Making your home a little greener during retirement can have surprising rewards — like lower bills
and a sense of well-being. That’s why we put together these tips to help you keep money in your
wallet while reducing waste and improving the health of the planet.
Reuse Grocery Bags
Plastic bags from the grocery store are a huge source of plastic pollution. Each bag can take up
to 1,000 years to degrade and are often more expensive to recycle than produce — meaning
many recycling centers don’t accept them. Purchasing reusable grocery bags, and keeping them
in your car, will make shopping just as convenient while reducing unnecessary waste.
Skip Straws
Disposable drinking straws are a huge source of waste in the United States. In fact, there are
more than 500 million straws thrown away every day and more than 182,500,000,000 per year.
Opting to skip the straw and drink straight from the glass can eliminate waste without a big
reduction in comfort.
Use Reusable Cups
Buying a reusable water bottle is a cheaper, environmentally friendly alternative to disposable
water bottles. It’s also a lot cheaper in the long run. You can also swap out reusable coffee cups
for one that’s unique to your personality, making your morning cup of coffee even more special.
Become Energy Efficient
Keeping your thermostat at a steady temperature while utilizing energy efficient products and
practices can help you save both money and energy, which in turn helps save the planet.
Installing energy efficient appliances and light fixtures can reduce your bill in the long run while
making your home greener. Local electric companies like AEP Ohio have even designed a variety
of programs and rebates to reduce the initial energy efficiency investment.
At Friendship at Home, our program helps you age in the comfort of your own home, meaning
you remain in control of things like your home’s energy efficiency. If you’re interested in
discussing our program or want to learn more, we’d love to chat! Give us a call at (614) 734-2167.