Eco-friendly living has benefits far beyond reducing your carbon footprint, although that should be one of your top priorities. Being environmentally friendly can help you save money on top of saving the environment, which is just one more reason to be a little bit more eco-friendly in your everyday life. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to living more sustainably, don’t worry. We’ve compiled this list of ways that you can be more environmentally friendly starting right now.
Start Conserving Energy
One thing that you can start doing right now to become more environmentally friendly is turning off your electronics and conserving energy. Leaving your electronics on standby uses up energy, so make sure that you turn your television off every time you go to sleep.
Use Eco-friendly Tech
If you want to go beyond turning off your electronics when they’re not in use, you can make sure that your actual technology is energy-efficient.
You can do this by replacing your current appliances with energy-efficient ones. According to SmartMove, “Installation of energy efficient appliances and efforts made towards using renewable energy can cut down on utility costs.”
Use Renewables
If you’re able, you can change your energy supplier to renewable energy. When on a green tariff, all the electricity you use is zero carbon.
Eat Less Meat
Pay attention to what you’re consuming. If you’re eating more meat than vegetables, you might want to change up your diet. Meat products require more land and energy to be produced, not to mention it takes longer to harvest the meat than it does to harvest fruit and vegetables. We’re not asking that you go vegan, but if you cut down the amount of meat you eat every day, you’ll be well on your way to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Start Composting
Try composting your food waste instead of simply tossing it out. Composting creates a natural fertilizer to keep your garden green while reducing the amount you add to the landfill every year. Compost doesn’t break down anaerobically, so there won’t be a build-up of methane gas, either.
Begin Recycling
Put a recycling bin next to your garbage bin at home to remind yourself to recycle every single day. If you’re not already recycling, now is the time to start. If you’ve been trying to become more eco-friendly, then you’ve likely started recycling but can do so much more.
What you might not know is that almost anything can be recycled, including barriers and cars. Before you throw anything away, take a minute to research whether or not it could be recycled instead.
Stop Using Plastic
Most of us use plastic every single day, from the plastic water bottles we keep in our cars in case of emergency to the bags that we bring our groceries home in. Luckily, giving up plastic is easy. Start replacing your plastic water bottles with reusable water bottles and keep one in your car at all times in case of emergency. You can also start bringing reusable bags to the grocery store and out to the shop so that you don’t have to continue bringing home plastic bags that will just sit under your kitchen sink for months.
Use LEDs
LED bulbs last longer than conventional bulbs and are far more efficient. When you switch to LEDs, you’ll be using less power and replacing the bulbs less frequently, which means saving a few bucks every now and then.
Better Insulate Your Home
A home that isn’t well-insulated uses much more energy than a home that is. Warm heat and cold air escape non-insulated homes quickly, which means your AC Or heating system will kick in more quickly and use more energy over time. Insulating your home will also save you money on your electricity and gas bills because your heat and air conditioning won’t have to turn on as much or use as much energy to heat or cool your home.
Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Traditional cleaning products, like bleach, have harmful chemicals that are not environmentally friendly. Not to mention these chemicals can also negatively impact your health. Green cleaning products, however, use more natural and organic methods of cleaning, such as using vinegar, that are just as effective but less harmful.
Drive Less
If possible, start driving less. If you can walk somewhere instead of driving, try to do it more often. When it comes to getting to work, see if you can put together a carpool so that fewer cars are on the road. Unless your vehicle is electric, driving is not eco-friendly because it puts exhaust fumes into the environment, which can contribute to global warming and air pollution.
Buy Local
Supporting your local economy is great, but it also requires less transportation. You can buy almost anything locally, from food to your clothing. Remember, just like your car, trucks can negatively impact the environment, so the closer these products are to you, the better they’ll be for reducing your carbon footprint.
Start a Garden
Starting a small garden in your yard is easy, and it can help you reduce your carbon footprint. Not to mention, it’s also a great way to save money. If you don’t have a yard to grow in, you can use windowsill boxes to filter the air coming into your home and grow small vegetables and herbs.
Plant Trees
Our environment depends on ecological sustainability. We use trees for tons of things, including building our houses, furniture, and for the paper that we write on (unless you use hemp instead). To replace the trees that we’ve cut down, we need to make sure that we plant more for a healthy ecosystem and improved air quality.
Consider Your Personal Care Items
Even switching out some of your personal care items for more sustainable products can help reduce your carbon footprint. Microbeads, which are most commonly used in skin care products like body washes to promote exfoliation, are small plastic beads that don’t biodegrade. These beads then make their way into drains and end up in the digestive tract of animals that live in the water.
You can find sustainable personal care products at most local shops, and they’re usually easy to spot since brands like to make sure you know that they are eco-friendly.
Final Thoughts
Becoming more equally friendly doesn’t mean that you have to stop showering and flushing the toilet. It simply means that you’re making a conscious effort to reduce your carbon footprint. With the actions we’ve provided you with today, we hope that you can begin the journey of living a more sustainable life.
Article By Matt Casadona;
Matt Casadona has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. He is currently a contributing editor for 365 Business Tips. Matt is passionate about marketing and business strategy and enjoys the San Diego life, traveling and music.
