Eco Your Way Blog

How to do Big Impact on our Environment?

Not a day goes by without some new report on the plight of our planet. It's all very disappointing, from the massive amounts of trash in the water, and flooding, to the record-breaking forest fires.

Our current choices may be the root cause of climate change, and its devastation on ecosystems, and plant and animal lives.

The world is amid an ecological calamity resulting from our individual and collective choices. The sheer volume of our daily waste-generating activities is intimidating. Where to start?

You may significantly impact the environment by making a few minor adjustments to your lifestyle (at home, at work, in your nutrition, etc.). We can make a difference if everyone starts with making small changes.

Let's not let the number of things we can do (or aren't doing) continue to wreak havoc on us and our environment. Take some time each month to change your lifestyle (such as your food, water usage, or cooking habits).

Making small changes can lead to big impact. Developing a new routine may take time, so don't put too much pressure on yourself to make all changes immediately. Remember. The biggest changes often result from the smallest ones.

1. Examine Your Diet

Being vegetarian even once a week can make a significant impact, given that animal husbandry (factory farming) is a primary contributor to climate change. Nowadays, people must resort to industrial farming to meet our insatiable demand for meat because there isn't enough livestock to meet our demands.

According to Everyday Health, approximately 1.4 billion animals could be spared from being farmed for meat if everyone in the United States reduced their meat intake by one day a week.

Odd numbers, huh? Now that we know about plant-based specialist Jessica Murnane (and her tasty recipes), giving up meat for the day seems like a vegan, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free breeze.

2. Invest in a Reusable Cup and Water Bottle

It's easy to underestimate the amount of trash produced by your daily (or several times daily) trip to the coffee shop when you're always on the go. It is preferable to avoid trash altogether, with investing in reusable cups and water bottles. When this is not possible, recycle, recycle, and recycle.

Unfortunately, recycling can be challenging, so we throw away a lot of plastic bottles and coffee cups. Avoid this problem by always carrying a reusable water bottle and coffee cup. Have them close at hand so you won't have to scramble around looking for them the next time you need a quick gulp of water or your favorite cup of coffee.

3. Prepare Your Own Household Cleaners

It's much simpler than it sounds, especially considering that baking soda and white vinegar disinfect and deodorize surfaces. Rather than buying cleaning supplies from the shop daily, you may save money and avoid using harsh, potentially toxic chemicals by making your cleaning products at home. An all-purpose cleanser, a tub scrub, and even all-natural bleach (yes, it's possible!) are just a few DIY cleaning items in Going Zero Waste.

4. Drive in an Eco-friendly Manner.

Changing your driving habits can reduce your annual CO2 emissions significantly. Stay under the posted speed limit and drive steadily, with gradual acceleration.

Ensure your tires are properly inflated and regularly tuned to keep your automobile in good working order. You can also reduce your car use by carpooling, taking public transportation, biking, or walking.

5. Leave Your Car at Home.

Short distances that can be covered on foot or by bicycle are often nonetheless traveled by car in many nations. For instance, sixty percent of all travels within two miles are performed by car in many countries.

Your contribution to global warming can be reduced by reducing the number of times you use your car weekly. It can greatly impact you if you combine your errands and walk, bike, or take public transportation.

6. Proper E-waste Management

Disposing of used batteries, electronics, and computers is important. Please don't throw them out with your regular trash; share the message with friends, family, and coworkers.

Electronic waste is a ticking time bomb in our landfills, potentially leaching harmful elements like cadmium, lead, and mercury which often find their way into our water and food supplies, as well as in our environment.

7. Proper Management of Food Waste

Environmentalist reports suggest that between 40 and 50 percent of organic waste is still destined for landfills. This decomposes in landfills to produce greenhouse gasses like methane, worsening global warming and smog.

8. Eliminate Junk Mail

Even though nobody enjoys receiving junk mail in our mailboxes, most of us do nothing to prevent it (mainly because we didn't realize it was possible!) Fortunately, there is an action that can be taken. Not only will this help clear out your real-life inbox, but it also has the potential to have a major positive effect on the planet.

Did you know that more than 100 billion pieces of junk mail are sent to homes in the United States annually? Around 100 million trees were used to produce this junk mail, including about 12 billion catalogs. Many of which are from sensitive forests like in Indonesia and Brazil.

What should we do now? See how we can decrease the number of unwanted catalogs you get and the frequency with which pre-approved credit card offers are sent.

9. Bringing Your Own Reusable Grocery Bags

Without a vehicle, this can be a hassle to keep straight in your mind. If you don't own a car (extra points for being eco-friendly), always have a rolled-up reusable tote in your handbag or briefcase.

The emission of greenhouse gasses caused by plastic bags is three times that of reusable bags. Check out the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a floating plastic waste dump surrounding our oceans and harming marine life if you think your plastic bag doesn't make a difference.

10. Cut Down on Your Own Household Electricity Waste

Even if we don't constantly use all of our electronics and appliances, just having them plugged in or on standby consumes electricity. A few tiny things can have a large impact, such as turning off your power strip or unplugging your phone/laptop charger while they are not in use.

Choose energy-saving light bulbs such as CFLs or LEDs to reduce your home's carbon footprint. Both are much more energy-efficient than traditional light bulbs. Remember that some appliances still use energy even when switched off. Turn them off when you're not using them.

You should unplug them if you last used them a while ago. Want to update your wardrobe? Try to find electronics and appliances that can reduce their energy use. Putting in a programmable thermostat, insulation, weather-stripping, and caulking can help you save money on your utility bills, improve the comfort of your home and help our planet.

Conclusion

This article should have motivated you to take at least one environmentally responsible action today, preferably right now. By making a few of these small changes, we can make a big impact on our planet.