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Green Living Checklist: How to Make Your Apartment Eco-Friendly

corbin@multihub.io (REPLI Team) — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:13:13 GMT

Green Living Checklist: How to Make Your Apartment Eco-Friendly

Not everyone can go completely solar, and not everyone has the means to renovate their homes to make them eco-friendly.

This rings true with apartment dwellers, especially since they have limited design options to incorporate into their homes.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t turn your apartment into an eco-friendly one. In fact, we can all start reducing our carbon footprint in our own little ways.

At Shadowood Heights, we believe that as individuals, we have the responsibility to help protect the environment. So, in this post, we’ll help you create a sustainable space in your apartment in just eight easy steps.

1. Choose Energy-Efficient Appliances

Let’s start with your most commonly used household items: your electronic devices. Energy-efficient appliances not only produce low greenhouse gas emissions–they also lower your electricity bills.

Before buying that high-tech washing machine or talking refrigerator, check it for any Energy Star certification. That way, you can know for certain whether you’re getting an energy-efficient appliance or not.

2. Conserve Energy

Even if you do opt for energy-saving appliances, you’d still be wasting energy if you keep them plugged and powered when not in use.

Try conserving energy by pulling the plugs of your devices before you sleep or leave your home. Or rather than watching TV or scrolling on your phone all day long, you might want to consider unplugging figuratively, like reading books, going on a hike, or meditating.

Don’t forget to save both electricity and water! The general rule of thumb is: shut it off when it’s not being used.

3. Make the Most of Natural Light and Ventilation

Another way to cut down your electricity bills? Open up your curtains and windows.

Use sunlight to brighten up your space and let in fresh air to improve your indoor air quality. Taking full advantage of nature’s light and ventilation is energy-saving and healthier for you and the environment too.

4. Grow an Urban Garden

Want to naturally clean your indoor air, shop less, and help protect your local pollinators? You might want to take up the hobby of growing your own food.

If you have a small balcony or a window, then you’re good to go. You can easily grow herbs and vegetables in containers and hang them in any sunny spot in your apartment.

5. Shop Local

If you don’t have a green thumb, you can always opt for locally grown produce.

Buying local goods means less packaging used and less gas consumption (and carbon emissions) from transport. It also helps boost your local economy and support small businesses.

6. Cook More

After you’ve gone through your grocery checklist, it’s time to get cooking.

Because most restaurants use tons of single-use packaging for takeout orders, enjoying homemade food helps cut down plastic waste. What’s more, since restaurants contribute to a huge amount of food waste, you get to have more control over waste when you cook for yourself.

7. Avoid Disposables

Instead, shop with reusable bags, go strawless, and store your leftovers in sturdy glass containers rather than in flimsy plasticware. By steering clear of disposables, you can help save the energy and resources that go into making them and reduce the waste that ends up in landfills.

8. Learn to Compost

Have kitchen scraps waiting to be tossed out? Don’t throw them away just yet. You can use them to create your own compost.

Just grab a bin, add some soil and twigs, put your leftovers in the bin, and cover it. Give it a quick turn to aerate the pile and repeat the process as you dispose of your food scraps.

When you start composting at home, not only will you have a way of recycling waste, but you’ll also have healthy (and free) soil for your garden.

Shadowood Heights in Atlanta, GA

How to Juggle Parenting and Your Job

corbin@multihub.io (REPLI Team) — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:06:17 GMT

How to Juggle Parenting and Your Job

Parenting is in no way an easy task. It is a demanding role as it requires that you look after your children while still being able to have some time for yourself and likewise still grow your career. After all, raising a child needs a paying job to support all your expenses in the household and in the kids’ education.

Full-time parenting is already daunting, so much more when it begins involving an 8-hour shift work. But don’t worry. Life is all about maintaining a balance.

Consider the following to help you get your work done while still meeting your children’s needs.

Plan things ahead

Nothing like being prepared. Having a plan can help you maintain a proper balance between work and parenting. You can start by strategizing how exactly you can divide your time for your priorities. Simply grab a pen and paper, and jot down the tasks ahead. Let your children or partner help out, and make sure that you don’t carry out all the tasks by yourself. This is the best opportunity for you to manage your time while also teaching your kids some life skills that they will carry on to their own families when they grow up.

Shift around your schedule

If you can, allow your work schedule to be flexible enough so that you can meet the needs of your children. Arrange this with your boss or with your team, so they can also be aware of your situation. Giving yourself an allowance in your schedule means being ready in case an emergency comes up, or if you need to pick up your children from school. Hustling is hard work, but it’s also best that you are with your children when they need you. This is also a perfect way, so you can have a breather when work gets tough, and you need a break for yourself. All work is bad for your health and is counterproductive as it could cause you to get burnt out.

