More and more households are attempting to go green, and that’s a good thing because the planet certainly needs help. The more we can make our own carbon footprint (the impact we have on the world) smaller, the better.
More and more households are attempting to go green, and that’s a good thing because the planet certainly needs help. The more we can make our own carbon footprint (the impact we have on the world) smaller, the better. “We have a limited amount of resources available and more and more people using them up. If we want future generations to enjoy the same standard of living we have experienced, we need to take action.” (Why Go Green) Take a look at your bathroom. It probably isn’t very green right now, but quick and simple changes can make quite a difference.
Start with Reducing Water Usage
We often use so much water in the bathroom without ever realizing it. However, between the sink, toilet, and shower, you are sending away gallons of water every day. A good way to start going green is to reduce the amount of water used in the bathroom with the following tips:
- Purchase a low-flow toilet and install it. If you don’t want to spend this much money, fill a plastic bottle with sand and place it in the toilet tank. This will lessen the amount of water needed to fill it.
- Purchase and install a low-flow, water-efficient shower head. If you don’t want to make this big change, limit how long each person in the household can spend in the shower.
- Change the faucet to an automatic sensor model or limit certain uses in the household. For example, make sure everyone turns off the faucet while they are brushing their teeth.
Change the Paper Products Use as Well
There are a few different things you can do with paper products to go green as well. Try the following tips in the bathroom:
- Implement paper-saving rules for toilet tissue in the household. Make sure people are only using what they actually need.
- Purchase recycled paper products.
- Purchase biodegradable trash bags.
- Recycle paper products.
Many people use much more paper products than needed in the bathroom without even realizing it. Make sure you teach the whole household to be eco-friendly and explain they only really need three or four squares of toilet paper each time they visit.
Cleaning Products and Other Materials
You can go green in how you maintain the bathroom as well. All you need to do is change the type of supplies you use and switch to the following:
- Purchase non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products for the bathroom.
- Look for natural and biodegradable hand soaps.
- Choose LED or compact fluorescent light bulbs for the bathroom.
- When renovating, use low-VOC paint.
- Purchase a rug made from recycled materials or bamboo. This will make the bathroom more comfortable and could reduce heating bills.
Another important thing you can do is make a decorative and attractive reminder sign so that people will remember to be a little more conscious of how much paper and water they are using. You could even purchase one handmade that will work well with your décor. If you are creative, you could make your own. Sometimes, people are wasteful simply because they do not realize what they are doing. A simple reminder could make a very big difference.
Going green in your home means doing much more than just recycling. The bathroom could be one room in which people of the household are being the most wasteful. Make sure you take the above tips to heart and change your bathroom for more environmental friendliness. It doesn’t even take that much work and you can reduce your carbon footprint drastically in this room of your home. Just make sure everyone in the household is on board for the best results.
Works Cited
Why Go Green. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2013, from Green Resource Council: http://www.greenresourcecouncil.org/green-resources/why-go-green
