How to Make Your Home Office More Eco-Friendly

In a time where a lot of people have been forced to work from home, it has been necessary to create workstations and offices at our own residences. Many employers and employees have found the solution beneficial, and we will probably see a bigger part of the workforce working from home in the future. In a world with climate changes, you can also do your part to help bring down the use of the earth’s resources while sitting on your own office chair.

How to Make Your Home Office More Eco-Friendly

1. Use software not paper

Instead of printing and archiving paper in old boxes in your attic, you should use a cloud service. A cloud service can back up all your documents and make sure that they will be kept forever.

There are several ways to use software for a more sustainable home office. Whether it’s cloud service, time management, customer contact, or it-management software that you need, there is a solution for you. However, it can be hard to find the right software. If you don’t know which program you should go for, you can get some help at https://www.saasgenius.com/.

Also Read: Tips and Tricks for Remote Workers

2. Use a laptop

Those big computers use a lot of power and today most work can be done from an efficient laptop without compromising the computer’s power output. If you already use a laptop, you can turn off the charger when it’s fully charged and use the computer’s battery. Remember to switch off your electronic devices when not in use such as your printer and your computer when going for a break.

You might want to check out if you can get a cheaper energy provider, which is one of our tips in 12 Ways Small Businesses Can Save Energy.

3. Work during the day

Nothing beats natural daylight so you should of course work during the day. Getting that vitamin D has several advantages and it will help you to get through the day without getting tired early on. Place your workspace close to a window so you can enjoy the sunbeams while working.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to work when the sun is out, so if you need a little lamp stand make sure that the light bulb is energy-saving or even better, make use of solar lamps.

Energy-Saving Tips for Small Businesses

4. Use sustainable materials and furniture

If you are about to install a new home office, you can look at the materials that you use to furnish the room. When building yourself you should make sure that you are using sustainable materials. Reclaimed wood has a nice look to it and keeps your conscience clean.

If you are buying other materials, you can make sure that they are produced in-country, so the CO2 emission has been minimal during the transportation. If you are not a big handyman yourself, you can also buy second hand furniture. By doing that you can keep the costs down while staying eco-friendly.

5. Reduce waste

Sometimes it will be impossible not to use paper for printing, but when you do use it the right way. You can use recycled paper and printers that are not as ink-consuming. Nowadays it is possible to buy a printer with disappearing ink. This means that you can use the same piece of paper over and over again as the ink disappears over time.

During a long day’s work, it is also advisable to remember to drink water. Just remember to use a reusable drinking bottle, so we can reduce plastic waste and make the world a greener place.

Infographic Provided By Energy Pricing, a top competitor to compare energy rates 

4 Ideas to Redesign Your Kitchen Units in a Sustainable Way

Whether the trends have changed or you’re tired of seeing the same old design in your room, it may be time for a change. However, redesigning your kitchen units (and maybe the whole kitchen) can be costly, especially if you purchase too many supplies or need to stick to a budget. Even so, you can change whatever you like through sustainable practices that will allow you to buy affordable things. A penny saved is a penny earned, so let’s get into it.

redesign kitchen units in ecofriendly manner

1. Try sustainable paint

The easiest and less pricey option for redesigning your kitchen units is to paint them. Green products are accessible, but first, you need to consider a few things. To keep the paint on for a longer time, you must be careful how you strip off the old paint. For example, you might want to get a lead-based paint remover that will safely alter it. Removing and cleaning the waste won’t be a hassle anymore, and you’ll be able to dispose of it properly.

Secondly, when looking for sustainable paint, the best options are products with low or no VOC (volatile organic compounds). For durability, check if the paint is oil-based or water-based with 100% acrylic resin. You may also add a clear sealer top on the paint for more protection. Finally, regarding the sealer, you’ll find polyurethane products that will care for your cabinets against fingertips and other strains.

