The planet needs us, and we need some advice for an eco-friendly lifestyle to leave the Earth clean for the generations after us.
By switching to an environmentally friendly lifestyle, you will significantly impact the environment and improve health and life in general.
If you give up unnecessary chemicals, unhealthy foods, unfriendly practices for the Earth, and bad habits/routines, you gain better health while stimulating the environment and the ecosystem. Wherever you are in the world, the following tips for an eco-friendly lifestyle are all achievable efforts. Some of them are fun!
Tips for an eco-friendly lifestyle: save energy
One of the most immediate steps you can take to reduce your lifestyle's impact on the environment is to reduce the amount of energy you use at home. Energy-saving has real, tangible benefits on your life because it helps you save money. Although some energy-saving techniques require an initial financial expense, it is worth the investment in the long run. How to do this:
- Use low energy light bulbs
- Please turn off the light when you don't need it
- Unplug chargers when the phone, laptop, or other device is charged.
- Insulate your home to conserve heat and prevent the need for additional, energy-intensive heating.
- Wash clothes at lower temperatures and use the tumble dryer as little as possible.
Tips for an eco-friendly lifestyle: save water
Every time I talk to my children about the importance of saving water, I give the example of children in Africa who consume as much water in a week as we use in a toilet tank.
Saving water is another way to reduce the impact of your lifestyle on the environment and, as well as to reduce energy consumption, can save you a lot of money. So how do you save water?
- Opt for shorter wash cycles when using the washing machine
- Fix and repairs leaks
- Take short showers
- Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth
- Boil only as much water as you need for tea, coffee, and other beverages.
Tips for an eco-friendly lifestyle: you don't always need to refuel
Whenever possible, avoid using the machine. Local trips can be made on foot or by bike, and always look for public transport routes when traveling.
Obviously, these options are not available to everyone, but cycling and walking will keep you active and contribute to your environment depending on your circumstances.
If you have to travel by car, look for car-sharing opportunities with friends and neighbors, thus reducing the number of vehicles on the road. You can go to the office together, shopping or even on trips. It's cheaper for everyone and more beneficial for the environment. Personally, I would recommend an electric car.
Tips for an eco-friendly lifestyle: choose organic food
The food we eat has a profound effect on the global environment - as the world's population grows, the demand for food increases, and the pressure on ecologies and habitats increases. Issues related to food production, supply, and consumption are highly complex. Still, there are a few things that could help reduce the environmental impact of what you eat while providing a healthy lifestyle:
- Choose local, seasonal products.
- If you are a meat-eater, choose to reduce the number of meals you eat in a week.
- If you are a fish consumer, choose those sustainable species and those fish obtained by the fishing method. Also, try to avoid those mercury-contaminated fish.
- Avoid food that comes in unnecessary packaging, and do not buy a bag for anything.
- Always look for sustainable, environmentally friendly, affordable food which helps your economy.
- Discover natural foods.
Tips for an eco-friendly lifestyle: Avoid plastic
Try as much as possible not to buy bottled water in plastic bottles. If saving nature is not a sufficient reason for you, consider that tons of water bottles leave the factories, which are often in the sun or transported in open trucks. In the sun, plastic emits harmful substances.
If your tap water doesn't look good enough, choose to invest in a filter. The investment pays off in a maximum of one year, and you will no longer carry dozens of water cans and boxes.
Plastic bags are a significant threat to the environment. For example, it is estimated that 100 billion plastic shopping bags are used in America each year, and only 1-3% of plastic bags worldwide are recycled. This much plastic means a tremendous amount of waste.
Tips for an eco-friendly lifestyle: save the bees!
There are a lot of environmental initiatives you can consider, but one of the most important is the need to protect bees. These tiny insects are vital for pollination of the Earth's vibrant ecosystem but have disappeared due to pesticides. You can help by buying organic honey (to support the natural practices of beekeeping) or by donating to charities that promote the well-being of bees.
Charity shops offer a way to recycle any unwanted items, find second-hand items, and most importantly, support the charitable cause of your choice.
You can reduce the packaging and transportation by simply renting or borrowing something, and you can return the favor of your friends by getting a proper social interaction.
Tips for an eco-friendly lifestyle: use less paper
If you want to take a step further, you can choose to run out of paper! You can receive all invoices and letters from banks, energy companies, and other e-mail service providers. And don't forget: don't print documents unless it's vital. You can also help recycle any paper you no longer need.
And when you need to pack, choose recycled paper. Shops and bookstores sell recycled paper and print magazines and books on recycled paper.