When you’re in the thick of it, making eco-friendly choices can feel like an impossible task. Fortunately, living an eco-friendly life could be easier than you think. If you’re ready to start making more eco-friendly choices in your day-to-day, here are a few tips to help you get started.
Buy from Eco-Friendly Brands
As one person, you might feel like you can’t do much to protect the environment. But if you’re one of the 81% of people who believe big companies should protect the environment, there’s good news. Instead of trying to tackle issues like global warming and deforestation by yourself, you can support companies that are dedicated to fighting on those fronts. Not sure how to find an eco-friendly company to support? Look for these key qualities:
- They have a high score on the Transparency index.
- Their website lists specific eco-friendliness initiatives and evidence of achieving these goals.
- They have third-party certifications on their site and products.
- They share information about how their products are made.
- They’ve published information about cultural and environmental hot-button issues.
It might take a little bit of extra effort on your part to find these companies, but the results will be well worth your time. At the end of the day, you can rest easy knowing that your money is going to companies that are just as dedicated to eco-friendly practices as you are. Not only that, but you’ll likely be investing in higher-quality products, as well.
Stop Using Pesticides and Herbicides on Your Lawn
Even though food crops compete with 30,000 species of weeds and almost 10,000 species of plant-eating insects, there’s really no reason to use intense pesticides or herbicides on your home garden or lawn. In fact, doing so could actually do real harm to your local ecosystem. Take honeybees, for example. Dandelions are their first source of food after the cold winter months. If you use herbicides (weed killers) on your lawn, you’re not only robbing them of a vital source of food, but you’re also putting their population at risk. When ingested, herbicides kill bees at alarming rates. And as far as your vegetable garden goes, there are countless eco-friendly methods of keeping your produce safe. Some of the best alternatives to consider include:
- Neem oil spray
- Salt spray
- Eucalyptus oil
- Natural predators (praying mantis bugs, ladybugs)
- Sticky barriers
When it comes down to it, using natural pesticide alternatives is not only better for the environment, it’s also better for your health. Ingesting poisons that kill insects can be detrimental to your health and safety. If you can use eco-friendly alternatives and protect yourself and your family at the same time, there’s really no reason to delay.
Make Smart Home Improvement Decisions
Home improvement is something you’re going to have to deal with sooner or later, especially if you live in an older home. When the time comes to think about your next home improvement project, do so with energy efficiency in mind. For example, if you’re seeing steady increases in your heating and cooling expenses, replacing your windows or upgrading your home’s insulation could be smart moves. Considering that almost 30% of a given home’s heating energy is lost through windows, you may even want to prioritize that project first. Improving your home’s energy efficiency with projects like these can help reduce your impact on the environment because you’re using less energy to function at home.
Whether you’re making great strides or taking your eco-friendly journey one step at a time, we can all do our part to live greener lives. If you’re not sure where to start, remember to use these tips to make eco-friendly choices in your daily life.
