If your New Year’s Resolution is to ‘Go Green,’ there are so many ways to make your surroundings both eco-friendly and chic. Here are some ideas to help you green up your living space in 2014:
Invest in some house plants
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The process of going green doesn’t literally involve filling your apartment with the color green, but in this case it’s okay. House plants have several advantages in the home, helping to filter the air while reducing your dependence on in-home air filtration systems. Plants also increase the amount of oxygen in the home. Some great edible options for New York apartment dwellers include basil, chives, oregano, or even a tomato vine if you have a window that gets full sun.
Control heat loss
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Windows are notorious for killing your home’s energy efficiency. Drafts and heat transfer through the glass panes can increase heating and cooling costs all year. But some simple window treatments can go a long way toward reducing their inefficiencies. Start by applying a new seal of caulk around older windows with eroding seals — this will limit drafts from coming into the home. In the summer months, use curtains, window blinds and other window treatments to block sunlight from proliferating through the living space and heating up your residence. In the cooler months, consider covering windows with a thin plastic film designed to minimize heat loss.
Find a more efficient living space
Photo by Jeremy Levine Design via Flickr
Some features in a home may have a nice visual appeal while lacking eco-friendliness. Vaulted ceilings, for example, create a very large space where your heating and air conditioning has to regulate temperatures. The increased ceiling surface area also increases the risk of heat loss.
Meanwhile, needlessly large residences, or those with oversized windows, can create their own challenges in terms of temperature regulation, driving up utilities costs even when you don’t need the space. If you’re looking to reduce your own personal consumption, you might check out different rental options at ForRent.com or other apartment listings websites. In many cases, you can check out the floor plans of various complexes and units and find a property that’s energy efficient.
Switch to paper bags
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Some parts of the country, such as Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas, have already banned the use of plastic grocery bags in stores within city limits. But, New York has yet to follow suit, meaning there are mountains of plastic bag waste every year. Paper bags have a number of advantages: they are more durable, hold more items and are more space-efficient, and you can recycle them instead of throwing them away. If you’re particularly ambitious, you can buy reusable cloth bags and carrying them with you to the store.
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