Guest blog post written by Jessie Stokes of Tiny Yellow Bungalow to inspire your Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle

My family has been striving to live sustainably for about five years now. My experiments in sustainability and natural living actually began years ago when I was living in Houston, Texas. I had my very own space (the emphasis tiny yellow bungalow that my blog/shop are named after!) with a tiny backyard and was stoked to try my hand at composting and small space gardening.

Over the years, we’ve continued to make eco friendly changes in our home as we can. We are far from perfect but try our best! Honestly, that’s what we need to see more of, don’t you think? If lots of people make simple changes in their own homes, it can really add up to significant change on a grander scale!

I’m here to share with you a few ways to make your home more eco friendly!

Note: this blog post contains affiliate links on which Jessie and Ann earn a commission; both Jessie and Ann believe in all the products they share.

1. Plant Based Diet

The easiest way to make your home more eco-friendly is by switching to a plant- based diet, or at least incorporating more plant-centric meals into your family’s diet. In reducing meat consumption, you not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by animal agriculture, but you are also helping conserve water.

Because of its energy intensive process, meat production requires a lot of water and land. That said, animal agriculture is the main cause of deforestation in the Amazon. Even just striving for one meatless meal per week creates a more eco-friendly home!

Check out The Zero Waste Vegan Cookbook for healthy and simple plant- based recipes, or sign up for a free trial of Ann’s Peas & Hoppy Meal Guides – she includes at least one vegetarian meal per week and designs the recipes to be enjoyable for people used to eating meat to help you expand your protein options.

2. Compost

Composting is one of my all-time favorite sustainable switches! A large percentage of landfill trash consists of food waste. And did you know that food scraps DO NOT break down in landfills?!

In composting, we reduce landfill waste and re-purpose food scraps in a beneficial way. Through composting, food waste becomes nutrient rich soil to add to your garden. I love, love, love, LOVE our backyard compost tumbler. If you don’t want to buy a compost bin, you could try making your own DIY compost bin using wood pallets. If you are new to the idea of composting, be sure to check out my beginner’s composting blog post to learn more: Composting for Rookies.

3. Reduce Plastic Usage in your Home

A lot of good has come from the introduction of plastic in everyday society. For example, the creation of medical devices relies heavily on its production. However, plastic has really taken over in an ugly way in many other aspects.

Plastics leach chemicals, especially when heated. That said, I encourage you to begin switching from plastics in your kitchen to stainless steel pots and pans (All Clad is my FAVE stainless steel pot and pan brand!) and bamboo utensils. Also, don’t reheat food in plastic containers!

4. Reduce Energy Consumption

There are many ways you can work to reduce your energy consumption. For example, you can choose to keep your home warmer during summer months and cooler during winter months. Not only does this save energy, but also money! Rather than using your dryer, consider line drying your clothes if weather permits. Also, switch to energy efficient light bulbs that have the added benefit of lasting longer than incandescent bulbs.

5. Grow Your Own

If you have space in your yard, consider starting a little veggie patch. Many cities also have community gardens you can take part in if you don’t have space at your home. Even apartment gardening is possible; try starting a small herb garden in your kitchen!

By growing your own food, you eliminate the miles required to transport produce to your city’s grocery store. Also, in preparing your own veggies and fruit, you can choose to avoid nasty chemical pesticides that often cover grocery store produce.

6. Natural Cleaning Products

Most conventional cleaning products found at the grocery store have tons of harmful chemicals you don’t want around your home, especially if you have pets and kids. Make your home more eco-friendly by switching to natural cleaning products.

There are also many DIY natural cleaning recipes on Pinterest if you prefer to make your own cleaning supplies. We also had zero waste cleaning expert, Sandy Green of Lady to Lady Clean, guest post on the Tiny Yellow Bungalow giving us some really super advice on eco friendly cleaning!

7. Shop Secondhand

Before making purchases for your home, consider if you can find these items secondhand. Check Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for furniture, clothing, appliances, etc., before purchasing brand new. You can often find great gently used products for a fraction of the price of those products purchased brand new. Saving money and shopping eco-consciously, win!