5 eco-friendly home solutions

Everyone’s obsessed with trying to create a more eco-friendly home. It’s practically become an interior design trend.

I’ve been reading lots of little snippets here and there about trying to be more eco friendly at home, so I decided I needed to put it all into one post. Here are some ways homes are changing and how you can start to create an eco-friendly home and be more sustainable.

 

3D Print your Home

Is it possible that in the future we’ll be printing homes that have been designed to our exact specifications?

The largest 3D printer in the world is about to start printing a two-story house in Kamp C, the Centre for Sustainability and Innovation in Belgium.

Obviously 3D printing won’t be available to people for a number of years. This is the first time a house has been printed so it’s a long way off completion. Research has been going on for around five years, and the technique is almost ready for the next phase; creation.

The representative of Kamp C, Kai van Bulck says that: “We now can start to test all this theoretical know-how in practice and that is exactly what we intend to do with our 3D printer. Our main priority is to overcome all the technical challenges associated with this technique with trial and error.”

The printer has so far been created to cope with concrete. The process needs to be efficient, and introducing other materials at the stage could hinder the experiment.

But the potential that 3D printing has for homes is unbelievable. Currently, printing isn’t working as efficiently as it could be. But research and experimentation is constantly evolving, meaning we haven’t yet realised its full potential.

3D printing in comparison to other manufacturing processes, such as mass production, has far less of an impact on our environment.

 

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle (your lenses)

Be honest, how often do you recycle? Or do you think, I’ll just stick it in the general bin?

Recycling is becoming easier and easier and yes, you read my above header correctly; now you can recycle your old contact lenses and their packaging to have them turned into beautiful garden furniture.

Acuvue are the company behind this interesting venture. We’ve always been told that we can’t recycle contact lenses, but now you can. With them you can recycle:

• Any brand of soft disposable contact lenses
• Any brand of contact lens blister packaging
• Any brand of foil from the blister packaging

You can get your old lenses and packaging picked up from your home via a free courier service or drop them off at your nearest Boots and Acuvue take care of the rest.

 

Smart Shades to Reduce Energy Loss

You’d probably be surprised how much energy goes straight out the roof or windows of your house. Double glazing and thermal curtains can make a big difference, but Duette are specialists in energy-saving blinds.

Their honeycomb technology keeps a room cool in summer, warm in winter and even reduces the sound pollution from busy roads outside.

These blinds can reduce fuel bills by up to 25% and they can be opened and closed automatically depending on the temperature in the room or the time of day. Perfect for when your living room heats up in the afternoon because of the streaming sunshine.

Plus, keeping your blinds clean is easy with my top tips.

 

Sustainable Rugs

How many times have you heard that we’re ruining the planet with plastic? We’re in the middle of a major world crisis, and every time I throw a piece of plastic in the bin, I imagine it being eaten by some poor whale or floating in the sea.

I bought reusable ‘cotton’ pads for taking my makeup off, I use a bamboo toothbrush and I try so hard to reduce my plastic intake, but it’s almost impossible in our current world.

Some companies offer sustainable rugs, created through a process of washing, shredding and spinning to turn the waste of what would be an end product into something that can be used again and again.

 

Improving your Victorian Home

How many of you live in a period home? How many of you live in a period home and find it hard to heat?

Victorian properties are renowned for not holding their heat very well. This is usually due to their high ceilings and huge windows. However, a home can be ‘Enerphit-ed’ to keep its beautiful original features whilst still being an eco-friendly home.

The EnerPhit standard usually applies to new-build homes. It relies on creating a balance between airtightness, indoor air quality and thermal comfort.

Passivhous, the official source of EnerPhit standards, have said that creating this is difficult in old houses because of they have ‘cold spots’. Two houses in Manchester have had this upgrade. It’s been so successful, they don’t even need central heating. It could be hugely beneficial to roll the process out across the country to make houses much more efficient.

To find out more about the science behind the EnerPHit process, see here.

 

Other Ways to Make Small Changes

Some of the above is doable, some of it isn’t (can anyone 3D print their next home?). But there are some basic things you can do everyday as well to reduce the energy you use.

• Ensure your insulation is up to scratch
• Upgrade the thermostat and timer
• Invest in a new boiler
• Upgrade to double glazing
• Save a bath for a special occasion (or once a week at most)

 

An eco-friendly home is so important in our current time, where CO2 levels are through the roof and we’re gradually seeing more and more proof that global warming exists.

What do you do to create an eco-friendly home?