Know that sustainable paint is not only good for the environment but your health too. If you don’t choose protective equipment, your lungs may be affected by the fumes and chemicals, and in the worst cases, those paints can even contribute to respiratory diseases and cancer. So, besides choosing sustainable paint, make sure you properly ventilate the room and wear a mask to minimise the risks.

Look for sustainable materials

When choosing sustainable materials for your cabinets, you’ll have two options: either purchase high-end products that will last forever or look for recycled countertops. The expensive materials will surely last for a longer time, but depending on how much you want to invest in your house, they might not be the best solution if you’re not already settled in your own household.

Then, if you choose recycled products, they might not look that good so they may need another repaint, but the prices are more accessible, like:

  • FSC-certified and bamboo plywood;
  • FSC-certified wood
  • Wood Veneer
  • Renewable wood like lyptus (made from two species of eucalyptus)

Still, if your budget allows it, look for these high-end materials:

  • Maple
  • Cherry
  • Alder
  • Red birch

The less expensive products are not less durable, they’re only not that fancy-looking, but you can still change their appearance. Salvaged wood and reused wood pallets are better than having furniture containing certain toxins that can affect your health. For example, some semi-volatile organic compounds found in such materials have been found to contribute to asthma and wheezing.

3. Shop from local manufacturers

One great way of being a sustainable customer is to support your local businesses and purchase their products. By doing this, you’ll offer them the opportunity of creating new and better products and also provide qualitative furniture to their clients. What’s best about local manufacturers is that they can make custom kitchen units that will suit your tastes better. They may cost you a little bit more, but the investment is worth it.

However, if there are no local businesses in your area and you have no choice but to buy from regular suppliers, you can at least check their ethical and eco policies to ensure they respect the environment and don’t waste resources. Be aware of greenwashing and check if there are rumours around the company’s practices because, most times, if other people sense there’s something wrong with a business, it might be true.

Greenwashing happens when companies invest more in advertising and promoting their intentions and practices. Still, in reality, they don’t implement sustainability into their culture to minimise their impact on the environment. So, if one of your suppliers seems to insist too much on green products and such, make sure you research them thoroughly before purchasing their products.

4. Buy second-hand

Second-hand shops are not only great for reusing clothes but also for furniture. Some showrooms will work by displaying used units, cabinets and such at a discount price. The only disadvantage is that you may find cracked or broken things, so they will need reparations, repainting and much more. Still, the advantage of such showrooms is that you’ll find plenty of unique products, from vintage units to some of the latest designs that you may not find on the internet anymore. Plus, some of these products are made with high-end materials, which is why some of them are very heavy.

Regarding the design, if you’re lucky to find a furniture auction near you or selling online, you might be able to get your hands on:

  • Mid-century modern furniture with organic and geometric shapes, minimal ornamentation and neutral and bold colours;
  • Modern furnishings, with smooth surfaces, straight lines and warm neutral colours;
  • Art deco furniture, with angular lines, bold patterns and prints and animal themes;
  • Chippendale furniture that has wooden lattice-shaped curves and elaborated ornamentation;
  • Rocco furniture brings the 18th century into your kitchen with lighter woods and pastel colours;
  • Victorian furniture is represented by heavy fabrics, ornate carvings and inlays;
  • The mission-style furniture features include straight lines, squared legs and durability;
  • The Queen Anne design involves curving shaped-furniture, delicate fan or shell patterns made from maple or mahogany woods;

Wrapping up

What do you think about these ideas? We believe anyone can redesign their kitchen units and furniture by making a small effort to look for something more than you’d typically find at the regular supplier. Painting furniture is also a sustainable method of caring for and changing your cabinets. Make sure you choose the proper paint and product and equip yourself with masks. So, what’s your next plan for transforming your kitchen units?

Creating an Eco-Friendly Project Site

Creating a worksite for construction is already a tough task, you have to get all the workers, tools, set up transportation of resources and materials, source the whereabouts of where this will take place, and more. It can be daunting at times, as you have a lot to plan and think about, plus the costs can be outrageous.

