November 20, 2017
Filed Under: Sustainability

Does Your Lifestyle Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?

Protecting the Earth and reducing our carbon footprint is an important cause to the developers and builders of Whisper Valley in East Austin. However, we understand it can be difficult for people with the right intentions to know where to start on their journey to sustainability. Review our tips for green living and share with your friends!

Do Some Soul Searching

Oftentimes when we make decisions, we look at how the choice will improve our lives and well-being. But the second question to ask yourself should be: Does this reduce my impact in the Earth? By keeping sustainability in the foreground, you can make better choices that affect your day-to-day life, and eventually, transform your entire lifestyle.

Kick Bad Habits

Do you leave lights on around the house when you’re not in the room? Do you fill up the entire kettle when boiling water for tea? Do you leave the tap running while brushing your teeth or washing dishes? All of these habits add up to major energy consumption.

Put sticky notes on doors or reminders in your phone to turn off lights, or, install smart light switches in your home that can be controlled from a device. Did you know boiling water can use as much power as lighting an entire house? Measure out the amount of water you need before you turn on the stove, or, invest in an energy efficient kettle. Put a sticky note on your mirror or next to your tap to help remind you to turn off the faucet and save water when you can.

Make Lifestyle Changes

Once you’ve kicked the bad habits, you may be eager to move on to bigger ways you can reduce your carbon footprint. One of the biggest environmental polluters in our lives is our daily commute. Try carpooling, cycling or using rideshare options to get to work. Even if it’s just a few days a week, switching up how you get to work and other places will reduce your impact. When you do commute in your vehicle, be sure to travel at the speed limit, check your tire pressure, and make sure your car is running efficiently.

A different lifestyle change that doesn’t take a lot of effort: Recycling. Before you toss anything in the trash, check if it can be recycled. If your office or apartment complex does not offer recycling, set up a bin that you can take to a recycling drop off location once a week. Most importantly, reduce and reuse when you can. For example, instead of buying wasteful plastic water bottles, bring a bottle you can continue to fill throughout the day.

Part of the Whisper Valley lifestyle is reducing our carbon footprint. We utilize geothermal energy and solar PV to make our homes zero-energy capable. Homeowners also have the option to customize their homes with smart home automation devices and energy-efficient appliances, like Nest Learning Thermostat, Google Home and BOSCH Kitchen appliances. Our community garden is tended by Lettuce to offer our residents fresh, organic food grown inside Whisper Valley that is delivered to their doorstep in compostable containers.

If you’re ready to commit to the green lifestyle, contact us today!