Over the last several years, there has been a lot of talk about being more environmentally friendly. Finally, though, we’re beginning to see individuals, governments, and businesses worldwide taking real actions towards becoming more eco-friendly.
Positive changes such as increasing the use of alternative energies like wind and hydro, installing residential solar panels on homes, and switching to lower emission vehicles are just a few examples of how the world is moving towards being more eco-friendly.
When you take steps to be more environmentally friendly, you not only help the environment but also yourself both financially— by reducing costs— and physically— by reducing your exposure to harmful toxins.
To learn how you can adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle, have a look below.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
The 3 R’s, reduce, reuse, recycle, are an important part of being more environmentally friendly. You can step to reuse and reduce by donating old clothes instead of throwing them away, buying reusable over disposable items, and maintaining and repairing items like clothing and appliances. To kick up your recycling efforts, always dispose of old electronics at electronic recycling centers and make sure your home and office have recycling bins for paper, plastic, and metal.
Use Cloth Rather Than Paper
Whether you’re doing your annual spring cleaning or just do a little tidying up around the house, you can reduce your use of paper towels by cutting up old T-shirts and other pieces of unwanted clothing and use them to clean with instead. If you had been planning to toss your old clothes, this will give you a chance to reuse them which will save you money and help the environment at the same time.
Cut Back On Energy Use
Cutting back on energy use in your home benefits the planet and yourself by lowering your energy bill, which ultimately leads to more money in your pocket. You can begin by taking little steps such as lowering your thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer. In the winter, the U.S. Department of Energy suggests setting your thermostat to 68°F while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home. In the summer they suggest setting your thermostat to 78F when you are home and keeping your house warmer than normal when you are away.
Additional simple steps to reduce your energy use in the home include unplugging appliances when you’re not using them, washing clothes in cold water when possible, and using a drying rack or clothesline to dry your newly washed clothes instead of using your dryer.
Eat Less Meat
The United Nations found in a study that cattle-rearing produces more global warming greenhouse gases, as measured in CO2 equivalent than transportation does. By cutting back on your meat, you’re helping to reduce the overall emission of harmful greenhouse gases released into the environment.
Some easy ways to reduce your meat consumption including include eating more meat alternatives like fish and vegan meats, trying meat as a side dish instead, replacing meat in tacos and burritos with beans, and making grain-based dishes using just a little bite of meat.
Living a more eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t have to be hard. It can be as simple as taking a moment to turn off lights when you leave a room or tossing some reusable bags in your car so you can use them when you go shopping next.
You can even inspire others to take similar steps towards being more eco-friendly by documenting your progress with pictures you’ve saved in a photo saver device and sharing it with social media to help inspire your friends and family to do the same. With so many benefits to living more eco-friendly, you’ll be wondering why you didn’t begin doing it sooner.
