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Creating An Eco-Friendly Home
The time couldn’t be better to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Think renewable, recyclable and reclaimed as you strive to create an eco-friendly home. Michelle Korosy, Realtor Sales Associate with ERA Justin Realty shares some conscious design tips to show you how to make your home earth-friendly and lovely.
Choose Eco-Friendly Wood Floors
When opting for wood floors, choose living-green flooring, such as bamboo, cork or reclaimed wood. Bamboo flooring is formed from the stalks of sustainable bamboo plants; the surface is easily maintained, moderately priced and highly durable. Sound-absorbent, moisture-resistant and cushy, cork flooring is crafted from a renewable resource; only the outer bark of cork trees is used in its production, which means trees are left standing for future harvests.
Decorate Your Space With Houseplants
Houseplants—whether hanging in a window, set atop a table or standing tall in a corner—perform as living sculptures that filter out airborne toxins, add welcome humidity to heated rooms, emit oxygen and improve a home’s overall air quality.
Remodel Wisely
When updating your kitchen or bath, choose eco-friendly surfaces and furnishings to bring contemporary vibes and timeless character. Look for cabinets constructed of sustainable woods, like bamboo or eucalyptus, or keep your old cabinets out of the landfill and “upcycle” them with paint. For countertops, look at items that are crafted of recycled glass, as well as concrete, quartz and butcher-block types made from reclaimed wood or bamboo.
Freshen The Walls
Perk up a room with eco-friendly paints and wallpapers that won’t adversely affect your home’s interior air quality. Shop for zero- or low-VOC-emission paints, wallpapers, stains, caulks and adhesives.
Insulate
When you think of insulation, the color pink probably comes to mind. But as it turns out, insulation can be green, as in earth-friendly, too! To make your house more energy-efficient and eco-friendly, look for fiberglass insulation alternatives, such as sheep’s wool, aerogel, Thermacork, polystyrene, cellulose, icynene, and even denim!
Support The Locals
Check Craigslist, Etsy, and social media sites for nearby artisans, woodworkers, potters and similar who offer eco-friendly decorative items like furnishings, artworks and accessories. By shopping locally for handcrafted items, you eliminate energy expenditures involved in long-distance shipping and can strengthen the town’s economy.
Shop Secondhand
One person’s trash could be your finest going-green treasure. You will never know what you will find! Shop thrift stores, estate sales and online auctions for eco-friendly home décor. Relying on existing objects to round out your decor will greatly impact what’s (not) going into landfills.
The eco-friendly style of home is growing in desirability and will always be a smart choice. By investing in a more eco-friendly home, you won’t just be helping the environment during the building or remodeling process, but throughout the life of the home. To help in the search for your future home, contact Michelle Korosy or any of our Sales Professionals at 201.939.7500.
