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It’s Possible to Make Your House More Eco-friendly

Apparently, humanity is destroying the planet. News items and articles in newspapers and on the TV gnaw at the collective conscience. David Attenborough’s smile and upbeat delivery from his very early appearances on TV has been replaced by a sullen, miserable frown with a downbeat, deadpan delivery.

Before we all become depressed and down like David, there are things we can do to help, in some small way, to alleviate the pressure on the environment, save on utility bills and make us feel good at the same time.

Let’s look at some suggestions which homeowners can introduce to reduce the burden on the environment.

Install solar panels

Coal, gas and oil powered generating stations are the source of the electricity which powers our homes, offices and factories. Without it we would be living in an unsophisticated agrarian society. We take electricity for granted, but the pollution which is caused by mining and drilling for coal and oil does untold damage to the environment, and that is without the millions of tons of CO2 pumped in to the atmosphere from power station chimneys.

The alternative is to generate power from more eco friendly and sustainable sources, such as wind, wave and solar. Solar energy power generating on a micro scale is something we can see in virtually every city, town and village in the UK. There are over one million domestic properties with solar panel installations in the UK, generating 2,499 MW of electricity (source:https://www.atlanticrenewables.co.uk/). These forward thinking homeowners benefit from almost zero cost electricity AND earn money from the government’s old Feed in Tariff scheme and the more recently introduced Smart Export Guarantee (SEG).

Improve insulation at home 

Another way to make your house eco-friendly is to improve insulation. When you have a well-insulated house, it lessens the need to turn your heater on. It keeps your home warm even if you only turned the heater on for a few minutes. Since air couldn’t escape the place, it’s easy to maintain the temperature. Seek help from a professional who can help improve the insulation at home. With proper installation, you can save up to 30% of your electric bills. Reducing electrical consumption could also help save the environment. 

Apart from the positive effects of this effort to the environment, it can also improve your properties value. People prefer living in a house where there’s improve insulation to reduce their electric consumption.

Choose energy-efficient light bulbs

If you’re still using the old lighting system at home, it might be time to change them. Yellow incandescent bulbs, for instance, are not suitable for your house. They consume too much energy and increase your electric bills. Instead of the regular light bulbs, you can consider energy-efficient LED lamps. They are not only energy-efficient, but they can also last longer. Once you decide to have an LED at home, you don’t have to replace them frequently.

Avoid using chemicals

When you use chemicals for skincare, cleaning your house, and other purposes, you’re also hurting the environment. The chemicals from these products could go directly to the open waters after you rinse. Therefore, it helps if your shift to natural options and cleaning yourself and your house.

With these tips, you don’t need to feel guilty about your actions anymore. You know that even in your small ways, you’re preventing the destruction of the environment.

Online Learning Entails Discipline and Focus 

It appears that many parents have raised issues about the idea of distance learning. For them, it’s a difficult challenge to overcome. Many children are challenging to deal with, unable to focus their minds on the tasks in hand.

Although there are some downsides to distance learning, it doesn’t mean it can’t work. Education can take place anywhere, and it doesn’t have to stay within the four walls of a classroom. As long as students remain disciplined and focused, home schooling can and does work work.

Children need supervision

Parents play a crucial role in the learning process. You serve as your children’s first teacher. Even during regular classes, you are still the primary teacher. Teachers at school will only supplement the education which you provide at home. Supervising your children shouldn’t be a problem if you always remain involved. Make yourself available if there are questions regarding the lessons. 

Ground rules

The problem some parents have is that their children spend too much time playing video games and other mind numbing pastimes like tik tok etc. while your children are at home, it’s easy to feel tempted to forget studying; it takes dedication and patience. Rules need to be clear and concise. You can’t stop them from playing video games, but you can allow them to do it only within a given time frame. They should also show proof that they already finished their academic work before playing again. 

You should also have rules in place regarding the use of electronic devices. You don’t want your children to over expose themselves to these gadgets, given the potential harmful impact they can have on children’s health. You should also encourage the use of EMF protection. These protective devices will help them avoid the adverse effects of exposure to low level radiated EMF energy.

Keep close contact with teachers

Although you supervise the learning process, it doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. You should maintain close contact with the teachers. If there are elements of the lesson that you don’t understand, you should ask. You should also work out strategies that could help you teach the lessons better. Most teachers worth their salt would be more than willing to guide you and offer some tips to help lessen your burden. 

Extend your patience

Asking your children to remain focused and disciplined isn’t easy. They will do whatever they can to avoid having to undertake school work at home. They also have a limited attention span. You must extend your patience and learn how to smile amid the situation. You can’t take it out on your children; it isn’t their fault we are all in lockdown at this time.

You still want them to have an enjoyable learning experience. It shouldn’t be a shouting match. Encourage and coax gently but with a firm hand. If you shout and rant, they will lose interest in learning and become difficult to teach. 

Distance learning might not be an ideal situation, especially for younger learners. However, the current situation is beyond our control. You have to make the most of it and find a way to continue teaching your children. They can still learn a lot through this method, depending on your level of support and attention.

How to Avoid Dry Skin and Itching

Dry skin is associated with flaking and itchiness. Dry skin is a common problem but it is not something which cannot be treated. Dry skin can lead to breaks in the skin and open sores. It’s a common issue especially among the elderly population. Dry skin isn’t just something which affects just the exposed skin, such as face, hands, arms and legs etc.

If you have dry skin issues, these are the things to do if you want to banish dry skin and itching and return a natural balance and healthy glow to your skin.

Drink plenty of water

You have to stay hydrated all the time. Your body is continually shedding dead skin cells and growing new skin cells. If you don’t drink enough water, the natural rhythm of decay and renewal of skin cells can be compromised. In addition, dehydration can have adverse effects on your overall health.

Don’t spend too much time under the sun

You might love to sunbathe because you want to have a healthy looking tanned skin. The problem is that in doing so will lead to dry skin. Worse, you could suffer sunburn and, with long term exposure, develop skin cancer. If you stay longer under the sun you risk permanent damage to your skin. Receiving a few minutes of exposure each day is more than enough. Take a parasol or wear a hat, and try to keep as much of your skin covered when you’re out in the sun.

Stop smoking

Smoking causes damage to skin. Apart from the damage to lungs, teeth and gums, smoking causes wrinkled skin and a sallow complexion. You need to stop smoking now if you want to maintain a healthy glow. Cigarettes kill healthy skin cells. It’s the reason why you look dry and appear older than your actual age when you smoke than if you don’t smoke. 

Being stressed out

You need to handle stress better. Stress can cause other health issues to manifest. You can also suffer skin breakouts if you allow stress to get the better of you. If possible, you need to learn how to let go of problems, chill and not worry about things which you cannot control. Avoid overreacting and overthinking.

Get enough sleep

When you don’t get enough sleep, it could lead to skin break out and dryness. While you sleep, skin is continually regenerating. Interrupted sleep and poor sleep patterns reduce the efficiency of the process.

Choosing skincare products

There’s nothing wrong in choosing skincare products to help improve your appearance. However, you need to be cautious in determining the brand and the specific products to use on your skin. Never try something new without caution.

You’ll see myriad skin care products advertised, but not all will be suitable for your particular skin type. You should trust products that are a result of a thorough research process. SkinCeuticals is one such product for example.

Skin care products which are formulated from natural ingredient s are typically assured to cause little if any adverse reaction on the skin.