Everyone, including children, can do at least one thing every day to help the environment. Using the three R’s as tenants (reduce, reuse, recycle), there are plenty little ways to improve the environment that can also make you healthy and happier too.
#1: Change Where and What You Eat
Buying your groceries from places that sell food grown locally means that you are helping the environment. You are not only helping out local business owners, but you are also reducing emissions that would be used to for production and transport of goods not grown locally. In fact, according to a study published in Environment Science and Technology, if families would buy local produce and goods, greenhouse gases could be lessened by 5%.
Changing what you eat can also be instrumental in reducing global warming. By eating a more plant-based diet and reducing meat, you can help reduce global warming in immense ways. For instance, it would only take families to replace one meat-based meal with a vegetarian meal once a week to be equivalent to taking 4-6 million cars off the road.
Tip #2: Reduce Your Electrical Consumption
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is responsible for the majority of airborne pollution that harms the environment. When we use electricity, electrical plants emit carbon dioxide. Therefore, if we can cut down on our electrical consumption, we are helping the environment. One way that you can do this is take note of your watt-hour meter, which measures how many watts of electricity you use per hour. One tip is to write down this number once per month while implementing energy saving tips. This way, you can measure just how much electricity you are saving. For more information on this, go to this website.
Tip #3: Ban Bottled Water (or use it infrequently)
Bottled water waste is one item that generates huge amounts of waste. All the bottled water waste has an enormous impact on land and sea creatures, and it fills up landfills. Recycling plastic bottles is always an option, but even better is to purchase a stainless steel, glass, or other reusable water container. Not only will your footprint on the environment be much less, but you will also save money due to not having to buy bottled water anymore. If you are worried about contaminants in your tap water, simply buy a water filter for your faucet or a pitcher with a filter. There are even water bottles that have their own filter. Whatever your choice, not consuming water out of bottle after bottle will grant a smile from the environment.
Tip #4: Stop Using Gas
Your vehicle contributes in a major way to global warming. All together, cars and trucks are responsible for one-fifth of all emissions that lead to global warming. Cars expel 24 pounds of carbon dioxide for every gallon of gas utilized. Five of those pounds come from extraction, production, and delivery of fuel. Therefore, it is a critical need for humans to use less gas. For more facts on this matter, go to this website.
One way to use less gas is to consider walking or biking to work. You’ll be benefiting the environment and your heart at the same time! Telecommuting or carpooling is also an option too. Moving closer to your work could have large long-term benefits on your wallet and the atmosphere. You can also just skip all the extra trips here and there around town, or try walking to the store once a week. Whether you start small or make big changes, using less gas is of extreme importance.
In all four of the tips above, helping the environment reaps multiple benefits on you too. Eating healthy is better for your body, employing less electricity and not using bottled water will save you money, and utilizing less gas gives you both: mega bucks in savings and health perks. Start small if big changes aren’t an option. Get your kids involved and teach them that everyone can do their part.