What’s even harder is planning it to be an eco-friendly site, as more people are in a rage about making things environmentally friendly; from power to materials, to transportation, they’d want it all to be as safe and protective of the ecosystem as possible. Luckily for you, you don’t have to look every to figure out how to do so, because you can look here.

Creating an Eco-Friendly Project Site

Finding Sustainable Materials to Work With

When you think of construction and building, you’ll often think of a workplace, workers, cement mixer, pallets of materials, and much more. While this is true, to create a more eco-friendly site, you’d want to start by thinking about what kinds of materials you are using and should you be using, and how to ensure responsible sourcing.

There are many different materials that you can use in place of concrete or commonly found materials that are not good for the environment thanks to the gases or pollution that they cause. These materials can include bamboo, straw, recycled plastic, and much more.

Manage Powered Equipment More Effectively

Powered equipment can take a great toll on the environment since it uses mass quantities or electricity to remain powered. What’s worse, is most worksites will keep their lights, tools, and everything else on while they are no longer working, or while on break. While this may not seem so bad, this can affect the use of electricity horribly and do damage to the environment.

If you want to become more eco-friendly, ensure your workers are managing their electricity correctly, shutting their tools and lights off when not in use, and opting for more eco-friendly ways to work. This can be difficult to do, but will greatly decrease the effect and use of electricity and harm on the environment.

Try to Conserve as Much Water as Possible

Water is one of the most overused and overlooked resources when at a job site. Water can be used for basic toiletries, cleaning materials, and many other ways. One of the best ways to conserve and repurpose water would be through the use of collected rainwater.

While it may seem a bit off, you can build rainwater collection systems that allow you to repurpose, irrigate, and use water that would have just been discarded or thrown away. This gives you a source of water that is usable but most likely shouldn’t be consumed.

Recycling from Construction Materials and Demolition

Let’s face it, you are going to have a lot of construction trash, broken materials, or unused materials left over from the job site, and you are most likely going to hire some person to quickly pick it up and haul it away. While this is a cheap and easy thing to do, the better choice would be to recycle or repurpose these materials.

Recycling of Construction Materials

You could hire a recycling company that will take these materials away, harvest what’s usable, and then repurpose them for future use. Or if that’s not your fancy, you could donate them to another work site yourself, and they can take these busted materials off your hands and purpose them themselves. Lastly, you could just repurpose a need or use of the material and not let anything go to waste.

Maximize Use of Natural Light and Energy

A way to conserve and maybe even build energy rather than just use it would be to think of your natural sources of energy and light. During the day you won’t need much light as the sun will give you natural light at all times it is out. And a way to use this energy to your advantage and even build a reserve would be to invest in solar.

Solar energy allows you to use the power of the sun, and as technology advances more companies are looking into creating tools and other ways to use solar or more eco-friendly energy conserves. A reserve of energy would not just help the environment but also save you money.

Solar Energy Guide for Students

Reduce Carbon Footprint on Transportation

Moving materials from one place to another can cause a huge increase in carbon production which would hurt the environment. To make the most out of becoming more eco-friendly, try to see if you can manage the use of transportations correctly, or switch to an eco-friendly fuel.

As time advances and many more eco-safe or eco-friendly companies start to come to fruition, more and more are looking into the use and design of more environmentally sound fuels for vehicles or tools. This could be solar power or bio-based fuels that can reduce this carbon footprint.

Planning for a Sustainable Work Site

There are a lot of things to keep in mind when planning or setting up your work site. More is added when you have to start considering all the different ways to make the job site more eco-friendly to appease a bigger crowd that is steadily growing in their desire for environmentally safe construction sites.

While it may be a lot to consider, or even think about while trying to make your project site more eco-friendly, there are many ways you can start doing this. These include finding sustainable building materials that would be more environmentally friendly, conserving the use of electricity, saving water, and even maximizing the use of natural energy sources, recycling what you can from leftover materials or demolitions, and even reducing your carbon footprint by investing in eco-friendly fuel and ways of transportation.

