In one of my recent articles, I discussed my feelings about our planet, global warming, and what we can do to help. Now I want to go deeper into the many different things that YOU can do to help our planet every day. If we continue down the path we are, our home is not going to last. You can do all of these little things to make a difference or only just one. All that matters is that you are actively trying to make a difference. Why stand around when YOU could be helping the cause? Below are 10 ways you yourself can help our planet.
1. Recycle!
Recycling is something extremely easy to do and can help in more ways than one. For example, recycling aluminum saves more than 90 percent of the energy made to make brand new aluminum. Recycling also provides jobs for people in your community that may otherwise not have a job. So even if you think that this global warming and saving the planet thing is mumbo jumbo, you can still recycle so the man or woman that comes by to pick up your green or blue bins is able to provide for his/her family.
2. Use Energy Efficient Light Bulbs!
Using energy efficient light bulbs may not save you money in your first year of using them, but if you make the switch now, they can end up saving you lots of money throughout your lifetime. Traditional incandescent light bulbs give off 90 percent heat and that heat is money you are losing. Making the switch for your home may seem at first expensive, but trust me, it will be worth it in the long run.
3. Use up all of your paper!
Americans use more than 90 million short tons of paper per year. Think of all of the times you write on just a tiny bit of paper and then it goes in the trash. Try and use up all of the piece of paper and then recycle it instead of trashing it. Recycling paper is important too so that we don't lose as many trees per year because we are already losing trees and wildlife areas to fracking and the pipelines.
4. Plant a tree!
5. Try Vegetarianism!
6. Use a clothesline!
Alright. I know what you're going to say... "I don't want my neighbors seeing my underwear!" I get it. I understand that because I too, do not want my neighbors seeing my underwear. Using a clothesline can help out our planet tremendously! Using a clothesline helps limit the fossil fuel energies we waste by drying our clothes in a dryer. Also, not using a dryer can save you $1,500 a year.
7. Get some exercise!
It might sound weird, but getting some exercise can also help our planet! If you live in a big city and only have a short distance to go to work, the grocery store, or school, walking or biking is a great option. (You could even roller skate if you'd like!) The gas we burn in our car heavily contributes to air pollution, including nitrous oxides and particulates, and to global warming through emission of carbon dioxide. Now I know you can't walk everywhere, but getting some fresh air is good for you (shoutout to trees and plants!) and also for the environment.
8. Stop Littering!
Litter truly bothers me and if it doesn't bother you, I just quite frankly don't understand why and would love to hear your point of view. Anyways, littering is such a terrible thing to do. If you throw trash on the side of the road or in your local water ways, no one's going to be there to pick it up right behind you.
Then, the creatures in your local ecosystem could be harmed or die because of the litter you place. In the Pacific Ocean, there is a heap of trash more commonly known as the "great garbage patch" and it is exactly what the name implies. It is a giant heap of trash floating around in the ocean and is uninhabitable by fish.
Also, birds above in the sky easily hurt themselves because of the trash if they attempt to land thinking it is a rock or something else. Littering is very harmful to the animals that thrive in and keep our ecosystems thriving. Watch where you throw things.
9. Buy Reusable Grocery Bags!
Reusable grocery bags are such a cool concept. They are in fact, like the name implies, completely reusable and cheap, considering you're going to be reusing them all the time. The disposable plastic bags that your local insert grocery store name here are not biodegradable and sit in the landfills for years upon years. It is a better and more environmentally conscious choice to go reusable.
10. Turn Off That Tap!
Most of us use our water tap many times a day whether it's to wash dishes, rinse dishes, brush our teeth, wash our hands, or many other things. If we turn the tap off between dishes or while brushing our teeth until we are ready to rinse, it can conserve water. That'll make your bill go down and you'll get to help out the planet in the process too!
