When thinking about fighting climate change and the shrinking rainforest, ice caps, and warming temperatures, you might wonder what you can do to reverse and begin fighting climate change. The truth is there are a lot of theories on how to stop and reverse global warming, but there is no one answer to the problem. That said, there’s only so much room on this planet, and with trash piling up daily, we may find ourselves in a WALL-E situation one day if we don’t act at all, and nobody wants that.
Sure, you might recycle, and maybe you participate in a beach cleanup once a year, or you donate to your favorite wildlife charity to save the polar bears, but what more could you do? As members of Earth, we all need to do what we can to ensure this planet can remain habitable for generations to come. Here are a few additional ways to get active and involved.
Food Choices
Food that is highly processed or out of season takes extra energy to manufacture and ship to your grocery store. Instead, think about eating a seasonal diet and buy your food locally. Doing so could reduce emissions by cutting shipping and transporting. Not only that, but eating seasonally is believed to be better for your overall health. So, you’re not only helping the planet, but you’re also helping yourself and your family.
Highly-processed foods require manufacturing in factories and shipping from all over the country, if not the world. Eating fewer processed foods and opting for local and in-season foods could reduce your footprint and help you contribute to the possible halt of global warming and be for fighting climate change. Keep in mind, every little bit helps.
Waste Not, Want Not
From throwing away a banana peel instead of composting to dumping your leftovers in the trash, citizens and businesses across the United States waste a lot of food. But if we all compost what can be, we could significantly reduce the trash that goes to the dump. What’s more, composting is economical when growing your own garden. Have you ever seen the prices of compost material at your local hardware store? Pricey.
On the subject of leftovers, be sure they don’t go to waste. You may have heard about online giving for churches, but giving in person is an option, too. If your family isn’t going to eat your extra food, you could donate it to your local church or set up a weekly potluck where everyone brings leftovers. That way, there’s less food waste all around and you also strengthen your community.
Support the Right Businesses
While you can make choices at home to help with climate change, you can also support businesses that make efforts to help the environment. McDonald’s, for example, set up a miniature restaurant just for bees to support their population. The truth is, we need bees to live, and supporting a business that shows its commitment to our planet as a whole would send a message to other businesses to do the same.
Look for green companies, not only in their words but also in their practice, and do your best to support them with your business.
Be sure they’re doing their part to help the environment while checking to make sure they’re committed to their communities. Some businesses like to tote the green label without doing the work, so make sure to do your due diligence.
Consume Less and Live More
We all need to buy things, it’s true, but consuming too much uses unnecessary energy in manufacturing, shipping, transportation, and eventual disposal. Of course, you want to support businesses, but overconsumption falls into the category of “too much of a good thing” and can be destructive to the planet.
If you’re trying to simplify and downsize, be sure to donate or repurpose your things. And if something breaks in your house, instead of buying new, try to fix it! You’ll consume less, and you might learn a new skill while you’re at it.
Get Involved and Stay Involved
There are opportunities all around you to lessen your footprint to help with fighting climate change and also choose to be environmentally friendly. Always staying involved and making an effort is a positive step to helping our collective home.
