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Tips for Making your Island Eco-Friendly
By Islomaniac | May 19, 2008
Living green is all the rage these days and when living on a private island being eco friendly engenders a safer and healthier environment and in many cases can save you money. The following are some changes I made to make my island more eco-friendly.
Energy Efficiency: I am fortunate enough to be able to draw my power from the mainland, which has saved me from having to utilize a gas guzzling generator. However, in order to reduce my utility bills I have recently invested in Energy Star appliances and high efficiency light bulbs. Finally I had my cottage reinsulated and new windows installed. Making these relatively simple changes, combined with more mindful energy use practices slashed my energy bill by about 40%! I am planning to take my venture further my installing a solar water heater some time in the near future.
AquacultureI love both the beach and the water, but like most people I don’t enjoy the feeling of seaweed and other aquatic plants while swimming. Therefore for years I spent endless hours pulling out weeds in an endless battle to keep them from coming back. However, a couple of years ago I saw a program that highlighted the rich diversity that lived among the plants among the waters around islands and along coast lines. After seeing this program I limited my “aquatic gardening” practices to only a small area just off the main beach. Doing this has saved endless hours of labor and it wasn’t long before the rich diversity of the natural environment returned to my island. It is amazing to see the plant and animal life that now calls my island waters home.
Pesticide Free: When I started thinking environmentally, one of the first things I sacrificed was my herbicide and pesticide habit. For years I meticulously manicured my lawn and beach, liberally spraying herbicides and pesticides anywhere sand fleas or crab grass appeared. However, after learning about the effects of these chemicals on plants, insects, animals and my family I quickly abandoned them. Since then I have started using more eco friendly options such as soapy water and boiling water. Today, despite having a few more weeds my island still looks fantastic and I don’t have to worry about the effects dangerous chemicals are having on the ecology of my island.The overall message is, by making a few simple changes you can drastically reduce your environmental impact and make your island richer, healthier and more biologically diverse, which in the end only makes the island living experience all the more authentic.
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Topics: Island Advice, Family Islands, Environmental |
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