The world’s population is becoming increasingly concerned with global pollution, carbon emissions, and climate change. If you are also concerned about these things, then you need to begin living an environmentally friendly life. There are myriad ways that you can look after the environment and cut back on your carbon footprint, but some are definitely more effective than others.
If you don’t begin taking care of the environment, then climate change will increase and the world’s most impoverished will continue to suffer.
This article will explain in detail how you can live a more environmentally friendly life, and stop damaging the planet:
1. Renewable Energy
One of the best ways to be more environmentally friendly and reduce your carbon footprint is to introduce renewable energy into your home. The easiest way to do this is solar panel installation, which is affordable and easily done.
Unless you live beside a river, hydropower will be out of reach, and wind power is often impractical for people who live ordinary lives and don’t have large incomes. Solar panels however will save you money and ensure that you do not contribute to the planet’s destruction.
2. Turn Off Electricity
One of the best ways to look after the environment is to conserve energy. Wasting energy is a guaranteed way to harm the environment. Conserving your energy not only looks after the environment, but it will also save you a lot of money as far as your energy bills are concerned.
With the wide availability of electricity and technology, people have picked up very nasty habits. One of these habits is the misuse of electricity. Very often, people leave their homes for days at a time with their lights on, and even with their Wi-Fi turned on. If you want to make a change, start by turning it off.
3. Become Vegetarian
Governments around the world are becoming increasingly concerned about the world’s meat consumption. More specifically, the world’s beef consumption. Not only does meat consumption impact the environment, but it can also improve your health. Lots of people consume red meat on an almost daily basis, which is incredibly bad for your heart, and your overall health.
Vegetarian diets are more sustainable and don’t harm the environment as much. If you really want to make a change, then you can begin eating only organic produce. With that said, organic produce can be expensive and isn’t accessible to everybody.
4. Food Waste
Every single year in the United Kingdom alone, over 7 million tonnes of food goes to waste. The figure is exponentially larger in the United States, and Europe. Cutting down on your food waste is a great way to take care of the environment, and your wallet. Frequent food wastage costs a lot of money. The food that you really can’t eat should be composted or donated.
There are lots of downloadable apps that put you in touch with people who eat unused food. You can download the app and advertise your food, and people will come and collect it from you.
5. Begin Recycling
Another very effective way of looking after the environment is to begin recycling waste materials. Not only is it effective, but it is also very simple. Everything can be recycled, from plastic bags to clothing. There’s no reason not to recycle.
Depending on where you live in the world, your local government authority should be able to issue you with a recycling bin. These bins can then be used for all recyclable goods and can be left outside your house to be collected by the binmen, as they ordinarily would be. When you are out and about, make sure to find recycle bins also.
6. Cut Plastic
You need to cut plastic out of your life completely. It may be expensive to stop buying products that are sold in plastic containers, but it is the best way of looking after the environment. Do not use plastic bags, either. You can buy hemp tote bags from most supermarkets.
You can also bring your basket and use that to transfer and store your groceries. Brown paper bags are also offered by most grocery stores, although not all. Plastic causes untold damage to the environment and is responsible for pollution on a mass scale. If you are going to buy bottled water, then make sure it comes in a glass bottle.
7. Insulation
Homes that aren’t insulated are much more difficult to keep warm in winter. If your home isn’t insulated well, this means that your home’s heating system will have to expend more energy heating your home. Ultimately, this means that you will waste a lot of energy in winter.
Not only will this cost you a lot of money, but it will also be a great waste, and harmful to the environment. If you are on a budget and can’t afford to insulate your home, you should be able to apply for a government grant to get your home properly insulated.
8. Upcycling
Instead of throwing away old pieces of clothing or furniture, upcycle them. Upcycling is the act of improving, repairing, and reusing old items that are no longer useful in their current form. Upcycling has become something of a trend on social media, so if you want to boost your followers, upcycling is the way to go. Upcycling is very simple and can be a lot of fun, especially if you are bored during lockdown!
9. Don’t Fly
Aeroplanes cause significant damage to the planet. If you want to cut back on your carbon footprint and do your part in looking after the environment, then stop flying. Wherever you live, there are likely thousands of places for you to go and visit or take a staycation in. Even a short flight can release tons of carbon. If you do need to travel abroad, then try to travel sustainably.
The best way to fly without harming the environment is to fly economy and offset your emissions by signing up for a service that plants trees every time you fly. There are many services like this available.
It is all of our responsibilities to begin looking after the environment. If you introduce the tips suggested in this article into your daily life, then hopefully the people around you will begin doing so also. Also, check out the difference between carbon neutral and net zero for more understanding.
