Eco-friendly Living Practices For Your Apartment

Living in an apartment doesn't mean you can't make a significant positive impact on the environment. In fact, apartment residents have unique opportunities to adopt eco-friendly living practices that benefit both their living spaces and the planet.

When discussing eco-friendly living, it's essential to highlight relevant statistics to illustrate the growing commitment to sustainability, especially in Canada.

In Canada, 8 in 10 Canadians value a sustainable lifestyle, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, with 65% feeling a moral obligation to use environmentally friendly products. Additionally, 60% of Canadians report that climate change is their top concern. This widespread awareness is reflected in consumer behaviour, with 70% of Canadians seeking foods produced sustainably and over 90% of those purchasing these foods at least sometimes​.

Furthermore, 80% of Canadians are careful about minimizing food waste, and over half are concerned about plastic use in packaging​.

But why is eco-friendly living so important and what are some eco-friendly living tips that you can adopt into your daily routine? Keep reading!

Key reasons why eco-friendly living is so important:

Adopting eco-friendly practices in apartment living is not just a trend—it's a commitment with far-reaching benefits. From environmental protection and health advantages to economic savings and social impact, the choice to live sustainably has profound implications for both personal well-being and community vitality.

Environmental Protection: Apartment living offers unique opportunities to reduce environmental impact. Implementing eco-friendly practices like energy-efficient lighting, participating in community recycling programs, and supporting green building initiatives can collectively decrease pollution and conserve resources.

Health Benefits: Using non-toxic eco-friendly products for apartment cleaning, and opting for organic food can create a healthier living environment. These practices reduce exposure to harmful chemicals and promote better overall health, for us and our fluffy roommates, which is especially important in the confined spaces of apartments.

Economic Savings: Sustainable living often leads to financial savings as energy-efficient appliances and water-saving fixtures help to lower utility bills. Additionally, buying second-hand goods and furniture and repairing items instead of replacing them can be cost-effective. 

Social Impact: Eco-friendly lifestyles help foster a sense of community and responsibility by supporting local businesses (boosting the local economy), engaging in building-wide conservation efforts, and participating in community gardens help build stronger, more resilient communities. 

Some of Boardwalk’s apartment buildings in Calgary have community gardens funded by our BWell Program in partnership with MicroHabitat Urban Gardens. These gardens help create a strong sense of community, teach children sustainable living practices, and save residents money on produce.

Future-Proofing: Sustainability ensures future generations have access to necessary resources. Adopting eco-friendly practices now contributes to a stable, sustainable future and enhances property value and community reputation. The future starts now, and if we do not adopt eco-friendly living practices today, the health of our communities in the future is at risk.

Enhancing Quality of Life: Sustainable living often leads to a simpler, more intentional lifestyle. Reducing clutter, focusing on quality over quantity, and incorporating houseplants plants in our apartments can improve mental well-being and increase life satisfaction.

Eco-Friendly Living Tips: How to Live an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Living an eco-friendly lifestyle involves making conscious choices to reduce your environmental impact. Here are some practical eco-friendly-living tips you can take to embrace sustainability in your daily life:


1. Reducing Waste

• Embrace the 3Rs: Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Limit single-use plastics by using reusable bags, bottles, and containers for groceries and household products, and opt for products with minimal packaging whenever possible.
• Composting: Start composting organic waste to reduce landfill contributions. Boardwalk provides compost and recycling bins at our buildings to help residents reduce their eco-footprint or feed their gardens the nutrient-rich soil from the compost. 

• Energy-Efficient Appliances: Use appliances and lighting that have high energy efficiency ratings, such as LED bulbs and Energy Star-rated appliances. By making small adjustments, such as replacing your light bulbs, apartment residents can be doing their part to reduce their eco footprints!
• Unplug Devices: Turn off and unplug electronic devices when they are not in use to prevent phantom energy consumption (Small appliances, A/C units, charged devices, etc). 

• Water-Saving Fixtures: Switching to low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets can help reduce water usage in your apartment, and most don’t even notice the difference–but the environment does!
• Mindful Usage: Fix leaks promptly, take shorter showers, and use water-efficient appliances. If you notice a leak in your apartment suite, reach out to your Boardwalk building management team and our dedicated maintenance team can help you out!

4. Sustainable Transportation

• Public Transit and Carpooling: To reduce reliance on fossil fuels, use public transportation, carpool, bike, or walk whenever possible. Boardwalk prides itself on choosing some of the top locations across Canada, allowing residents to take full advantage of public transportation.
• Eco-Friendly Vehicles: If you need a car, consider an electric or hybrid model to minimize emissions.

• Sustainable Materials: Choose eco-friendly products for your apartment made from sustainable materials like bamboo, organic cotton, and recycled content.
• Natural Cleaning Products: Use biodegradable and non-toxic cleaning supplies to reduce chemical pollution.

• Plant-Based Diet: Incorporating less meat-based and more plant-based meals into your weekly meal plans can help reduce the environmental impact of meat production.
• Local and Organic: By buying local, organic produce you will be supporting sustainable farming practices and reducing the carbon footprint of food transportation (Plus, buying local boosts the local economy).

7. Minimalism and Mindfulness

• Minimalist Lifestyle: Reduce consumption by focusing on quality over quantity and decluttering your living space. In a world of influencers and nonstop ads, consumer overconsumption is one of the main contributors to global warming, natural resource depletion, pollution and biodiversity loss.
• Mindful Choices: Consider the environmental impact of your purchases and lifestyle choices, striving to make sustainable decisions. As yourself: Do I need this? Can I live without it? Are there eco-friendly alternatives?

8. Community Involvement

• Support Local Initiatives: Participating in community recycling programs, tree planting events, and local sustainability projects can help spread awareness, build community, and reduce a community's ecological footprint.
• Educate and Advocate: Spread awareness about the importance of eco-friendly living and advocate for sustainable policies and practices in your community. This can be through social media, or simply chatting with your neighbours. 

Sustainable living with Boardwalk

Boardwalk's BWell program provides residents with ways to stay healthy and happy, including sustainability programs. Thanks to our partnership with MicroHabitat Urban Gardens, Boardwalk is home to several urban gardens. If you're interested in hearing more about Bwell and Boardwalk’s B Sustainable initiatives that are happening near you, head over to our site, chat with your building's Boardwalk team, or reach out to us on social media!