Leo Tolstoy once famously stated, “everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” Change starts at home, and we’re all in this together.
The point is if you want to do your part to reduce humanity’s global carbon footprint and usher in a new era of sustainable living, start at home.
And, starting small is fine. Here are some suggestions you can use to make your living room more environmentally friendly – almost overnight!
1. Invest in used or upcycled furniture, or buy furniture made from sustainable materials
Now, we’re not saying to get rid of your current furniture just so you can buy used or upcycled furniture – that would be wasteful.
But, when you do get it into your creative mind to reinvent your interiors, consider doing so either with used or upcycled furniture or just as well, buy furniture made from sustainable materials.
You can often buy used furniture that’s been very well cared for at a substantial discount over new prices, not to mention the fact that buying used and upcycled puts a considerably lower strain on manufacturing and the supply chain.
There are also many natural materials that are not only sustainable but biodegradable and which are relatively affordable, too. Consider rattan or bamboo furniture, for instance – and always consider a natural fabric like cotton over a synthetic one!
2. Upgrade to an LED floor lamp for your living room
In truth, don’t just get an LED floor lamp for your living room – go with LEDs across the board. They’re not just environmentally friendly, they’re superior to other interior lights like incandescents, halogens, and CFLs in almost every conceivable way.
First, LEDs are enormously energy efficient and long-lasting. Per energy.gov, LEDs can be as much as 75% more efficient (and last up to 25 times longer) than incandescents. That alone should have you running for LEDs!
But LEDs also produce less heat (creating less fire risk), are available in a wide range of luminous intensities and color temperatures, and are often recyclable.
Plus, when you upgrade to an LED floor lamp for your living room like FENLO’s Falon Dimmable Torchiere Floor Lamp with a real marble base, you can enjoy opulence and environmental friendliness in one package!
3. Bring the outdoors in
There are so many good reasons to bring plants into a setting, and the irony is that often live arrangements are more affordable than their plastic counterparts! (You do need to care for live plants, though.)
Plants can help mediate humidity in your home’s interior, while also regulating the ambient volume. In addition, plants filter our VOCs from the air while adding oxygen – and as you may know, plants are huge carbon sinks; the more plants there are in the world, the more effectively they can sequester carbon, helping to fight climate change.
Speaking of regulating humidity; slightly more humid air in the winter (which plants can provide) can make a room feel warmer, which brings us to our final suggestion.
4. Scale back the HVAC
Finally, go easy on the HVAC. Both heating and cooling systems typically chew through fossil fuels. Frankly, even if you’re using electricity, there’s a good chance it comes from coal-fired sources.
This means that the less HVAC you use (regardless of the season) the less you will be contributing to carbon emissions. Open the windows in the summer and bundle up in the winter!
Also, there’s another reason to scale back your use of heating and cooling: it saves you money. That’s a nice way to cap off a plan to make your living room more environmentally friendly!
