Environmental conservation is becoming a more pressing issue every day. There are plenty of reasons to be worried, but there are just as many ways to help the situation by gradually changing your lifestyle. Being eco-friendly is all about adjusting your lifestyle to minimize your impact on the environment, and if you’re concerned about the worsening state of planet Earth, now is a great time to put some of these changes into action.
Conserve water
Freshwater conservation is crucial to the health of the whole ecosystem, and especially in drought-prone parts of the world. Those who live in cities with low rainfall and hot summers may have experienced life under the water restrictions before, but the responsibility for limiting water wastage falls on all of us. Whether that means taking shorter showers, installing a water tank, washing your car by hand, or even just foregoing the new turf until the dry spell is over, we can all do our part to reduce the amount of water going down the drain.
Hit the off switch
Leaving your devices plugged in and switched on at the wall might not seem like a big deal, but it all counts towards your power consumption. Things like your television, microwave, and computer are prime culprits since it’s easy to forget when they have been left on when the powerpoint is often out of sight. It might take some practice to become more vigilant in the art of power-saving, but even making a habit of switching everything off before you go to bed will save some serious wattage over time.
Renewable energy
If you’re finding it difficult to tone down your relationship with your favourite high-tech gadgets, switching to renewable energy as a power source is the next best thing. All you have to do is ask your current power provider about their green energy options, or make the switch to a renewable energy certificate provider. You can also take advantage of Earth’s biggest renewable energy source by installing solar panels on your roof. Energy from the sun can be used to power most of the gadgets in your home, and knock dollars off your energy bill in the process.
Get into the garden
Gardening is no longer a pastime exclusive to the elderly, and for good reason. There are plenty of benefits to come from nurturing your green thumb, for the environment around you and everything living in it. Planting trees, especially native varieties, is one of the best things you can do for the earth. Beyond transforming carbon dioxide into oxygen, trees can also provide homes for entire communities of native animals, improve soil health, and produce fruits. Growing edible plants in your own backyard is a particularly smart way to save money, reduce carbon emissions, and bypass any nasty pesticides — all you need is a few seed packets, a watering can, and some free time. Just make sure to do your research and consider a few key factors, like the amount of space you have available and the weather conditions in your yard.
Eat smarter
The way we eat can have a significant negative impact upon the environment, and although many of the potential solutions are relatively simple, they aren’t necessarily convenient — at least not in comparison with our usual supermarket routines. Buying locally-sourced produce is a great way to cut down on the carbon emissions produced during the transportation process for food grown elsewhere, so try heading to a local market for your weekly grocery shop. If you’re really committed to taking on a more eco-friendly lifestyle, you should also consider cutting meat products out of your diet. There are many environmental benefits to a vegetarian or vegan diet, including reduced fossil fuel usage and land consumption, and a lower concentration of animal methane in the atmosphere, but that’s not all — a meat-free lifestyle is also great for your health and bank balance.
Practice the four Rs
You’re probably familiar with the old slogan “reduce, reuse, recycle”, and this mantra is still a crucial part of eco-friendly living. You might already be making an effort to reduce your consumption, reuse objects where possible, and recycle everything you can, and if so, it’s a great time to start implementing the fourth R — repair. We live in a throw-away society, infatuated with the latest thing on the market, which leads to tons of used objects to end up in the dump every year. The more eco-friendly alternative is to invest in the things you already own by making repairs, and only buying new when that beloved TV set really is on its last legs.
Keep it clean and green
Coming home to a clean house feels great, but it could feel even better if you knew all of the cleaning products you used were harmless to the environment. Some of the chemicals in things like toilet, glass, and surface cleaners can wreak havoc on waterways and aquatic life, while others leave your home filled with nasty gases. The words “natural” and “organic” are good indicators, but the best way to be sure is to do some research on the brands available near you, how their products are made, and the ingredients they use.
There are so many incremental ways that businesses can move towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle, and when they all add up, the effects can be significant. By embracing these small changes, you can feel good about reducing your environmental footprint, and you might just inspire friends, family, or colleagues to do the same.
