Climate change is something I strongly believe in due to my years of research and evidence provided by science. I cannot deny something that is so obviously occurring. I first learned about climate change in my 5th grade classroom, and we learned how to be more sustainable in our own homes. I made charts and lists explaining what can and cannot be recycled. At my brother’s eighth grade graduation, I put recycling bins by every eating area, and walked around to make sure people were actually recycling.
It’s safe to say I care about our planet immensely and want to do my best to help protect it for future generations. We only get one planet—our home—so I want to keep this planet as beautiful as possible.
In light of recent events, I thought I would help educate others on ways to be more sustainable in their everyday lives. I did most of the research you'd need and included all of the sources, and I really hope that people can implement these things in their lives and homes. Eventually, doing these things will become second nature. It only takes a few weeks for something to stick, so I’m urging everyone to try doing at least 3 of these things:
1. Recycle plastics, paper, glass, and other household recyclables.
For more information on what to recycle, visit the EPA website. For more information and research on waste and recycling, click here. Here's a cheat sheet on what you can reuse and recycle.
2. Recycle, reuse, or donate your electronics.
Target and BestBuy have bins near the front of the store for proper disposal of old electronics and ink cartridges, etc. Make a pile and next time you know you’re going to visit one of those stores, bring your recyclables. If you don't have a Target or BestBuy near you, you can always look up somewhere near you that collects old electronics.
3. Donate old clothes, shoes, furniture, and other goods.
Do you have old clothes you can no longer wear? Donate them to charities! Bonus: you can even claim that on your taxes, so you’re getting rewarded monetarily for your good deeds, even though the fact that you’re making many people’s day by donating should be enough!
(Please do research on where to donate near you, as many places may not be as charitable as they appear. Local homeless shelters are always a great place to donate.)
4. Start a compost pile.
According to the EPA, 96% of tossed food waste could be composted. Tree branches, leaves, grass, etc can all be added to the compost pile rather than getting burned or tossed out. Burning leaves is not good for your health or for the environment.
5. Reduce the amount of non-recyclable products you use.
Try to reduce the amount of plastics and paper you use. Buy
packaging that is made of environmentally friendly materials or previously
recycled materials.
6. Reuse items.
Reuse the plastic bags you get at the grocery store. Find ways to repurpose the plastics and paper you use. If you don't use the plastic bags, bring them to a local store to recycle them. Almost every Walmart has a bin in the front of the store to recycle old plastic grocery bags.
7. Reduce paper usage—or go paperless.
Many places have paperless billing, which cuts back on paper. Look into paperless billing. Print on both sides of your paper. Find more uses for your old paper scraps.
8. Reduce emissions from cars.
Utilize public transportation and carpool. Cut back on the pollution being emitted from your car.
9. Buy environmentally-friendly cars.
Electric cars cut back on waste tremendously. Look for cars that have better gas mileage—it’ll help your wallet and the environment. Here are some cars that are eco-friendly.
If you’re looking for a car that is environmentally conscious, while also sophisticated, Tesla and Fisker are the car companies for you. Fisker has a car with solar panels on the roof and rumors have it that Tesla will also start incorporating solar roofs on their cars.
10. Go solar.
Speaking of cars with solar panel roofs, there are many ways to go solar and support solar energy. Solar panels have many benefits, monetarily and environmentally. Car company Tesla has come out with solar paneled roofs for houses. Solar panel shingles sound like a great idea and a response to the typical argument that solar panels are ugly.
11. Support wind energy.
Wind energy is simple. Wind turbines are powered by the wind and they generate electricity. Although they aren’t exactly pretty, they have many benefits.
12. Reduce your energy consumption.
Unplug things that you don’t use on a daily basis. There isn’t a reason to have all of your electronics plugged in for days on end if you aren’t going to use them. Unplug toasters, toaster ovens, coffee makers, blenders, printers, lamps, etc that you hardly use. It may seem like it may not make an impact, but all of the small things add to the bigger picture. It’ll help your energy bill costs go down, and will help conserve energy.
13. Conserve water.
Reduce water consumption. Turn off your water while brushing your teeth, take shorter showers, and don’t turn on the water until you’re in the shower. Find showerheads and faucets that reduce wasted water. Try to think of more ways to cut back on your water usage.
14. Go meatless.
Going meatless for one day a week or at least one meal a week helps the environment, surprisingly. It also helps your health and your wallet.
According to research, “you can save nearly 133 gallons of water with each meatless meal” and “you can save more water by not eating a pound of beef than you would by not showering for 6 months.”
If you’re really dedicated, you could also consider going meatless for more than one day a week or one meal a day.
15. Cut back on waste.
Pack your own lunch in reusable containers. Don’t use paper plates. Use less paper towels. Use metal silverware rather than plastic utensils. Drink out of a reusable bottle, tumbler, etc. Make your own coffee and thermos.
There are many more ways to help be more sustainable, and these are just some of the ways. Look at the research I've provided, if you don't trust me. Please consider trying some of these things, and once they become habits, you may be moved to make more of an impact in being more sustainable. It’s not hard. Let’s work together to save the planet. Remember, one person doesn’t have the power to make a change for everyone else. It takes many people to create change. Let's keep America and this Earth beautiful.