While it is a lot to think of, don’t be afraid to plan this journey out slowly, and take small steps to become more eco-friendly at the job site. Even the smallest steps make a great impact and will slowly add up.

5 Key Principles of Eco-Friendly Interior Design

Cruelty-free beauty products and organic diets are all the rage lately because people want to start living more continuously. However, your home plays a big part in the rise in global C02 emission rates. Committing to a more eco-friendly interior design can really help the planet.

How to Become an Interior Designer

Becoming an interior designer typically requires a degree, but not all professionals who work in this field have gone to college. The pathway to success may be challenging, but you can get there by learning a designer’s duties and required skills, like customer service and patience.

Principles of Eco-Friendly Interior Design

It’s a good idea to find a mentor who can help you gain experience and build your reputation. Non-degree holders often start as independent contractors, so they can develop their portfolio consistently. Don’t forget to build your network, as they’ll help you find job opportunities.

The Important Principles of an Eco-Friendly Home

According to studies, utilities, furnishing, shelter, miscellaneous goods, and electronics account for 33.6% of household emissions. You can get this number down by implementing the following principles of eco-friendly interior design:

1. Energy-Efficient Design

Energy consumption heavily contributes to climate change and environmental degradation. Most modern buildings consume large amounts of electricity, either directly or through conversion. For example, most American homes get their electricity by converting gas.

Natural lighting, effective insulation, and the right wall colors can cut down on consumption. Carpets can retain up to 10% of a home’s heat, and lighter colors can brighten up the room, which lowers your utility bills. Light curtains and drapes can reduce the need for artificial lights.

2. Water-Efficient Design

Water shortages aren’t all that uncommon, even in the United States. Homeowners can install rainwater storage systems that reuse rainwater for household use, while water-use feedback machines can keep people aware of how much water they’re using, preventing overuse.

Small things like a no-leak tap system, pressuring regulating devices, drip irrigation systems, high-efficiency nozzles, and low-flow toilets could help you save 50% of your daily water use. What’s more, you don’t even have to change your lifestyle to reduce your overall consumption.

3. Eco-Friendly Materials

Fast fashion and single-use plastics are polluting our planet, but so are materials that are used in our home-based fabrics and paint. Non-toxic and non-polluting materials have a much lower environmental impact, so try to use wood and stone products as long as they aren’t treated.

Bamboo is an alternative to many other organic materials, as they’re less likely to be extracted, transported, produced, and processed irresponsibly. Eco-paint, typically made from starch and clay, can lower volatile organic chemicals, but so can bio-glass and cork-made flooring.

bamboo as a construction material

4. Sustainability With Style

There’s a running myth that eco-friendly homes fail in the “stylish” department, but thanks to modern technology, that’s no longer the case. Today, bamboo and cork flooring come in various textures and colors, making them versatile for all homes, regardless of your personal style.

Not only that, but most eco-friendly materials are more durable and widely available, as brands are focusing more on their eco-lines of products. For example, PaperStone makes countertops, accessories, sinks, cladding, and more out of 100% recycled paper and non-petroleum resin.

5. Sustainable Furniture

Furniture is an essential aspect of interior design, as it plays a role in influencing a home’s aesthetic. Buying used furniture is a great first step, but you have to make sure said furniture is made from sustainable and organic materials, like non-treated wood and fast-growing bamboo.

As mentioned, sustainable materials like cork lead to less pollution, but recycled plastic, metal, and rattan-made products offer both eco-friendliness and comfort. If you’re a fan of fabric-made couches, make sure the dye used in the furniture is able to break down safely in landfills.

6 Strategies To Improve Aerospace Waste Management

The aerospace industry has numerous waste streams that can produce enough waste to disrupt the world. This is mainly from the manufacture of aircraft, engines, and parts. However, the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) confirms that the industry is doing its best to prioritize waste management.

