It's the kind of 'adult' problem that nobody likes to deal with—but the reality is that having broken or damaged gutters can cause serious problems with your home. As such, you should endeavour to have yours fixed as soon as possible if you detect a problem. However, before you have them simply replaced like for like, consider taking this opportunity to upgrade your guttering to something that can lower your home's impact on the environment. It need not be expensive; there are options to suit all budgets, and they're well worth investigating.
Water Recycling
Your gutters collect and deposit water as their primary purpose, so why not adapt that purpose to actually save water? Systems are available to transform your gutters into a fantastic way of reclaiming and reusing water that would otherwise have disappeared down the drain, reducing your home's reliance on water systems and its wastage. Though these systems can be pricey, if they do result in lowering your water bill, they will subsidise themselves over time. It's just a matter of affording the initial purchase.
Planters
Especially if you live in a very dense urban environment, choosing gutters with built-in planters is a great way to introduce more greenery to the environment and reduce local carbon dioxide. This is a cheaper alternative to water recycling systems; you won't be able to use the water your gutters collect in your home, but at least it will not be going straight to waste.
Durability
If all else fails, the best way you can contribute to the environment with your gutters is to replace them with a strong, durable material that will not need to be replaced for a very long time. You can ask local contractors like ACT Gutter Service for the best materials available to facilitate this; largely you're looking for thick metals which are treated and will not rust. You can also help this along by checking your gutters frequently and repairing any issues that occur before they develop into serious problems. All this means that you use as few materials as possible, reducing the amount of energy that had been expended on producing and installing gutters for your home. Of course, it will also save you money in the long run; while these materials may not be the cheapest short-term option, they will certainly work out cheaper than replacing them over and over again.
In the end, there are hundreds of ways to make your home more 'green', and this is only one of them—but it's well worth taking the chance to make this change. Improving every aspect of your home one bit at a time means that you can help save the environment without a massive one-time cost. That's a boon that every household can be thankful for.
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