These days, more and more people are discovering their appreciation for our environment and the world in which we live. Many people are making a difference by limiting waste, avoiding emission-causing commutes by asking to work at home, and investing in environmentally-friendly products. These are all little things, but they can make a big difference.
If you are interested in doing your part to preserve the environment, you can do the tasks listed above and more by making sustainability part of your everyday life. Below are some great tips to get you started with a more sustainable life.
Adjust Your Everyday Routine
We all basically follow the same daily routine of shopping, going to and from work, and feeding our families, so think about how you can put your environmental values to work while you complete these tasks. Start with how you get from point A to B, whether that is the store or the office. Is it close enough that you can walk or ride a bike to avoid dangerous vehicle emissions?
You can be smart about your shopping decisions as well. Consider going to local markets where the food is supplied by nearby farms. Not only will this food probably taste better but when you buy from within your community, you no longer require large trucks to transport your produce from the other side of the country, a task that wastes mass amounts of resources. When you go shopping, bring your reusable cloth bags as well.
Just about any part of your daily routine can be done in a more environmentally friendly way. For instance, you can ditch the typical coffee pods that fill our landfills and instead use sustainable coffee pods like those made by the company Volcano Coffee Works, which are biodegradable by design. During the day, instead of buying drinks and water from stores, bring a reusable plastic water bottle and refill it. If you do need to throw organic material away, try composting instead and use it to plant your own vegetables in a garden.
Eco-Friendly Celebrations
While we may try our best to be environmentally conscious most of the time, many of us can get easily carried away when it comes to celebrations and we can often throw caution to the wind. However, if you really want to align your lifestyle with your environmental values, include sustainability in your fun moments as well. For instance, you can save paper by sending electronic invites and skip disposable plates and plasticware and bring dishes from home that you can wash and use again.
If you are known as the birthday party planner of your group, then make it a habit of making these annual celebrations environmentally friendly. Try using decorations from past parties to avoid the excess manufacturing necessary to make new products. It’s smart to have parties outdoors in the backyard or at the local park. There is tons of fun to be had there, and you don’t waste the lighting and electricity that you would in the house.
You can keep your weddings eco-friendly as well by hiring local vendors that can provide everything you need for your nuptials without wasting the gas that distant vendors require when travelling from farther away. Also, consider having the nuptials at the beach instead of inside of a large hall. You can even set a great example with your engagement ring. Instead of diamonds that are created with massive energy consumption via mining, try an alternative like aquamarine or morganite.
Eco-Friendly Home
It is important to remember that you can leave a positive impact on the environment even while you are at home by making your home more energy-efficient. A good start is having a professional come out to replace any single-paned windows with double-paned or storm windows, an act that can prevent your heater and air conditioner from working overtime and will decrease your utility bill. Doing so will save plenty of power, as a running HVAC system consumes quite a bit. You can also save energy by setting your thermostat at 78 degrees during the hot summer months to avoid excess energy usage, especially when you are not home.
There are other ways that you can save energy, including changing out your old incandescent lighting for LEDs, which use less energy and will last longer. If you are one of the folks who works from home, move your desk closer to the window so you can use the natural light to see, which will save 100% of your lighting costs during the day. Natural light is not only free, but it may also make you more productive.
You can also save a great deal of water around the house by taking shorter showers and turning the water faucet off while you are shaving or brushing your teeth. Also, install low-flow showerheads to conserve water and only take one shower per day. If you really want to save water, adjust your lifestyle further by taking baths instead, which use less water than showers. With a well-chosen water heater, you can make sure that you don’t need to waste water as you wait for it to run warm. Make sure you find an emergency water heater repair expert to call for a prompt fix should you run into any issues and need immediate water heater repair services.
As you can see, there are many ways to adjust your lifestyle to help the environment while remaining just as happy and productive. Start small and build from there and you will make a big difference in the world.
