Sustainability

 Ways to make my home more sustainable? That’s a tough challenge.

We bought a mill house that is now over 100 years old. We’ve lived in it for more than 43 years now. It is in the 1000–1100 square foot range.

Over the years, we’ve added or done the following things.

• We installed multiple roofs, with the last one being metal.
• We installed a heat pump with a thermostat and backup gas heat.
• We installed double pane windows.
• Added a water filter to the cold water kitchen faucet.
• Added insulation.
• We are converting to led lighting.
• We added railing to the front steps.
• We maintain upkeep on the front porch.
• We added floor coverings and moisture barriers.
• We converted the bathroom to one that is more ADA.
• We installed a back deck, cover, wheelchair ramp.

I hear the question—what does the above have to do with sustainability.

• We maintain and improve our current home with the expressed desire to live in it until we pass.
• We are in an established town with sewer, water, gas, and electricity.
• We have converted to more energy-efficient systems over the years.

The contents of the house, what about them?

• Only replace items when they are nonfunctional or no longer fit our lifestyle.
• Repurpose items whenever possible.
• We repair items as necessary, doing the work ourselves when we are qualified.
• If we replace a functioning item, we gift it to someone with a need.

What about growing our food? Shouldn’t we be doing that?

• Growing food source animals are prohibited.
• A garden? I suppose we could do that; we tried it a few times without much success, but we could do something like a raised or victory garden. The lot is small.
• We don’t water the grass.

Recycling?

Of course, we do. Our town picks up every other week and has a garbage pickup too!. Electronics, etc., are taken to a specific site a county over.

Little things

• Energy-efficient large appliances
• Cloth hand towels
• Two sets of bed linens
• Use washable kitchen items instead of disposable ones
• Clothing and linens are washing machine washable
• Air drying clothing and dishes as much as possible
• Cooking meals that can do double duty

We could do more things; however, if we don’t have the skills or the physical ability to do them, can we?

Isn’t it better to hire someone with the necessary skill sets to do tasks than waste time and resources attempting functions for which we are ill-suited?

That’s it off the top of my head. Yes, I know there are countless articles about specific sustainable products—research before you buy. Buy quality and long-lasting things. Avoid fads.

And a final word, build memories with family/friends. Memories are the things you cherish or cringe from as your life’s clock ticks.

Window Coverings

 Drapes, curtains, blinds—which should I use?

Blinds are great; they let in the most light unless the drapes or curtains are sheer. You can direct the direction the light shines into the home. Vacuum them frequently. Please do not use them in a high humidity area as any dust will stick to them. I have blinds in four rooms of my home. The ones in the bathroom are hard to keep clean. I’m ready to replace them with curtains that I can frequently wash.

Metal blinds seem to draw less dust than plastic ones. I have those in my dining room and den and love the minimum intrusion into the space. We added opaque window film to these northern windows.

I have single-pleated blinds in the living room with opaque film only on the bottom half of the windows for privacy. One window is on the south side, and one is on the east.

The bedroom has the most window treatments—window film, double pleated cloth blinds, black-out shades, and drapes. Both of us have been day sleepers, and this northeastern bedroom was our best bet to achieve a dark room. I vacuum but have to wash the drapes occasionally.

Drapes consist of more elegant materials than curtains. You must read cleaning labels and follow the directions.

Curtains are the most practical window coverings. They are from lighter-weight washable materials. Curtains provide privacy—easily cleaned when they become dirty.

So, which do you choose? It is up to you. You may be limited in your choices if you rent or live in an HOA. Owning your home gives you infinitely more options.