Have a separate workspace

If you’re working from home, it is always advised that you keep a separate space or room dedicated solely to your work. This is one of the keys to keeping a life and work balance and is likewise helpful to avoid distractions, especially if your kids are running around and playing.

Find yourself a place where it feels like you’re just working at the office. This can also give you a slight break from your duties as a parent. You can also find a space where you can keep watch of your children at intervals.

Take breaks

Is there really a time for a break when you have so much to do? Of course, there is. Although you may have your hands full all the time with parenting and deadlines, it’s highly suggested that you take breaks and unwind from the busy bee life. Work and deadlines will always pile up, but this doesn’t mean you should be in the constant grind. You need to take care of yourself too.

So be sure to take lunch breaks, spend some carefree time with your kids, and walk around the neighborhood – anything to help you unwind. It may feel as though you’re wasting your time, but once you’re back on the hustle, you’ll realize just how energized and recharged you are.

Look after yourself

While it’s good to be always on the hustle and not let anything pile up too much, it would be a much worse outcome if you get burnt out. This can dampen the quality of your work and vastly affect your relationships. To avoid this, you should do your best to take care of yourself as much as you can. This is just as important as both work and your family.

Shadowood Heights in Atlanta, GA

How to Minimize (or Eliminate) Your Cat's Hairballs

corbin@multihub.io (REPLI Team) — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:01:33 GMT

How to Minimize (or Eliminate) Your Cat's Hairballs

Hairballs are anything but pleasant–and as a cat owner, you probably know this all too well.

Sure, picking up a hairball with a paper towel pretty much sums up the cleanup process. But when hairballs happen too frequently, they can serve as a disagreeable experience not just for you–but also for your cat.

At Shadowood Heights, we know that some of our residents have cats as part of their families. We also understand that while hairballs are not that big of a deal, too much of them can be a problem for your pet’s health.

That’s why we prepared this post to help you minimize (and maybe completely eliminate) your feline friend’s hairball situation.

What Are Hairballs?

Before tackling your cat’s hairy situation at home, it’s important to understand what hairballs really are.

Here’s the most common misconception about hairballs: they aren’t actually balled-up hair. They come out in a tubular shape, along with a bit of bile and saliva, like a cigar-like wad of mess.

You likely know that already. But here’s a lesser-known fact about hairballs: they’re a sign of a healthy grooming habit.

Most cats groom themselves and have no problem passing excess fur through their digestive systems. But sometimes, a huge amount of their fur gets stuck in their stomachs, making cats regurgitate it back up and expel hairballs.

How to Spot an Incoming Hairball

The tell-tale signs that your cat is about to cough up a hairball are gagging, hacking, or retching.

Hairballs are typically harmless. But they can get trapped in cats’ intestines. This situation may require your cat to undergo surgery.

If your cat continuously retches and coughs without expelling a hairball, seems lethargic, vomits food, or refuses to eat, you’ll have to seek medical attention immediately.

Ways to Reduce Hairballs

Again, occasional hairballs aren’t usually a cause for alarm. But they can be unpleasant to both you and your cat.

Here are a few ways to prevent your cat from retching up gobs of sticky fur:

Groom Your Cat

To keep excess fur from getting stuck in your cat’s stomach, you have to remove it yourself by brushing your cat regularly. The more fur your brush off your cat, the less it will swallow.

For short-haired cats, weekly brushing will suffice. Long-haired cats, on the other hand, will benefit from daily brushing.

Provide a Distraction

Is your cat an obsessive groomer? You might want to distract it from licking itself and encourage it to cuddle or play with you.

Not only will you minimize the occurrence of hairballs–you’ll also get to squeeze in some bonding time with your cat.

Feed Your Cat Some Hairball-Control Food

Increasing your cat’s fiber intake can help significantly reduce hairballs. You can do so by feeding it cat food that’s specially formulated for hairball control.

Most hairball-control cat foods also help lessen shedding and boost coat health. Besides this, there are lots of other fiber-rich hairball remedies, like mild laxatives, fish oil, and pumpkin.

No matter which hairball product you choose, consult your vet first before giving it to your pet.

Give Your Cat Plenty of Water

Another way to get your cat’s digestive tract going (and decrease hairballs) is to keep it hydrated.

Try placing bowls of water in the kitchen, bathroom, and wherever your cat normally drinks. By encouraging your cat to drink more water, you can easily prevent hair from clumping in its stomach.

Visit Your Vet

If all else fails, it’s always a good idea to talk to your veterinarian. Your vet will help you identify the cause of your cat’s excessive grooming and come up with solutions to treat its hairball problem.

Shadowood Heights in Atlanta, GA