10+ Ideas to make your home or condo more sustainable

In times like the current ones, when sustainability is (or should be) on the agenda, small actions can make all the difference. And instead of thinking about the big issues that are difficult to solve, how about looking inside the house?

In this post, the incredible.club presents 14 relatively simple and efficient tips to make your house or condominium a little more sustainable and contribute to the preservation of the Planet.

The use of separate bins for each type of garbage is important so that, at its final destination, the residues can go to their correct recycling locations. At your residence, you and your neighbors can get together and even earn money with the garbage they produce, as we will show below.

Materials such as aluminum, pet and glass bottles, paper, cardboard and copper can be sold at recycling places and earn some money. Aluminum cans, for example, can be sold for around 3 reais per kilo; PET bottles, on the other hand, reach a lower price (1 real per kilo, more or less) and paper (cardboard and newspaper, for example) can be sold for approximately 50 cents per kilo.

Food scraps, such as peels, fruits, spoiled vegetables and coffee grounds, can be transformed into high quality organic fertilizer. Put everything together in a compost bin and use the fertilizer and manure to nourish the plants and gardens.

Used cooking oil, which many people throw down the sink or toilet (polluting the environment), can be stored in PET bottles and later has two disposal options: you can donate it to specialized reuse locations or make soap House made.

In a country like Brazil, which has a huge incidence of sunlight (and many days of light), the installation of solar panels is, increasingly, an economically viable option. The installation of solar panels on roofs and slabs means that we have cheap and clean energy, in addition to saving on the bill of energy suppliers.

The installation of cisterns and pipes to capture the so-called gray water (from the bath and washing machines) can help to save on the water bill. This water can be used in flushing or cleaning sidewalks, for example.

In any place, no matter how small, you can grow herbs, vegetables and fruits for your own consumption and even to have an extra income. In large spaces or even in small pots, all kinds of things can be planted, having organic food at a low cost.

Bees run a serious risk of extinction, which, if confirmed, could cause a real catastrophe on the Planet from the point of view of food production. But raising European or African bees (the best known and most productive) can cause a huge risk of stings. So how about giving native Brazilian stingless bees a chance? There are about 200 species, some well known, such as the jataí, the mandaçaia and the arapuã. They will pollinate the flowers and produce some honey. In this matter, you learn how to raise these bees.

If you have a small (or even better, a large) backyard, how about going back to your roots and having a chicken coop with two or three chickens? In addition to producing super healthy eggs (and being able to feed them with food scraps), you’ll have a versatile animal that helps control pests and venomous animals like scorpions.

In addition to earning extra money, renting, for example, spaces to park bicycles for neighbors and residents of the neighborhood can encourage the use of this sustainable means of transport and avoid the use of cars and motorcycles that pollute the environment. Another suggestion is to rent rooms for yoga, bodybuilding and handicraft classes.

Green roofs are a trend in many places. As Brazil is a hot country, this idea is perfect, as it helps to reduce the temperature by up to seven degrees in the places where they are installed, thus helping to use the air conditioning or fan at a lower power and thus saving on energy bill.

Why not roll up your sleeves and call your neighbors to take care of the trees on your street or in an abandoned park in the area close to your house? Yes, we know that the government should take care of the streets (and most of the sidewalks), but why wait? Across the country, it is increasingly common for people to take the initiative and take care of public spaces themselves. After all, as the concept itself says, what is ‘public’ belongs to everyone.

Sharing assets with friends and neighbors not only strengthens personal relationships, but can also earn money and preserve the environment. When, for example, you offer someone a ride, you are taking one more car off the road and reducing pollution.

You know those jeans that don’t fit anymore? That toy your child left behind or the sneakers that don’t fit? donate! There is research that says that if that outfit is more than a year old and you don’t use it, you’ll probably never use it again. Just remember that you donate usable things. Anything that is broken (and beyond repair) should go in the trash.

Did you like the tips? Have you adopted or are you going to adopt any? Tell us, we are curious to know.