Guest Post: Sustainability at Home

By Tern Water

We hear the term "sustainable living" thrown around a lot these days. Do you know what sustainable living is, though? At its most basic level, it means making choices in the products we buy, the food we eat and the actions we take that will allow us to extend the life of the limited resources we have on our planet – water, energy sources, plants, animals, and people.

One of the most important ways we can contribute is by making our homes more sustainable. Here are some choices to make to ensure you are doing your part at home:

Stop buying bottled water

Get a home water filter (Tern’s new Smart Faucet will reduce the water flow from 2.5 gallons to 1.5 gallons on your kitchen sink and it looks great) and keep a pitcher in your fridge. Fill up a reusable water bottle to take to work, school, and the gym.

Energy sources 

Consider solar energy as a source of power, rather than typical electric. While the upfront costs to install may be slightly higher, overall efficiency and reduction of your carbon footprint will help to offset those expenses in the long run. Many cities, like Philadelphia, have incentive programs for homeowners who choose to use solar energy.

Smart home products

By choosing products like smart thermostats that automatically adjust to the actual temperature, your home can become more energy efficient.

Energy efficient appliances

Using appliances with better efficiency ratings can reduce overall household energy use by more than 10 percent.

Compost

Rather than throwing away all those vegetable and fruit scraps, consider composting them. You can turn the compost into fertilizer for your own garden, or find a local community garden that can use them.

Better insulation and windows

Make sure that your home is fully insulated, and your windows are double paned to maintain temperature. This will enable you to use less energy for heating and cooling.

Thoughtful purchase choices

Research the products that you buy to use in the home. By financially supporting companies that manufacture sustainably and use natural, "green” products (like PiperWai), you are sending a strong message to companies about your buying intentions. Market demand always drives commercial enterprise. When companies who don’t follow these guidelines start to lose money, they will change their operations and practices in order to remain financially viable.

Taking just a couple of these actions can make a difference in your contribution to ensuring our planet can continue to not just survive, but thrive.

Founded in 2016, Tern's mission is to empower people to obtain the best water by providing them with the information and tools they need to ensure they have sustainable and safe water whenever they need it.

PiperWai and Tern are part of a growing community of Philadelphia entrepreneurs who believe in creating healthy, sustainable experiences for their customers.