Green Living for Apartment Dwellers
For people who live in an apartment or other renters in a community-based living arrangement, it can feel like their environmental contributions can only go so far. But here are twelve choices for apartment dwellers that will not only help the environment, but their wallets as well:
- Change to either LED bulbs or CFLs.
- Recycle your waste – paper, paint, soap, bras, wine corks. Check out the Rapid Refill blog for ideas for recycling unusual items.
- Take gently used clothes to consignment shops
- Turn off lights, computers and other electronic devices (like printers) when not in use. Consider buying a smart surge protector that can completely cut off power usage when switched off.
- Take shorter duration showers (10 minutes max)
- Purchase laundry detergent designed for cold-water use
- Rinse dishes under cold water
- Use re-useable shopping bags for your groceries
- Use more natural soaps and cleaners
- Use Two layers of curtains. A lighter shade facing the outdoors and a thick darker shade after that. The lighter shade will let the natural sunlight in while the darker shade will help in maintaining the temperature inside.
- Use natural air to dry your clothes over powered driers. Not only will you use less power, but your clothes will last longer.
- Retrofit your toilet. There are lots of options on the market, but if you have a large tank-style toilet, placing a brick will replace water mass in the tank and reduce water used on every flush by nearly ½ gallon.