Written by Berke Ugur, Four Green Steps

We can no longer ignore the impact we have on the earth’s ecosystem. How we live in our habitat, the materials we use and the design we choose have a direct affect on the living environment around us.  It all comes down to energy consumption.

Location

Regardless of what real estate investment you have location is an important, if not the most important variable. It’s no different in green housing.

Your domicile’s relative location to your social community is going to be an essential factor in your ecological footprint. Living further away from urban centers-unless you work and socialize in your neighbourhood- increases your cost of gas and footprint dramatically. If you choose to live closer to city centers, you will not only decrease your energy consumption but also support local businesses where you don’t need to drive 30 minutes to a retail giant to do your weekly shopping.

Exterior

Right Sizing

Do you really need all that living space of your suburb house? Living in spaces bigger than you actually need increase your carbon footprint. Choosing the right size living space that fits to your family needs is the first step if you are planning to start your green house project from scratch. If you already live in a house and want to convert, you could maybe consider separating your unit where you could rent one floor to a tenant (if applicable laws allow) and decrease your living space.

Insulation and generating your own energy

There are some simple ways to design houses that require very little energy.  Solar water distiller, solar panels, rain collection inlet, recovery heat pumps, wind generator, sky light vent are some of the cool gadgets you might consider installing. After all it’s not only about using green material but also having a good design that pairs with it

For the base structure of your house consider using recycled steel or recycled wood instead of wood that needs years to grow to final harvest.

Interior

[1]50% of a house’s energy consumption is due to heating or cooling, and the good news is that it can be prevented easily with few easy steps. There are numerous green appliances available in the market from water tanks that only heat the water being used to water filtration systems that lower your fresh energy consumption.  Good insulation is crucial to not lose any energy from your space.

Try using recycled and composite materials when designing the interior space; Bamboo flooring, re-cycled wood, icestone (cement and recycled glass mixture) countertops and recycled paint.

Financial Matters

Taking a challenge against your energy hungry living space- particularly if you are building up from scratch -might seem scary at first glance but it’s merely a worry; you soon will realize that actually it is as cost-conscious as environment friendly.  In the long-run you will save considerable amount of environment and money.

Follow us for some DIY household items such as

25 ways to use baking soda

101 DIY- Guide to green cleaning

To calculate your own footprint

If you really want to take your project a notch higher, here is a source of inspiration

http://www.o2sustainability.com/

[1] http://www.hamptonsgreenalliance.org/build/systems.html

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