In fact, the association feels that the industry is making good strides toward ensuring that the natural environment is protected. But there’s always room for improvement as waste management and environmental protection are continuous processes. For many players in the aviation industry, waste reduction and management are the most significant hurdles to overcome.

This article looks at six strategies aerospace companies can employ to help improve waste management.

Strategies To Improve Aerospace Waste Management

1. Waste Prevention

The best way to manage waste is to prevent its production in the first place. That’s why waste production prevention is usually a top goal in any industry looking to manage waste effectively. If the aerospace industry can eliminate the production of some of its waste materials, it’ll be able to make significant progress in waste management.

There are numerous and technologies that the industry can utilize throughout the product cycles to help steer clear of waste. For example, aerospace precision machining companies like Moseys Productions use certain techniques that are meant to reduce manufacturing waste. This creates a chain reaction where there’s waste prevention in the rest of the stages in the product cycle.

2. Waste Reduction

The first strategy mentioned would be the best and only one needed for aerospace waste management in an ideal world. However, zero waste production isn’t always possible for various reasons, such as the steps followed in the manufacturing process. But there are other things the industry can do to ensure that there’s minimal waste production.

In waste reduction, the industry will need to look at all of the processes that lead to waste production. This may include changing the design of the products or the way they’re manufactured to ensure that the least amount of waste is generated. The industry can take the same steps to ensure that the waste produced isn’t as toxic or harmful to the environment.

For the aerospace industry to get the most out of waste reduction, it needs to identify areas with high waste production. The necessary changes have to be carried out in a way that won’t compromise the quality of the final products. Pinpointing such areas is the key to the success of this strategy. Precision machining can also be applied in this waste minimization strategy.

sustainability practices in aerospace industry

3. Sustainable Material Use

Apart from making efforts to eliminate or reduce waste, the industry would do well to use sustainable materials. These are materials that the industry can have produced in precise volumes. This would help make sure that there’s no disruption of the established environmental balance or depletion of nonrenewable resources.

The beneficial result is ensuring that waste is cut right at the production of raw materials so there isn’t much to waste in the manufacturing process. The focus here is on what materials the industry purchases and their quantities. Waste management is possible when it starts from the very beginning of the product cycle—at the sourcing of raw materials.

4. Recycling And Reuse

Even in the aerospace industry, materials such as wood, paper, glass, and plastics can be used to fabricate fresh products. When more materials are recycled and reused, the need for new ones is significantly reduced. In addition, it allows for the recovery and use of materials that would’ve otherwise gone to waste.

Having a waste material recycling strategy is essential in aerospace waste management. Not only would it help conserve energy and reduce emissions in raw material extraction, but it’s also an excellent way of keeping waste to a minimum.

5. Technology And Waste Processing

Successful waste management in the aerospace industry lies in effectively making waste easy to handle. Fortunately, technological advancement has continued to make waste processing simpler and more efficient. By reducing waste materials at the front-end processing system, there are added benefits such as:

  • Reducing the number of times a company needs to dispose of waste from manufacturing plants
  • Producing better recyclable waste

Properly handling aerospace waste processing goes a long way in improving waste management in the long run. The latest technologies include those used in the briquetter systems, ultrafiltration systems, and coolant recycling systems.

6. Joint Waste Management

It’s good for the industry to open up and embrace partnership initiatives with other entities both public and private. This would result in the accumulation of ideas that can help make waste management more accessible.

Taking a collective approach can benefit the industry as it’ll bring in players who may help with many functions of waste management. For example, having a partner who recycles metal, plastic, or wood waste would make it possible to dispose of such directly and sustainably. It may also help in overcoming some barriers the industry may be facing with waste disposal and management.

Conclusion

Waste management is crucial in the aerospace industry given that it’s a huge waste producer. Having clear strategies for the prevention, reduction, and disposal of waste would go a long way in making sure that aerospace companies achieve their environmental goals.