You're probably familiar by now with a few methods of conservation. For example, you might recycle your empty bottles, cardboard boxes, newspapers, etc. You might also make sure to save water by setting a timer for how long you shower, or even just turning off the sink while you brush your teeth. These smalls acts, while they are good, can seem futile at times. So what are some other things you can do to help contribute to the health of our Earth?
1. Try Eating Vegan
This might seem extreme, so for all you meat and dairy-lovers, it could be worth trying just a day or two out of the week to cut out animal products from your diet, and replacing them with things like vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. What does your diet have anything to do with the environment? Unfortunately, a lot of our meats and other animal products come from factory farms. Factory farms are industrial plants which crowd animals, causing them to live in extremely unsanitary conditions. These "farms" are so awful for the environment that, globally, they emit one third of all green-house gas emissions. Can you imagine how much healthier our planet could be if we were to eliminate factory farms?
2. Plant A Garden
Not only has gardening been proven to be good for your health and reduces stress, it is also beneficial to the environment. If you're interested in growing fruits and/or vegetables, chances are you won't be spraying them with large amounts of pesticides and other chemicals that larger farms may use, which frequently pollute soil, water, and air. Additionally, if you're growing your own food, you are then saving money as well as helping to reduce carbon emissions that otherwise would've occurred in transportation of food from a large farm to a grocery store. If it's flowers and other plants you're interested in gardening, you are essentially providing nectar for bees! Bees are vital to our planet's ecosystem, and have been mysteriously disappearing. They need us now more than ever to plant pesticide-free gardens that are full of nectar and pollen resources.
3. Use Reusable Grocery Bags
Have you ever thought about how many paper and plastic bags you've used in your entire life? Probably not. But considering most of us need to buy food fairly frequently, it's probably a lot. Cloth, reusable grocery bags are a great way to eliminate how much waste we produce, and they can be used for more than just groceries! By investing in reusable grocery bags, you're eliminating the amount of plastic bags that would've otherwise be in a landfill or body of water, littering our planet and hurting wildlife. There are already great companies selling affordable, eco-friendly reusable bags like ConservingNow, Baggu, Flip & Tumble, and more!
