With many of us still working from home and generally spending more time indoors, this year’s Earth Month (April) celebration could be the best chance to implement eco-conscious changes. Tweaking the work and living areas in our homes can contribute to lowering our carbon footprint. And with outdoor and social activities still limited in many parts of the country, this may be the best time to begin making some impactful alterations. 
Although being a renter limits your options, you can still give your apartment a green makeover by making a few small adjustments. Also, improving your space to use less energy and create less waste might help prevent accidents and property damages covered by renter’s insurance under the “personal property” category.
Here are seven ideas anyone can try in their apartment to have a positive impact on the environment this Earth Month:
- Switch to non-toxic cleaners—Either store-bought or homemade, using environmentally friendly products can have a positive impact on your health. Additionally, they can help reduce damage by accidentally spilling a chemical on a surface or object in your apartment that would require fixing or changing.
- Check your appliances—If you have old appliances around the apartment that need replacing, upgrade to energy-efficient options or even look into choices that don’t require energy at all, such as a French press. The switch could also help prevent accidents from malfunctioning appliances.
- Upcycle—After spring cleaning, there is a high chance you were left with several items you don’t need anymore. Instead of throwing them away, consider repurposing them: coffee cans can become plant pots, old clothes can be used as rags or even larger furniture items such as a ladder can be transformed into a bookshelf.
- Start composting food scraps—With landfills overflowing with organic trash, consider transforming your table scraps into fertilizer for your houseplants or home garden.
- Check your energy supplier—As your energy usage has most likely gone up since working from home, make sure your utility company is using energy from renewable sources and if they’re not, look for a green energy provider you could switch to. Apart from the positive impact on the environment due to the reduced fossil fuel usage, the change could help you save some money.
- Choose paperless options for your utility bills—Many utility providers offer clients the alternative to receive their bills exclusively digitally. This choice will not only decrease your paper usage, but it will also help you manage your account better.
- Unplug unused electronics or chargers—We are all guilty of forgetting something plugged in when we are not using it. Besides the energy saving, unplugging will help prevent accidents that would result in property damage.
