Earth and all its wonderful inhabitants, plants and animals (including us humans!) – are constantly under threat from us.
We are slowly destroying our earth through pollution, unsustainable living, and mass consumption. But it’s not all doom and gloom.
Although we are currently living amid a pollution crisis, there are ways to live sustainably without sacrificing the quality of life. The air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat are making us sick.
How can you make a difference in saving the environment and still live green?
This guide breaks down all the steps needed to reduce your carbon footprint and live in harmony with Mother Nature.
Recycling is a great way to help protect the environment, but it is not enough. We need to take action now to reduce our impact on the earth.
Do your part to save the planet—buy recycled products. Instead of buying new materials, look for items made from recycled materials. You will be helping reduce pollution and waste while saving money on your purchases.
Project Drawdown estimates that recycling between 2020 and 2050 will reduce emissions by 5.5-6.02 gigatons of carbon dioxide (equivalent to taking over 1 billion cars off the streets for one year). Besides, the data revealed that the increased recycling rate would save enough energy to power 1.5 million US homes for a year.
Of course, going green is not just about purchasing solar energy. It means that you should not only be thinking about how your purchases impact your wallet but also the environment. While you do not need to make every purchase in an eco-friendly manner—some things may just never be green (wearing fur), and other things are more nuanced (paper vs plastic)—the important thing is to think before you buy.
You might find that once you begin looking at things from an environmental perspective, it becomes easier to identify greener options for all of your purchases.
While growing your food can be a rewarding experience, sometimes it makes more sense financially to buy locally. It will avoid shipping costs and waste (and preserve your hard-earned money), and you will also find that fresh, organic foods often retain higher levels of nutrients than those shipped in from afar. And produce grown nearby can take advantage of solar energy in ways that most other crops cannot.
Consider planting some fruits or vegetables that are particularly well suited for local conditions, like tomatoes or lettuce. If there are solar panels on your roof or nearby homes, try planting sun-loving plants—like basil—near them; as long as they get enough sunlight, they should thrive throughout summer without any extra effort on your part.
It is easier than you think. If you are anything like most people, your home is probably littered with bottles, cans and plastic bags from a week worth of shopping. Over 88% of waste in landfills is recyclable. Recycling steel and tin cans can save 60-74% of the energy used to produce them from raw materials—with more benefits than that!
Recycling saves money and resources without sacrificing quality or convenience. Plus, there are plenty of ways to recycle items that do not even have a recycling symbol. For example, you can turn old newspapers into gift wrap by glueing them together and cutting them into sheets; it works just as well as store-bought wrapping paper but costs less since it was free in the first place!
Reducing pollution is a great way to save our planet. Recycling waste such as glass and paper is great. But reducing your carbon footprint is not just about what you recycle – it is also about what you do not put in landfills and trash cans in the first place. Composting food scraps and garden clippings reduce both landfills AND pollution. When organic material decomposes in a landfill, it produces methane gas that contributes to global warming. Using compost instead of fertilizer on your plants reduces runoff into lakes and streams that can cause algae blooms and kill fish. And when you use compost instead of chemical fertilizers on your lawn or garden, you are not putting toxic chemicals into groundwater or soil where they can harm animals and plants for years to come.
If you are serious about living green and minimizing your energy use, you will probably want to go paperless. Switching to digital versions of magazines and newspapers can help cut down paper waste. Just be sure that when you print out anything on a computer (e-mail attachments, project plans)—recycle it accordingly.
And do not forget to turn off all your electronics when they are not in use—even if it is just for a few minutes. All those little power drains add up over time!
Energy efficient appliances are typically more expensive than their counterparts, but they can pay for themselves by saving you money on your utility bills over time. And while some may argue that it is better to go green by using solar energy or other renewable resources. Using energy-efficient appliances is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint without sacrificing your quality of life.
You are personally responsible for 40% of all carbon emissions and 80% of greenhouse gas emissions at home. Luckily, there are small things that we can do at home which may not seem like much but can make a difference in our efforts to go green. Here are a few simple steps you can take today to reduce your environmental impact at home and save money! You will be surprised how easy it is!
1) Walk or bike to work or school instead of driving.
2) Purchase environmentally friendly products such as organic cotton clothing and recycled paper products (avoid bleached white paper).
3) Take shorter showers by using water-saving shower heads, turning off the water while shaving or brushing teeth, taking baths instead of showers and cutting down on time spent in hot tubs or swimming pools.
4) Compost food scraps from your kitchen into your garden soil.
There is hope for the future of our planet if we start making changes now. We can make the quality of our lives better by living responsibly. The above ideas will make you rethink everything from your morning cup of coffee, the products you buy, and even your waste disposal habits.
Today, on Environment Day, let us commit to being environmentally responsible by learning how to recycle, reuse, reduce our carbon footprint and work to preserve the environment for future generations.