegetables.
Water Conservation
The conservation of water both around and within the home has never been more important and there are many ways we can reduce our consumption of water.
Only use your washing machine when you have enough soiled clothes to make up a full load. When buying a washing machine look for the star rating energy efficiency sticker. Buy a washing machine that has a water saver i.e. a pump that allows you to recycle your washing water and apart from saving on water you will be saving on laundry detergent as well.
Recycle grey water to water your garden or lawn.
If you have a fish tank you will know how important it is to change 1/3rd of the water on a regular basis to keep the flora of your fish tank healthy. Be sure to use the discarded water to good use because it contains nutrients that are beneficial to both potted and garden tanks.
Install an energy efficient showerhead and faucet aerators. There are now available 4 minute shower timers.
When you brush your teeth don’t leave the tap running and fill a tumbler with enough water to rinse out your mouth.
Make sure your garden hose has an adjustable jet feature and preferably brass for longevity over the plastic ones. When washing your car use a bucket and a sponge. When rinsing your car make a point of using a hose with a fine jet and turn off the tap after rinsing your car. Donít just throw the running hose on the ground whilst you are washing your car. The environment would benefit if you could go to a car wash where water is recycled.
When planting trees or shrubs in your garden, install a length of black poly-pipe beside the roots, so that it extends marginally above ground level, to allow you easy access, before you fill in the hole. This will enable you to apply water to the roots of shrubs and plants, where it is needed and will prevent water run-off.
There are now available - crystal water beads that you can place within your pot plants to maximize water content and prevent pot plants from drying out.
Install a water tank to save precious rainwater from just running away.
The conservation of water has become a major issue with governments in relation to climate change. You too can do your bit in conserving water and if you have young children and practice active water conservation - they in turn will do the same. Children learn by example, so be a responsible water conservationist - because without sufficient water - our planet will cease to exist and, if our planet cannot sustain us, we too will cease to exist.
