What does being sustainable really mean? In general, living sustainably means being conscious of the world around you by limiting waste, reusing, recycling, and being mindful of the amount of energy you’re using. You might be thinking that implementing sustainable practices in a small apartment won’t make much of a difference, but consider these facts:
- Timing your shower to keep it under 5 minutes can save up to 1,000 gallons per month.
- 100 million trees' worth of junk mail is sent out each year.
- A compact fluorescent light bulb uses about 75 percent less energy than a regular bulb – and it can last up to four years.
There are many small things that add up to big sustainability savings that you can do in your Chico apartment:
- Get off junk mail lists and enroll in paperless billing – sign up for paperless billing, remove yourself from mailing lists and stop junk mail for good! You also will help the environment, protect your privacy and reduce clutter around your apartment. Learn how the FTC says to remove yourself from credit card and insurance mailing lists here.
- Unplug your electronics – devices such as TVs, DVD players, phone chargers, computer chargers, video game consoles, and basically anything that uses a remote control, are energy vampires, sucking away your apartment’s energy and costing you money too. Simply just unplug anything you aren’t using.
- Keep your shades closed during the day – this will help keep heat from escaping in the winter and keep your apartment living space cooler in the summer, as well as keep your thermostat from working harder than it has too.
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth – by keeping it running you’re wasting as much as 5 gallons of water.
- Don’t let the water keep running while doing dishes – instead, invest in two plastic containers, one that can be used to wash the dishes and one to rinse them. If you’re lucky enough to have a double sink in your kitchen, then simply fill up each side.
- Only run the dishwasher when you have a full load – if you don't have to do the dishes by hand, save energy, water, and time by only running the dishwasher when it’s full.
- Use cold water to wash your clothes – you’ll save energy by not causing the water to heat up. Take it a step further and only wash your clothes when you have a full load.
- Use a clothing rack to dry your laundry – draping your clothes over a drying rack and not running the dryer at all, especially in the summer, will still get your clothes dry – you just may need to have a little more patience.
- Use compact fluorescent lightbulbs – changing from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs will shed some light on your savings because they last up to 10 times longer.
- Invest in reusable bags – if you live in apartments in Chico, California, then you’re probably aware that there’s a plastic bag ban in town. So, by bringing your own reusable tote, not only will you not have to pay the .10 cent fee for a bag at the grocery store, but you’ll be supporting the environment along with these 25 other reasons.
- Try other ways of getting to work or school – if you live in a Chico apartment near a bus stop, consider taking public transportation a couple days a week, riding your bike, or carpooling with a neighbor.
- Recycle – Chico apartment complexes all have a spot (probably near the dumpster) for you take your recyclables. Start saving your plastic water bottles, milk jugs, cardboard, aluminum cans, glass bottles, newspaper, and office paper and locate the recycling bin nearest your apartment.
See? You can be sustainable living in an apartment. Small acts can make a big difference in your apartment community, local town, and around the globe. For more apartment living tips, subscribe to our blog.
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