Top Suggestions For Improving The Environment Right Now

Real change starts with us.

We often groan and moan about governments, organizations, and not doing enough to save the planet, while ignoring our role in this global matter.

We all have choices we can make on an individual level to effect worldwide environmental change. What you choose to do can either have a negative or positive impact on the environment.

If you don’t know where to begin, start by reading this article to educate yourself on the issues affecting the environment and find solutions to reverse their effects.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The 3 R’s are the basics of helping the environment. Reducing is about reducing your consumption. At the end of the day, how many shampoo bottles or running shoes do you really need? Impulsive shopping, for some people, is a feel-good activity, but it is a very wasteful one, so take the time to think before you make a purchase.

Reuse is about finding a purpose for an item instead of throwing it away. An old t-shirt can be used as a cleaning rag, for instance. In all likelihood, what you don’t find useful anymore will be of use to someone else, so consider donating old items. Most of us are aware of what recycling entails. When buying something, you can find lots of alternatives that are made from recycled materials, so consider purchasing one of those instead.

Eliminate the Use of Plastic

Anything you throw away takes time to decompose. Some items don’t take too long, like cotton which takes 1-5 months. Other items can take hundreds of years, such as plastic bags and bottles. In a landfill, one plastic bottle can take up to 1000 years to decompose and around 750 years if in an ocean. The proactive team of https://www.trvst.world/action/say-no-to-plastic-bottles/ explains that one of the most effective ways to eliminate the major problems caused by plastic is to say no to plastic bottles. A simple alternative is to use reusable bottles instead of buying bottled water.

Other suggestions include buying a bar of soap rather than a bottle of shower gel, for instance, and using a reusable shopping bag when shopping. You can make significant changes by choosing to become a well-informed consumer taking action.

Shop Eco-Friendly

With tons of eco-friendly products on the market, there are several things you can do to be an eco-friendly consumer. Buy local products, used products, reusable products, and when it comes to food, buy what is in season.

Save Water

Treating water for human consumption uses up a lot of energy and chemicals. Limiting the amount of water you use in your household would mean less treatment and pumping of water. When that is lessened, so is our carbon footprint.

The things you can do to save water are too many to list. For starters, take showers instead of baths, don’t stay too long in the shower, fix any water leaks, install water-saving showerheads, and don’t let the tap run while shaving or brushing your teeth. These are just a few examples concerning the bathroom! Different things can be done in your kitchen or while watering your lawn.

Drive Less

If you can walk to a place, leave the car behind. You should also consider biking to work or using public transportation instead of driving. If you don’t need a car often, why not consider car sharing? Car sharing is different than car rentals in that they allow you to use a car for shorter periods of time, even if it’s just a couple of hours. It cuts energy consumption by up to 47% and lessens carbon emissions by up to 65%.

Go Digital

Whatever you can do online, do it; and that’s practically anything and everything. All your shopping, from food to clothes, can be done online. Reservations, bill payments, and other various tasks can all be done on your phone or laptop. If you own a business, it’s time to go digital and lessen or eliminate paperwork where possible.

As a business owner, you can do more for the environment. You can replace all the single-use plastic packaging for your business with sustainable polythene packaging. By replacing all the plastic packaging you can lower the carbon footprints and contribute towards a cleaner, more sustainable carbon economy.

Volunteer

Every community has a pressing cause you can volunteer for. You can help clean up your community, join a local river cleanup project, or brainstorm with others for eco-friendly solutions. There’s a ton of projects you can get informed about and be involved in. This will open your mind to different ways of doing things. You will find people who are equally as passionate about the environment as you are.