8 Easy Ways to Become a Self-Sufficient Home

The transition to a green, sustainable lifestyle starts at home. Every day more and more people realize the importance of things like sustainable living and the use of renewable energy sources. As awareness of these issues grows, self-sufficient homes, namely sustainable housing, are becoming more popular. Forgoing communal amenities and relying only on internal resources may seem intimidating at first, but getting started is much easier than it looks! Whether you live in a big city or on a small plot of land away from the city; There are several ways to make your home self-sufficient… In this article What does sustainable housing mean? and right now environmental friendliness of the house We are going to focus on things like what you can do for yourself.

What does sustainable housing mean?

Sustainable homes, such as stand-alone homes, do not depend on utilities. They provide themselves with water and electricity; they have self-contained sewage and allow residents to grow their own food. Eco-friendly homes are often built using locally recycled materials and green building principles. They are also designed to minimize the need for electrical heating/cooling and lighting. Of course, you don’t need to build or buy a new home to live a sustainable and self-sufficient life. The house you own individual stability You can make it more self sufficient with steps.

What can be done at home to be sustainable?

To lead a more independent life for yourself and our planet, you must start making sustainable choices in your home. Of course, some of the offers below may not be available to everyone. Do not worry about it! Start with the conditions that are right for you. Remember that one tiny step towards sustainable development at home can benefit the whole world.

It can be standalone to make your home self sufficient; then you can go one step further to grow your own food and/or feed your animals. Many people with sustainable farms also produce clothing and other goods themselves to further reduce their dependence on external resources.

So, what steps can I take for individual home sustainability? Or how can I make my home self sufficient? Depending on your budget, location and goals, you can gradually move towards sustainable development, gradually becoming completely self-sufficient. Here are ways to make your home sustainable.

1. Switch to renewable energy

You can add renewable energy infrastructure to your property for individual sustainability. This allows the use of renewable electricity for all power tools and equipment. You can do it in the following ways:

• Solar energy system with solar panels, charge controller, inverter and battery
• Wind turbine fed into your solar system or as a stand-alone system

If you can’t afford to install a complete system that meets all your energy needs, you can also gradually transition to renewable energy by installing the basic infrastructure and gradually scaling it up.

2. Reduce Your Dependence on Electricity

Reducing your reliance on electricity to keep your home sustainable is a great way to limit the load on the solar system and avoid wasting money on things like extra batteries and panels. You can reduce your dependence on electricity in the following ways:

• Using a wood-burning stove for space heating and/or cooking.
• Use of solar water heater for shower, pool and laundry.
• Using a solar oven to cook some meals.
• Install appropriate insulation to minimize the need for space heating and cooling.
• Adding skylights and windows to maximize natural light in your home and minimize the need for light.
• Installing gas appliances (stove, oven, heater, water heater, etc.) can also work well for everyday use or as a backup option in case other appliances fail.

3. Use water in place

The water sources available to you will vary depending on your location, climate, proximity to surface water, groundwater availability, and your local water use laws. The most common options in this regard are:

Most people use more than one water source, depending on the options available to them. Remember that water must be purified or filtered to be drinkable. To do this, you can get help from various methods and systems. Depending on the depth, well water does not always need to be treated. To determine this, you will need to test the water quality.

4. Use eco-friendly toilets

If you are not using a municipal/public sewer to stabilize your home, you will need a local solution. We can list the common options like this:

• Efficient flush toilets on a septic system
• compost toilets
• Annex and pit toilet

The option you choose will depend on how much water and space you have, as well as the type of soil in your area. Not all soils are suitable for septic systems or pit latrines, so if you plan to use these, you should conduct a soil assessment to ensure they are suitable for you and that they do not contaminate local groundwater.

5. Grow your food

Another individual step towards sustainability is growing your own food. Being able to grow your own vegetables, fruits, and grains is a great way to ensure your needs are met without having to buy food from afar. Planting and harvesting a crop that will feed you all year round can be quite hard work, but it is also a very rewarding experience. If you want to start small, you can try growing your own herbs, mushrooms, and vegetables and planting fruit trees.

6. Build a backyard farm

If you have enough space, a chicken for eggs and a cow for milk and cheese can take you one step further on your individual sustainability journey. If your goal is to literally own a farm, you can also raise animals for meat. Chickens, ducks, and rabbits are generally favored in smaller areas, but for those with more land, animals such as cows, goats, and sheep are often kept for their meat and skins. Of course, this step may not be for everyone. If you are not interested in this step towards self-sufficiency, try buying food from farms.

7. Manage your waste

Let’s say you use renewable energy, on-site water, an eco-friendly toilet; you grow your own food and feed your animals… Now you are more or less self-sufficient! What about your waste? Where does your trash go? What happens to soapy water from showers, kitchens and laundry?

If you want to avoid negative impact on the environment, it is important to handle waste responsibly. In particular, you should try to minimize kitchen waste and eliminate waste. Once you learn how to produce less waste that needs to be managed, you will be able to:

• Create a compost heap for organic materials like food scraps and paper.
• Use a wastewater recirculation system or a permaculture filtration system to treat wastewater.
• Set aside your recyclables and save them until you need to take them to the nearest recycling center.
• Don’t buy or share/change things that you can’t use or need.
• Upcycle to give things a second life and keep them clean.
• Finally, you can send the trash you can’t make to the trash can. But this should be the last resort for a small portion of your waste.

8. Build your home with sustainable materials

Whether you’re building, renovating, or expanding your home, look for recycled materials in your area. This helps keep costs and environmental impact to a minimum. Using green building practices and techniques will also help you maximize your building’s sustainability potential.

As you can see, living in a self-sufficient home can have many benefits for sustainable development. What’s more, you don’t have to buy or build a new home for individual sustainability steps. So where do you start?

Sources: mindseteco.co, yourhomestyle

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