The idea of living a more eco-friendly life is not reserved for vegans and animal activists, we should all make a conscious effort to protect the planet, save money and live a more compassionate and Earth-conscious life.
If you are thinking about going green to support the protection of the environment and, or to save money, here are a few tips to help you along the way.
Turn it Off
You can start living a more eco-friendly life today by switching the lights off when you are not in the room, turn the socket switches off when you are no longer using something. For example, most people leave their television on standby, instead of doing this, just switch it off. You can drastically reduce your carbon footprint by making a conscious effort to switch things off when you are no longer using them.
Reduce Plastic Usage
Another important step towards living a more eco-friendly life is to reduce your plastic usage. Plastic production requires a huge amount of energy and resources which leads to carbon emissions and contributes to global warming. Recycling plastic is not the answer because typically, only 9 percent of plastic actually gets recycled. Therefore, the most effective way of reducing plastic production is to stop using it or reduce the amount we use.
Shop Consciously
Fast fashion is a major issue, when you purchase low-cost, fast-fashion items you contribute to the overwhelming amount of textile waste in the world. Textile waste is produced in every stage of the textile manufacturing process.
Textiles is the second largest polluting industry in the world. More than five percent of global landfill is being taken up by textile waste.
Fashion isn’t the only industry that you need to pay attention to when it comes to shopping consciously. Buying products from brands that make a conscious effort to produce products in a more eco-friendly way contributes to the protection of the environment.
Brands that support and facilitate rainforest restoration, fair trade, and environmentally friendly manufacturing are the type of brands you should consider supporting.
Buy Eco-friendly Tech
Technology brands are now paying attention to the energy efficiency of their products therefore if you want to make eco-friendly living one step further, pay attention to the technology products
that you purchase. Try to buy energy-efficient tech items instead to reduce your overall energy consumption.
Switch to Renewable Energy
You can also make a difference by switching to renewable energy, some energy companies offer a 100 percent renewable tariff which allows you to utilize energy with fewer carbon emissions. You could also opt for solar energy or other forms of renewable energy to reduce your carbon footprint.
Less Meat, More Plant-based
Eating too much meat has a negative impact on the planet. For example, If the world’s pasture lands were solely used for natural vegetation, it would eliminate greenhouse gases of approximately 8bn tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum from the air. Eating meat such as beef is certainly not environmentally friendly.
Stop food wastage
More than seven million tonnes of food is wasted in the United Kingdom alone annually. This is a shocking amount of food wastage. The more food wastage, the more CO2 emissions in landfills. Reduce food wastage by freezing extra food, donating food and purchasing food at the end of the day at grocery stores to prevent the food from being thrown out.
Compost
Compost your food waste and use it to fertilize your grass and plants.
Recycle
Although, recycling plastic isn’t actually the most efficient way of living a more eco-friendly life, do it anyway. You can also recycle paper, cardboard, electrical items, clothes, glass and metal.
Use LED Light Bulbs
LED bulbs are energy-saving bulbs, using these will reduce the amount of electricity you use. Some electricity suppliers provide these free of charge or at a discount price.
Home Insulation
Home insulation is a good idea, it prevents heat from escaping and it prevents the cool air from escaping when it’s warm outside.
Grocery Store Delivery
Instead of driving to the grocery store, have your groceries delivered. One van can carry multiple boxes of groceries saving gas and reducing carbon emissions. Think of grocery delivery as public transport for groceries.
Buy Secondhand Goods
Instead of buying everything brand new, reduce textile waste, paper wastage, and other forms of wastage by purchasing items secondhand.
Use Eco-friendly Cleaning Products
Many conventional, store-bought cleaning products contain harmful chemicals and microplastics. They are also packaged using materials that are not eco-friendly therefore if you want to make changes towards a more eco-friendly way of living, purchase eco-friendly cleaning products or make your own homemade cleaning products using all-natural ingredients.
Drive Less
Reduce your carbon emissions by ditching the car, walk more, cycle more, and take public transport.
Shop Local
Shopping locally is a very effective way of reducing your carbon footprint. Goods that are produced locally require less vehicle fuel which reduces carbon emissions overall. Therefore, shop locally and protect the environment.
Explore Your Local Area
Traveling is amazing, however, airplanes have a huge negative impact on the environment, therefore, travel on planes less and explore your local area or country more.
Plant Your Own Food
It’s a no-brainer! Planting your own vegetables will reduce packaging, carbon emissions, and soil pollution. What are you waiting for? Plant your own food!
Use Natural Skincare Products
Many store-bought skincare products contain microplastics and harmful chemicals. Ditch the harmful skincare products and go natural. Make your own or choose products that contain only natural ingredients.
To conclude, as you can see, there are many things that you can do to start living a more eco-friendly life. It’s simple, make a conscious decision to do whatever you can to protect the planet.
Making a few simple changes can make all the difference. Start today by switching the light off, make natural skincare and cleaning products, and eat a plant-based meal instead of your usual meal. You can start today, you don’t have to wait until tomorrow, there are lots of things you can do right now to start living a more eco-friendly life.
