The environment is the most pressing issue that the world is facing today. While the world leaders meet to discuss how they can all make changes within the infrastructures of their respective countries, and big businesses look for ways to offset their carbon emissions; it is vital that we all do our bit.
It is no good just hoping that everyone else in the world will solve the problems for us, we all need to take decisive action within our own lives to reduce our impacts on the environment.
Saving the world should start at home, and if you have young children, encourage them to get involved and understand that you are not doing this for your generation, these changes will directly benefit our children, and hopefully, the generations that come after them.
There are lots of different things that you can do in your daily life in order to reduce your environmental impact on the world. Here are a few suggestions of things that you can change.
Make Do And Mend
We live in a throwaway society. The products that we buy are so often replaced as soon as the next version gets released. If something does not run quite as well as it used to, we throw it out. But all of these items end up in the landfill. They took natural resources to manufacture and now they have an impact on the environment when we dispose of them.
Instead of just throwing items away and buying new ones, you could look at getting your broken appliances fixed. There are companies such as westinghouse spare parts who will be able to provide the parts that you need to make your machines work like new once more.
A More Plant-Based Diet
Intensive meat farming is said to be causing catastrophic damage to the environment. With deforestation making way for crops for animal feed, as well as the additional grazing space that are needed for the increased demand our current meat consumption levels, are having on the food chain. All of this translates to less tress to process the harmful C02 in our atmosphere. Usually, C02 has been kept a safe level through photosynthesis- the process of turning C02 into oxygen. But this takes trees and our modern agricultural system has removed so many of the trees our planet needed to breathe.
UN reports suggest that moving towards a plant-based diet with less meat consumption will help to improve the environment. As a result of these studies, many people are adopting a vegan diet and big food manufacturers are reacting to this by creating more and more plant-based options.
There has never been a better time to explore veganism. If you are not sure it is for you, why not adopt a plant-based diet for a few days a week? Flexitarianism (only eating meat occasionally) will also help the environment as it will reduce the overall meat consumption.
Switching Energy Provider
Electricity plays a huge part in our lives. Every light switch we turn on, every phone we charge, and every microwave we use is another thing that needs power. Look around your home right now and see how many things are continually needing electricity. And then think about how many households there are in the world, and how many of the billions of people on the planet are using electricity right now.
Traditionally, electricity comes from burning coal in power stations. And, while there has been a shift towards green and renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric, many of the biggest energy providers are largely reliant on coal powered sources.
You may think that this is out of your hands and that you can’t do anything about it, that you cannot change what energy providers use as their source, but this is simply not true. By switching to a green supplier you are not only helping the environment by reducing carbon waste from your home, but you are also sending a message to the coal burning suppliers that says that they’re methods of producing power need to change.
Shop around and find a green supplier. Many environmentally friendly energy suppliers may be more competitively priced than the major suppliers in order to bring in new customers.
Reduce Your Waste
Waste is a problem. We dispose of packaging and unwanted items all the time and our landfill sites are overflowing. Worse than this, our seas have become dumping grounds with islands made up of trash.
- Cut down on packaging waste
Everything comes with so much packaging on these days, and whenever you buy anything that packaging ends up in the bin. By picking items with less packaging on them you could prevent unnecessary waste.
For example, fruit and veg often come packaged in supermarkets, however, it can also be bought without any packaging on it at all. Buy loose fruit and veg where possible. If enough people do this, suppliers will realize that they are wasting time and money packaging items as there will be less demand for this.
- Buy items with recycled and recyclable packaging
There are lots of products on the market that use recycled materials in their packaging. Look on the back of the bag and see if there is any information about this. Also, look for the symbols that will let you know whether you can recycle the packaging.
- Buy Biodegradable Items
Many green thinking companies are understanding that when the final destination of their products is landfill, or worse still; the oceans. This realization of their direct impact has caused some companies to take stock of their products and look at ways of making them biodegradable. Look for products made of natural materials such as wood and paper. Find out if the tea bags you use are compostable. Bamboo travel cups are great for coffee on the go and can save you from wasting hundreds of coffee cups. But at the end of the natural life of that type of cup, it will degrade naturally unlike it’s plastic counterparts that will stay around forever.
Change Your Driving Habits
Pollution from vehicles accounts for a large percentage of the CO2 emissions produced across the world. If you drive a car or a van then chances are that you are contributing to this.
Our modern lives require us to travel lots and walking everywhere may not be an option. However, there are a number of steps you can take in order to reduce the amount your driving contributes.
- Drive a smaller vehicle
Cars with smaller engines will burn less fuel and as such will produce lower emissions. This is not only helpful to the environment, it will mean lower running costs for you too.
- Pick an electric car or hybrid
A better way might be to remove the need to burn fossil fuels in your car in the first place. Electric car technology is starting to become a lot more common with new models coming out all of the time as well as convenient charging sockets being included in more public carparks.
- Car share where possible
If you’re traveling somewhere frequently, and you know someone else makes a similar journey each day, why not share? Not only is it cost effective, environmentally friendly, but it also eases congestion on the roads and gives you company on your drive.
- Take public transport
Taking busses and trains whenever possible instead of driving will reduce your own personal impact on the environment. Public transport will be making that trip whether you are riding on it or not. But you can choose to take the option that means that your carbon footprint shrinks by taking the bus or the train.
- Keep your vehicle well maintained
Getting your oil changed and your tyres inflated will make sure that your car is not burning more fuel than it needs to. Poorly maintained cars struggle and need more fuel to get them enough power. While the amounts are very minimal, over time they can amount to quite a lot.
Making The Change
There are a great many things that we can all do to help the environment, but the main step that you can do straight away is by looking at the things you do and asking if they are causing problems. Understanding that individual contributions to the climate crisis are significant, and if we all start making the changes that the world needs to see today, then we can move towards a carbon neutral society.
Read up online and find out the true effect of our lifestyle on the environment. There has been lots of research and many places where you’ll find alternative ways of living your life without causing damage to the environment. There are many ways that you can find sustainable and green alternatives to the way that you do things. Take the time to learn all the tips to make life easier for you as you move to a greener life.
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