Winter Tips for the Eco-Friendly: Common Sense for a Greener Season
If you’re on board with turning around decades of irresponsible behavior, seasonal change can offer ways to get on the same page or enable you to continue your green mission. These winter tips for the eco-friendly bring common-sense approaches to energy efficiency, sustainability, and even health and safety during the winter months. Try a few, pass along some, or come up with more of your own—but either way, it’s another step in reversing so much of the damage already done.
Brighten Up, Breathe Clean
Surrounding yourself with indoor plants that will thrive throughout winter helps increase mood, clean indoor air, and make for accelerated yard and garden planting come spring. NBC News reported:
“Extensive research by NASA has revealed that houseplants can remove up to 87 percent of air toxins within 24 hours… making them perfect for not just your home but your workspace, too.” (10/25/2023)
Best Indoor Plants for Clean Air
- Garden Mum
- Spider Plant
- Dracaena
- Ficus/Weeping Fig
- Peace Lily
- Boston Fern
- Snake Plant
- Aloe Vera
- Bamboo Palm
De-Ice It Right
Chemically treated winter de-icers for driveways, sidewalks, and pathways pose a great risk to humans and wildlife. Once these synthetic poisons do the job, they leach into the soil and municipal waterways, compromising drinking water and harming animals.
Eco-Friendly De-Icing Alternatives
- Sand
- Clay
- Cat litter
These are safer for the environment and still provide traction.
Shore Up Your Home
This may seem like a no-brainer, but you might be surprised how many structural breaches your home has. This includes drafts, poor insulation, and outdated thermostats.
Checklist for Winterizing Your Home
- Inspect Insulation – Check pipes in the basement, attic, and closets. Use eco-friendly insulation to protect them.
- Stop Drafts, Fill Cracks – Use straw bales, bags of leaves, or sealing agents around doors and windows.
- Install Smart Thermostats – These devices can detect motion and adjust heating automatically, saving energy and money.
Freeze It Outside
Give your freezer a break! Put some perishables outside during winter to improve freezer airflow and reduce energy waste.
“Deep freezers eat up an average of 750 kilowatt hours of electricity per year… Try making use of a cooler outdoors or in your garage to save energy.” – Green Action Centre
How to Safely Store Food Outside
- Use sealed coolers or storage boxes
- Keep them in shaded outdoor areas or unheated garages
- Monitor temperatures to avoid freezing damage to certain items
Exercise Instead
Snowblowers and other winter clearing devices contribute to about 5% of North America’s air pollution. They emit harmful gases because they lack emission regulations.
Shoveling: A Healthier Alternative
- Great cardio and muscular workout
- Zero emissions
- Reduces your carbon footprint
Note: Always have someone check on you while working in the cold to avoid health risks like heart strain or hypothermia.
Final Thoughts
Follow these simple winter tips for the eco-friendly to keep your home and health in top shape before summer rolls around and you’re back to frolicking in the sun.
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