Nowadays you see people walking around with their fifty dollar water bottles, driving around in their energy efficient cars, and preaching on social media how to help the planet by not using straws. When in reality all of these changes need to have happened ago, and while they may seem annoying are very valuable when it comes to protecting our home — Earth. You may have heard of huge changes that need to have happened ten years ago, but instead of focusing on the past, take a look into the present and make daily changes that will not only help our planet now, but for generations to come.
1. Meatless Mondays
You have probably heard of this from multiple organizations but according to Meatless Monday Replacing meat with plant-based choices each Monday can offer numerous health benefits and help you take action against climate change by reducing your carbon footprint and helping you conserve precious environmental resources.
2. Buy reusable straws
Reusable straws are one of the easiest replacements that someone can make. With all of the different types and styles of straws there are, if you use a plastic one you are adding to the overwhelming amount of garbage in our oceans. Think about not only the turtles but of the chemicals you are producing! No more excuses.
3. Say goodbye to single use plastic products
Single-use plastic products come in many shapes and sizes, one of the most prominent being to go boxes and ziplock baggies. Investing in mason jars, glass Tupperware, or even beeswax covers are great alternatives to the plastic. Plus they will look super trendy on your shelves!
4. Grow some of your own produce
Growing your food is as simple as finding enough dirt, space, and time to plant a few seeds and in a few weeks be rewarded with fresh vegetables and fruit that your climate produces. This will not only save you money but give your evenings a purpose greater than just Netflix in the summer months.
5. Switch up your laundry settings
Changing from hot to warm water can cut the energy in half, just for solely warming up the water. Another aspect to laundry you can do is to hang your clothes to dry overnight. Set up a station in an empty space and lay your clothes flat or hang them on a cheap clothing rack.
6. Walk or bike instead of birding or driving
Biking or walking is not only free but it also works your body while taking a weight off the already climbing climate pollution due to charging the birds and filling up a gas tank. If the single transportation devices don't work for your lifestyle try carpooling, or taking public transportation.
7. Buy from the local farmers market
Buying from the farmers market helps immensely with health and community sustainability. The farmers provide the local community with healthy and rich produce from their farms, halting the process of mass production from local grocers. The big brands not only hurt the environment from their packaging but also from the transportation in their products. Know what is going into your body, but also into the air around you.
8. Buy a bamboo toothbrush
Over 4.7 billion plastic toothbrushes that will never biodegrade are dumped in landfills and oceans every year worldwide. Buying a bamboo toothbrush will help with the disposal process because due to its plant-based materials will biodegrade so much faster than plastic, and not leave behind a stream of chemicals.
9. Buy and sell from local thrift stores
Buying second-hand clothing and other items means less goes into the landfills and fewer resources are used and less pollution is created in making new items. It will also save you some money, and possibly put some money back in your pocket by reselling some clothes. Added bonus: No one will have the same fit as you.
10. Recycle
This last tip is the easiest. In all honesty, it is just taking the time from putting a plastic/glass/metal bottle from one trashcan to a slightly prettier trashcan. One single bottle can change the whole game plan of the world.
These ten simple tasks will not only make you feel better about the person you are promoting but the type of person you are going to influence. Helping the planet is something that needs to happen as soon as possible. Without change, we will do more harm than good in the force of climate change. One little difference between thousands of people is better than huge changes from only a handful. Do your part, and save the life that lives around you.