Living the Green Way: Key Practices for Sustainable Apartment Living

Many think this practice is for those with large garden spaces, but all you need is a few pots and a bit of dedication. Even if you don’t have spare pots you can make use of extra containers or sacks to grow your own produce. Most upcoming apartments in Colombo feature balcony spaces which are ideal for storing plants, which will make this practice more frequent in the future. Home-grown fruits and vegetables are healthier than store-bought items and they also reduce the need for plastic bags that you use to bring them home from the store. Additionally, having a few plants can be therapeutic and add more beauty to your space. 

Recycling various materials like paper and electronics can go a long way towards protecting the environment. Reusing scraps of paper and cardboard can help save trees which are cut down to produce more paper. Additionally, electronic waste can often release several toxic elements into the environment when they are destroyed. Consider finding new uses for pieces of paper and electronics before you throw them away; if you have no use for old electronics consider giving them to a shop that may want to reuse various parts or elements.

Paperless bills are a great way to save on space and reduce your carbon footprint. Furthermore, switching to online bills and payments is an easier way to keep track of your expenses and saves you the time of safely storing payment receipts and bills. This can be a real bonus when living in an apartment where you may be short on space for more storage and file work. 

Using bottled water or water canisters may be efficient but their use of plastic bottles can do more harm than good in the long run. Bottled water in particular comes with various health risks such as the presence of various chemicals that may transfer from the plastic bottle itself. A healthier alternative is to use tap water, after boiling it of course. You can also use a water filter to further reduce any toxins and bacteria in tap water. 

If you’ve moved into a new apartment like TRI-ZEN and want to keep it sparkling from the get-go, using natural products to keep your space clean is a great eco-friendly practice. Vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent when mixed with water. All you need to do is fill a spray can with vinegar and water and apply it when cleaning tiles and kitchen counters. Once you wipe it with a towel your surfaces will be left sparkling clean! Additionally, lemon juice and lavender oil are great natural air fresheners and will add an extra hint of freshness to your space. Using natural cleaners reduces your reliance on various cleaning liquids which also lessens your accumulation of plastic bottles that these come in.