Modern Homemakers

9 Ways To Make Our Homes Environment-Friendly

by Kevyn Gohu
June 4, 2022

Here are little ways we can make our houses environment-friendly.

Climate change is real and unfortunately, we’ve only managed to slow down the damage done. We often think that becoming environmentally friendly is expensive when in reality, it isn’t. Being environmentally friendly doesn’t mean buying new, sustainable things. It means making the most out of our resources. Here are some things we can do to make our homes environment-friendly.

1. Collecting water used to wash rice

Not all of us are gifted with a green thumb. But we’re pretty sure some houses have family members who do. And if we’re into soda or soft drinks, all we need to do is fill up an empty 1.5L bottle with water that was used to wash rice. Within that water is riboflavin, starch, and nutrients which are important for plants.

2. Veggie leftovers into compost and soup

Since we’re trying to get our kids to eat more veggies, we’ll probably have a lot of veggie leftovers. For the leftovers, what we can do is boil them in a pot for a period of time. Once boiled enough, strain it and tada, you have veggie broth! The boiled remains can be turned into compost either via drying or just digging a hole in the ground. Or, give it to plantitas and plantitos. They’ll know what to do with it.

3. Buy from “slow fashion” stores

Being environment-friendly at home also means not patronizing fast fashion. Slow fashion stores are hard to identify but there are a few that do sell clothes. Lazy Fare is one of those that use rejected cloth to make their pieces. They’re pretty soft and have varied pieces from loungewear to pajamas.

4. Making food your medicine

Foil packets and plastic bottles are waste. Unfortunately, we sometimes need medication because of our unhealthy lifestyles. We may love a good bagnet and chicharon but the oil and fat can give anyone a heart attack. So it’s better to start eating less fried food and more boiled, steamed, grilled, and even pickled. Besides, we’re trying to avoid making candy out of our medicine pills!

5. Save on wet wipes

Some wet wipes are made of fibers that take so long to disintegrate. But these fibers are good for one thing, however—wiping up greasy pans and plastic containers. After using, hang them out to dry for a bit and store them. That way, you’ll save on Scotchbrite and stop scraping cookware.

6. Avoid buying certain sauces

Food waste is a thing and this one varies per family. Some families don’t eat as much soy sauce and whenever they eat Chinese takeout, it comes with soy sauce already. It’s the secret of many Chinese families—no need to buy bottles of soy sauce. This isn’t just cost-efficient but environment-friendly, too! It prevents the build up of foils and plastic bottles at home. Sometimes, the soy sauce from some Chinese restaurants is even better than the ones in the supermarket.

7. Don’t over-order!

We love to eat but sometimes, we end up ordering too much! Then, we just shove it in the fridge at home and forget it existed until it starts spawning green and white hair. Usually, having a day when it’s just “leftovers” for meals is not only cost-efficient but also easy cooking, too. Plus, less food to waste.

8. Repurposing old wooden furniture

Unlike the furniture of today, old wooden furniture is made of solid wood. That means it can last years especially if it’s made from wood like Narra or Molave. Some of us end up throwing furniture because it doesn’t match our home’s theme but there are a lot of craftsmen and YouTube videos that show innovative ways to repurpose old furniture to stay environment-friendly.

9. Use biodegradable diapers

The beauty of technology is that there are now so many diaper brands advocating sustainability. They were able to find a way to make their diapers degrade in 150 days compared to regular ones which can take 500 years. Brands like Noopii and Eco Boom are a few pesos more expensive than others—but it’s definitely worth it if it means saving the planet!

Making a conscious and environment-friendly home takes time to learn

Don’t worry if you forget the first time, it just takes a bit of a reminder to make the home more environment-friendly. However, in due time, these are manners that will be passed down to our kids who will pass them down to theirs. They might even be the environment police among their friends! But doing all this is in hopes of making a better world before we leave it behind.