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Eco-Conscious Home Improvements for the New Year

Photo by Duy Vo on Unsplash

With 2020 drawing to a close with this unique holiday season, many people will be eagerly anticipating 2021. As New Year resolutions come to mind, one of your several aspirations may include a home remodel, re-design or improvement, whether small or large. While sustainable living practices continue to rise in popularity and be adopted into everyday lifestyle, these can also extend to your home DIY projects and redesigns. So, before you begin planning your exciting home projects, consider a few ways you can include eco-conscious steps to enhance your home improvements in 2021.

Buy Responsibly-Sourced Products

Buying responsibly-sourced products for your home improvement projects goes far beyond design. Eco-conscious companies and brands that focus policies on responsibly-sourced materials are, in turn, making an investment not only in the product they are selling, but also the community and regions in which they source the materials.

When you begin thinking about home improvement projects, be sure to do your research into companies taking social responsibility for their products. You’ll want to do this with everything from reclaimed wood furniture to the natural cleaning products you will use. 

Similar to home products, you can take this a step further to the food you buy, such as fair-trade coffee, which helps the workers and farmers from the often smaller countries your beans come from get paid fairly. Buying responsibly not only offers great products for your home, but it also helps promote clean water sources, a more stable climate, and sustainable wildlife habitats.

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Reuse Rather Than Toss Out

As is the case after any home redesign, you will find yourself with a heap of belongings you no longer need. While it is easy to simply toss it all to the curb, that certainly isn’t the most eco-conscious decision you could make. With the rise in popularity of consignment and thrifting, donating to your local Goodwill isn’t only a responsible decision environmentally, but could also offer someone a fun find. After all, as the saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!” 

Donating used items can help reduce landfill overflow as well as the increased carbon footprint associated with the process of decomposing trash. If you want to go a step further, donate your used belongings to Habitat for Humanity, whose proceeds from your donation go toward building homes for underprivileged people.

Go for an Open-Concept Feel

Open-concept home design is a huge trend in the space, with its great potential for flow to sight lines throughout. It also lends itself to many positive environmental factors. An open-concept plan can reduce your need for artificial lighting and heat, in turn reducing your electric and heating bills, and allowing you to enjoy natural light throughout the day which can be a positive for your mental health.

Should this process require remodeling, be sure to strategically place furniture or other high-use areas in accordance to where the sun hits during the day to fully enjoy your new space.

Conclusion
All in all, home projects should be fun and exciting to plan. Whether you are redesigning your living room, buying eco-friendly windows, or just looking for an overall refresh, taking environmentally-friendly steps in the process only offers upsides for you and your family. If you are looking for more inspiration, read more eco-friendly tips here!

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