Guest Blogger (Two days Late):

Another guest post from Sam! 

Five Small Changes You Can Make with Big Environmental Impacts

The awareness of environmental changes and its importance to our future is increasing. Green actions such as being energy efficient and recycling are now integral to many people’s daily lives now when compared to 5 years ago.  There is an ongoing pressure for us to pull up our sleeves and do our bit to help the environment. However, when you start trying to do your bit you quickly understand that every action in your home can be made a little bit greener and through no more effort than usual.

There are many that argue there is simply no way you can address every issue you are presented with in the greenest possible way. Time and money are often the reasons why living a greener lifestyle all the time is just not possible and this is understandable so we have tried to outline ten small changes, which can really help make a big difference to the environment at not much cost or time.

1. Drink filtered water

Not only do countries spend millions every year on bottled water, but the sheer amount of plastic needed to hold the liquid reached 1.5 million tonnes in 2005. On an annual basis, the combined total of the world's consumption of plastic materials has risen drastically from circa 5 million tonnes in the 1950s to almost 100 million tonnes today. By using a refillable water bottle and filtering your water it will save you a lot of money and greatly reduce your waste.

2. Ride or walk

Clearly this will be situation dependent; sometimes you will have the time to leisurely stroll to work or meeting some friends and other times you may need to rush. But if you can, put that little extra effort in and try walking or cycling. You will be reducing air pollutants and hopefully getting fit at the same time.

3. Switch off your electronic equipment

Did you know that around ¼ of homes have electronic products on standby at this very point in time? There is simply no need for your electric equipment to be on standby and is often a result of bad habits. You may think that you can’t make a difference and that  you are insignificant which is exactly what the rest of the America thinks too – and why the US wastes more than a $100 million worth of energy each year.

4. Recycle

Recycling is one of the main ways we can join together and save energy. The vast majority of household products can be recycled, including plastics, glass, polystyrene and aerosol cans.  Recycling is important for a variety of reasons; primarily the most important cause for concern is the preserving natural resources for our children and future generations. As time goes on and the population of the world continues to soar we are running out of space for our waste.

5. Inflate your Car Tyres Properly

Sounds strange doesn’t it? But it is really worth checking your tyre pressure every day. The average person that drives 12,000 miles annually in the US on under-inflated tires uses around 145 additional gallons of fuel, which equates to $300-$500 a year. More importantly this extra fuel is accountable for 1.5 extra tons of greenhouse gas.

This article was written in association with Yale front doors for homes. All Yale doors adhere to the strict new U value legislation which ensures doors are as energy efficient as possible.