1.Recycle
So many of the drink cups we buy out of vending machines end up in landfills or on the side of a highway. Plastic takes 500 years to decompose. Recycling our used products allows them to become new, unused products. Make sure to toss your cans and bottles in a recycling bin, rather than in a garbage bin. Also, look for a recycling logo on food boxes or containers. You’d be surprised how much can be reused that the world just throws away.
2.Don't Litter!
9 billion tons of litter ends up in the ocean every year. This litter is killing animals, corals, and ecosystems. You can do your part by never throwing garbage on the ground. Keep a bag in your car to throw trash instead of throwing it out the window. Hold your garbage until you find an appropriate can to place it in. 11.5 billion tax dollars are used yearly to clean up the litter that Americans caused. We are literally being charged to litter! If we put a stop to this, billions of dollars could be going to much more important things, like healthcare or housing for homeless.
3.Bring a garbage bag to the beach with you
In the summer, beaches are crowded. Visitors have food and beverages sprawled about on their beach blankets, and chances are a good amount of them are going to “forget” about the cans that they brought with them. A beach might be filled with all different types of garbage at the end of a long, hot day. Polluted beaches are extremely vulnerable, as garbage has an easy route to the water. If you’re a beach lover, you should bring a garbage bag the next time you want to soak up the sun. As you’re walking along the sand or hanging out, pick up litter if you see it! It’s not that hard, and your local ecosystem will thank you. Bring out more than you bring in!
4.Plant a tree or garden
In the spring and summer, there are garden shops on almost every main road! Head over there and get some seeds, saplings, or flowers, and plant them in your yard. Gardening is therapeutic and can help clear your mind, and the plants that grow will help provide you with lots of oxygen! If you have limited or no yard space, consider buying or growing indoor plants. Succulents can be grown in almost any type of container and can fit on small ledges. Even a few tiny plants will bring energy into any space.
5.Join your local community cleanup
Many communities have a local cleanup day. Many organizations, such as the Great Brookhaven Clean Up allow you to pick your own area that you’d like to clean, and they will provide you with the necessary materials. They’ll even take away the garbage for you when you’re done!
6.Take shorter showers and turn off the water while brushing your teeth
On average, 400 gallons of water are used by a family of 4 per day. That adds up to 146,000 gallons a year! Little by little, we can reduce the amount of water we waste. Taking shorter showers and turning off the water while brushing your teeth can save up to 175 gallons of water a month, totaling 2,100 gallons every year. That’s a lot of gallons saved with a small amount of work
7.Carpool, ride your bike, or walk
The gasses and particles emitted by a car while driving can be detrimental to the environment in large quantities. To lessen your emissions, ride with a friend if you’re both going to the same place. Rather than driving your car to the store on a nice day, ride your bike or walk there. Your endorphins will be pumping, and you’ll feel better than if you drove there.
8.Bring your own bag when shopping
Nowadays, plastic bags are everywhere. Every single store has them, and chances are you might even have a collection. The amount of plastic bags we obtain over time are absolutely unnecessary, and harm the environment. Plastic bags can strangle animals, or even choke them. The best solution is to bring your own bag when shopping. Many grocery stores sell large, reusable grocery bags for a couple of dollars. Invest in some of those, and then you won’t have to worry about what you’re going to do with all of the plastic bags you have! As for the plastic bags, re use them as much as possible.
9.Stop smoking cigarettes
Quitting cigarettes is easier said than done, but cigarettes are extremely bad for the environment. On a global scale, around 4 trillion cigarette butts litter the earth every year. Cigarette butts are the number one pollutant on land, and in the ocean. Many animals are attracted to the scent, and eat the cigarette butts if they find them. The animal, such as a Rabbit, feels as if it is full because of the cigarettes in it’s intestine. In reality, the rabbit cannot digest the cigarettes, and it’s intestine is blocked by them. The rabbit is getting no nutrition, but is under the impression that it is. Eventually, the rabbit will either die of starvation and malnutrition, or die because it’s intestine is too blocked up with cigarettes and cannot hold any more.
If you still smoke, don’t just toss your butt on to the ground when you’re done smoking. Put it out, and throw it in the garbage. If you smoke in the car, get a car ashtray and put them out in there until you’re near a garbage. Many people argue that “someone is eventually going to pick it up,” but in reality, no one wants to pick up your used cigarette butt.
10.Go outside
The more time spent outside is less time spent on electronics, and energy being used. With all of these ways you can help your environment, get outside and do something! Remember to unplug all electronic devices and cables that you’re not using before you go outside!
