It’s 2018, and with enough plastic alone to cover the entire country of Argentina, and our oceans having increasing areas of “dead zones” as oxygen in the water is severely or entirely depleted, I thought it would be a good time to talk to you about tips for creating a sustainable interior.
I know what you’re thinking, how is my 1 small change, going to save a Polar Bear? Well…unfortunately it won’t exactly BUT your small changes makes a HUGE difference, think of yourself like an ant, and the entire world like your colony…if you manage to bring a crumb back to the colony, you will help sustain 10 other ants. If the next time you go out, you bring some friends with you, you could bring back more and more crumbs, until suddenly you’re ahead of the game. This is how I view sustainability, so when I see a piece of rubbish at the park or at the beach, my first thought is, “What difference will this one piece make?” but look at it from the ant perspective and suddenly that one piece of rubbish, could mean one fish doesn’t suffocate. You could prevent the last nail on the coffin and give hope to our colony.
Here are 5 tips for the Interior.
1. Light Bulbs
– I know you’ve probably heard this one before – but have you acted on it? Replacing incandescent or compact fluro bulbs with LED bulbs can reduce energy use for lighting by 50% or more! (Lighting makes up around 11% of energy consumption for a typical house hold.)
– Want to do more? Encourage your work space, or children’s schools to make the same switch and go green.
– I know you’ve probably heard this one before – but have you acted on it? Replacing incandescent or compact fluro bulbs with LED bulbs can reduce energy use for lighting by 50% or more! (Lighting makes up around 11% of energy consumption for a typical house hold.)
– Want to do more? Encourage your work space, or children’s schools to make the same switch and go green.
2. Energy Star
– You’ve seen them stuck to your appliances and white goods but what do they mean?! An Energy Star is a “government-backed” symbol for energy efficiency. These little babies help us to save money and to protect the environment. The more stars on the Energy Rating Label, the more energy efficient the appliance is – the more efficient the appliance is, the less energy it uses and the less it will cost you to run, ahhh BONUS!
– You’ve seen them stuck to your appliances and white goods but what do they mean?! An Energy Star is a “government-backed” symbol for energy efficiency. These little babies help us to save money and to protect the environment. The more stars on the Energy Rating Label, the more energy efficient the appliance is – the more efficient the appliance is, the less energy it uses and the less it will cost you to run, ahhh BONUS!
– Want to do more? Don’t allow yourself to be swept up in the “cheaper alternatives” if you’re in a shop tell the assistant you only want to see appliances with ratings 3 stars or higher…eliminate the option – its unnecessary!
3. Bring the outdoors in
– This is a fun one, a chance to be creative! Indoor plants! Be it succulents, flowers or the all popular birds of paradise, live indoor plants are an amazing addition to any interior space and are so good for your health, as they help clean your indoor air, and personally, I think they help lift psychological stamina too! You can have plants in every room, even the bathroom! PLUS the more green we have, the better chance our world has of surviving. Don’t want to bring the plants all the way in?…If you have a balcony, check out this design I did at the end of last year LINK and wanna see how I did it? LINK
– Want to do more? Uhmm hello, give plants as gifts!! It’s an easy gift to shop for, and it’s something that doesn’t require plastic wrapping, you can personalise it with a beautiful pot, bought or hand-painted – see my video here LINK
4. Using your Air-conditioning and Harnessing the Sun
– For your air-conditioning – make sure you know your functions, for example the timer or sleep function, means you can set your machine to turn off after an hour or two, meaning you can go to sleep in the cool, and not have the machine on the entire night, which is a waste of energy! Is it cold inside? Then let there be light! Open the curtains, its great for productivity too! Is it hot inside? Then let there be reflective film! You can use reflective film on your windows, which can filter out up to 60% of heat, yet you will still have a clear view out of your windows.
– For your air-conditioning – make sure you know your functions, for example the timer or sleep function, means you can set your machine to turn off after an hour or two, meaning you can go to sleep in the cool, and not have the machine on the entire night, which is a waste of energy! Is it cold inside? Then let there be light! Open the curtains, its great for productivity too! Is it hot inside? Then let there be reflective film! You can use reflective film on your windows, which can filter out up to 60% of heat, yet you will still have a clear view out of your windows.
– Want to do more? Make sure your home is sealed and insulated! Sealing gaps around doors and windows, and insulate if you have the roof space.
5. Replace Plastic Utensils
– Metal straws are trending right now, and I couldn’t be happier. As much as saving the environment shouldn’t be “a trend”, it means that restaurants, bars and other businesses are starting to jump on board! You can too! They are sold online, or in stores such as biome. While you’re shopping, get some collapsible metal utensils to pop in your bag, and bee wraps to replace cling-wrap.
– Want to do more? Check out social media and go fund me accounts, or better yet, the next time you dine in at a restaurant, let them know your disappointed they aren’t using metal utensils, and how you’d be more likely to come back or promote them if they did… 😉
– Metal straws are trending right now, and I couldn’t be happier. As much as saving the environment shouldn’t be “a trend”, it means that restaurants, bars and other businesses are starting to jump on board! You can too! They are sold online, or in stores such as biome. While you’re shopping, get some collapsible metal utensils to pop in your bag, and bee wraps to replace cling-wrap.
– Want to do more? Check out social media and go fund me accounts, or better yet, the next time you dine in at a restaurant, let them know your disappointed they aren’t using metal utensils, and how you’d be more likely to come back or promote them if they did… 😉
If you don’t believe/aren’t convinced that we are destroying the world we live in, please consider the facts very carefully, and if you decide its a load of bull (which it isn’t, but each to their own), then at least do it for the money – your wallet will thank you, and eventually, your children will too.
#besustainable
Love Marleen xx
References
demiurgedesign.org 