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Easy ways to be green at home
Make being green a natural part of your everyday life. We were inspired by student Marloes’ easy ways to be more environmentally friendly at home. Here are some of her ideas to get you started.
I find it helps if you make being green a part of daily life. I like being organised and in my kitchen I’ve made a place for the different things I do. I have a growing area and a recycling area. It helps take the effort out of doing things
Seed and grow
You’d be surprised at the variety of plants you can grow on a windowsill. In her Netherlands apartment, Marloes grows tomato and avocado plants, strawberries, lettuce, broccoli and tons of herbs. ‘The kitchen windowsill gets lots of natural sunlight, so it’s the perfect spot. I grow everything from seed in my little greenhouse, then I just transfer the plants into pots when they start to grow. A windowsill garden means I can easily add my own herbs to a pasta dish or add fresh mint leaves to a jug of water. It saves money on food shopping too!’
I leave pots of water around my home as mini humidifiers and spray the plants regularly to release more moisture into the air
Upcycle and reinvent old stuff
Use textiles, paint and accessories to reinvent old furniture, like the chair that Marloes inherited from her grandmother. ‘We sanded it down because the wood was very dark, and I covered the seat with my own fabric, so now it has more of a modern feel,’ she explains. Finding a new, different way to use something that’s not fit for its original purpose is a creative way to stop something becoming landfill. Marloes has turned an old broken suitcase into a storage chest that slots neatly under her bed. ‘I now keep our bedlinen in it and stow it under the bed to save space.’
Make your recycling simple to use and good to look at
‘I like to keep my kitchen organised with separate recycling containers for cans, plastic, glass, paper and food waste,’ says Marloes. ‘It makes life so much easier when I have to put the recycling outside for collection. I also made my own labels so that everyone knows where everything goes – because our friends all help out and get involved in the kitchen when they come round!’
Being green in small ways is easier than you think
We love to see our customers get creative with our products. Go for it! But please note that altering or modifying IKEA products so they can no longer be re-sold or used for their original purpose, means the IKEA commercial guarantees and your right to return the products will be lost.