When you hear the term “green sustainability,” it might not mean quite the same thing to you that it does to someone else. That is because you can have a green and sustainable life in many different ways.
For instance, you can recycle or set up a rain barrel that you can use to water your garden. You can use a water filtration system instead of creating plastic waste by buying bottled water in bulk.
You might also set up and cultivate a greenhouse environment. We’ll talk about how that’s a smart move for sustainable living right now.
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What is a Greenhouse?
A greenhouse is typically a structure with a roof and walls made of transparent material. Glass is the most common element you can use for the walls and ceiling. You can use that as a place to grow plants that need particular atmospheric conditions.
You can grow many kinds of useful plants in a greenhouse. You might grow vegetables or flowers, or both. You can have a very small greenhouse, sometimes called a cold frame, or a very large one that’s warehouse-sized.
If you’re a homeowner, deciding on the perfect spot for your greenhouse should not take very long unless you have a lot of unused land. Most people who have only a modest-sized backyard will want to section off part of it and use that for their greenhouse.
Why Do Greenhouses Go Along with Sustainable Living Practices?
Green or sustainable living practices are usually conscious choices. Setting up a greenhouse can be one of those.
If you set up a greenhouse and grow your own vegetables there, you can keep them away from rabbits, squirrels, birds, insects, and any other pests that might try to dig them up or eat them. You can save money that you’d spend on produce, but you can also grow vegetables that you know don’t have any harmful chemicals on them. If you want to watch out for unhealthy chemicals on your vegetables, a greenhouse can be an excellent way to go.
If you grow plants for food in a greenhouse, you also do it in a way that does not waste any water. You do not compromise soil quality with a carefully-prepared greenhouse.
As a plant grower with a greenhouse, you can take advantage of the sun’s rays that shine through the glass roof and walls, but you can also use LED lights to supplement plant growth. You can facilitate the growth process, and you will probably end up with a higher vegetable quality than you’d get at the average grocery store.
Fewer CO2 Emissions
If you have a greenhouse that you use for growing flowers and vegetables, you should also know that they produce very few CO2 emissions. If you look at industrial machinery or energy-consuming tasks, a greenhouse produces a negligible CO2 amount compared to those.
What Other Benefits Does a Greenhouse Offer?
A greenhouse can help you live more sustainably, but it has other benefits as well. If you live communally, you can work in a greenhouse with many other individuals.
If you have kids, it’s a way to teach them responsibility. You can show them how to care for the plants, how to harvest them, and how to prepare them for meals. That will cut down on your grocery budget.
If you spend time in a greenhouse, you might also find that it relaxes you. If you spend time around plants and green growing things, you may feel less stress and tension in your life. You should not discount the therapeutic prospects.
If you have the same greenhouse in place for long enough, you might have multiple familial generations who care for it. You might have kids and grandkids one day who spend time there cultivating the same plants that you planted decades before.
You might even use a greenhouse not just for food, but as a revenue source. If you have the space for a larger one, you might save some of the vegetables, fruits, and flowers that you grow. Then, you can sell them.
You might take the crops you don’t need to public markets. Then, you can bring back some money you can spend on rent, utilities, and other essentials.
If you want to set up a greenhouse for sustainable living, many books exist on the subject. As more greenhouses start showing up in urban environments, it’s easy to see why so many people like them.
