With the current state of the environment, it’s good to make some lifestyle changes in a bid to improve it. Read on to see some of the small changes you can make to ensure that you’re making a positive impact on the world and you will leave the environment in a better state than you found it.
Recycle and Reuse
It’s important to recycle and reuse whenever possible. When you think about the fact that the average person in America produces around 4.5 pounds of waste daily, almost a third of which can be composted or recycled, it’s clear that you can make a big difference by recycling. Always check to ensure that you find a way to recycle or reuse all your products. This way, you will end up saving many things from the ever-growing landfill and you will start to live a green lifestyle.
Shop Local
For your grocery and other needs, you can make a positive difference by shopping locally. This will ensure that you support small-scale farmers who use more sustainable and ecological practices for their farming. You will also be using food items that don’t have to be shipped over long distances to get to you. That leaves a smaller carbon footprint in their life cycle. Support your local community of producers and you will enjoy the closer bond you develop as well as the improved green environment you live in.
Avoid Using Plastic Whenever Possible
There’s no end to the amount of trouble that plastic use has caused over time, but it’s possible to slow it down if you try. Whenever possible, avoid picking the option of single-use plastics and go for a more sustainable option. This holds, especially for items that are used often, such as single-use plastic straws and drinking water bottles. This will be the best thing you can do like the plastic bags we use in our daily lives take anywhere from 10 to 1,000 years to fully decompose, while plastic bottles can take 450 years or even more. It’s clear that with a combined effort, a big effort can be made as far as keeping the environment green goes.
Use Your Car Less
Another lifestyle change that you can make to help keep the environment green is to drive less. Use alternative means to get around, such as walking, using public transport, or riding a bicycle. These will also enable you to observe and enjoy your environment more than you were able to while driving. You will also have a lower carbon emission and will set a great example to friends and family, who will realize that it’s something doable and possibly be motivated to follow suit.
Maintain Your Appliances
You should make sure to maintain your appliances well so that they function effectively and consume less energy, which will be great for the environment. For instance, replacing a filter that’s clogged and dirty can lower your air conditioner’s energy consumption by between 5% and 15%. With statistics like these, it’s good to make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions on maintaining your appliances regularly. This will also enable you to have them functioning well for a long time to come as a plus.
Always Pick Reusable
Finally, whenever you’re presented with the option of single-use or multiple-use and reusable, always go for the latter. This will ensure that you end up adding to the landfills, at least to some degree. Getting items that can be used multiple times is in line with the spirit of recycling and reusing, something that will help you make savings over time besides keeping the environment green.
These tips should help you see that it’s possible to improve your efforts at going green and help you to leave a smaller carbon footprint.
