If you’re interested in a “Green Living” lifestyle, you’re in the right place!
THE AIR WE BREATHE INSIDE OUR HOME
According to the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), the air inside our homes, schools, and buildings could be much more polluted than outdoor air; even in the most industrialized cities, due to the pollutant sources such as the amount of air entering a home, improperly adjusted gas stoves, toxic chemicals often found in common cleaners, and other products like paint, candles, wet/damp carpet, etc. We can all agree our doors and windows aren’t open every waking moment of the day, but you should let a good amount of outside air filter into your house.
The effects of the exposure to indoor air pollutants could vary from being noticed immediately to years later. This depends on several factors, such as the toxicity of a product, the time of exposure, and pre-existing health problems (especially those suffering from a respiratory disease).
Some tips to keep your indoor air cleaner:
‣ Increase your home air ventilation – a simple, inexpensive way is opening doors and windows when the weather permits.
‣Air Cleaners – you can find different types depending on where you shop, and some are more effective than others!
‣Check your lifestyle activities, your personal and household products – are you using potentially toxic products?
‣Replace potentially toxic products – if you’ve noticed that a product you are using is possibly toxic, replace them with natural products; refer to more resources on our website to help you through this.
‣Keep relative humidity levels between 30-50% – ideally, use a humidifier or dehumidifier and adjust as needed.
‣Use non-chemical methods of pest control when possible
TURN IT OFF
One simple yet one of the most important things we can do to help our environment is preserving energy, so be alert to whether or not you are wasting energy.
Some easy ways to prevent this:
• Lower your thermostat in the winter
• Raise your thermostat in the summer
• Program your thermostat so it doesn’t run when you’re out of the house
• Unplug electronics when they aren’t being used to prevent phantom electricity from being consumed
• Replace your light bulb (after it’s burned out, obviously) with an eco-friendlier type such as a compact fluorescent light.
• Wash your clothes in cold water—a large amount of the energy spent on washing is to heat the water
PLASTIC WASTE
As everyone knows, the overwhelming amount of plastic waste is a serious problem. To give an idea, around one hundred billion plastic bags are used by U.S. shoppers every year, an average of ~365 plastic bags per person. So, using a Canva bag or reusable plastic bags might bring some benefits to the environment. Might because all the bags that we produce, including the organic bags, need to be used many times to compensate for the resources they need to be produced. The best bag to use is the bag you already have and will reuse all the time.
Don’t forget – plastic never goes away, and plastic bags are only a small part of the big problem of plastic pollution.
AVOID COMPENSATORY BEHAVIOUR
Sometimes, people tend to think that by doing an act that is considered good compensates for another. For example, eating junk food because you ate something healthy during the week. In this case, people may feel that, because they recycle, they don’t need to consider the extra trash they throw away. In another case, they may believe that because they use reusable bags instead of regular plastic bags in the store, they deserve to buy more. Of course, no one needs to become some extreme radical environmentalist, but the point here is that being aware of compensatory behavior can make a difference in the final result; the intention is to live an eco-friendly lifestyle and avoid doing more harm than good.
Any change, even if small, makes a big difference!
LESS PAPER CONSUMPTION – LESS PAPER NEEDED
To start off, where does paper even come from? Most paper comes from trees. When we receive a grocery flyer in our mailbox or when we print a document on a printer, we’re somehow wasting our forest resources. To help stop this, there are some alternatives to using paper.
Some simple ways to use less paper:
• Stop Junk Mail – try removing your address from catalogs and registries; you can do this on apps such as PaperKarma.
• List your activities and to-do list on your smartphone.
• Reuse wrapping paper and envelopes whenever possible.
• Limit how much you print – for example, print multi-paged documents double-sided or consider preserving documents electronically.
• Recycle paper.
• Give away your old papers for recycling.
• Buy loose products – instead of buying pre-packaged packs, this will help you to reduce paper and plastic waste.
• Use cloth napkins rather than paper napkins.
• Keep a reusable cup with you – whether this is water or a different drink, some companies like Starbucks accept reusable cups when making your drink.
Keep in mind that about 4 billion trees are cut down every year to satiate our paper demand.
CARRY REUSABLE ITEMS WHENEVER POSSIBLE
Some examples:
• Reusable bag (as mentioned earlier)
• Coffee Cup
• Water Bottle
• Straws
• Etc.
BUY NECESSITIES AND LASTING PRODUCTS
Before buying something, always consider, “Do I need it?” and “What will I use it for?”
Buying low-quality products that you’ll throw away in a matter of days contributes to the constant trash heap that piles up every day. Always try to buy higher-quality products.
Shop consciously; it’s an important part of the process.
AVOID CHEMICAL PRODUCTS
Cleaning products often contain harmful ingredients to your health and environment; consider switching to eco-friendlier household products.
You can read more about it here.
EAT LESS MEAT
Surely, you’ve heard it all before by various advocates for veganism, more plants, less meat, but why?
Meat production is a significant contributor to climate change. It is responsible for a great deal of water use, ozone harming substance discharges (like Methane and Nitrous Oxide), and deforestation to convert land for grazing.
Not to mention, your health is affected by red meats as they are high in saturated fat.
Individual consumer behaviors matter more than you think!
REDUCE, REUSE RECYCLE, REPEAT!
Last but certainly not least, there are many ways to embrace an eco-friendlier lifestyle. These are just some of them, let’s go together step by step!
To conclude
I hope this article has helped you to adopt a more eco-friendlier lifestyle through small and simple changes (without stress or guilt for things that we can’t change ) in your day-by-day life!
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For Recycling Instructions, click here
To learn more about how to reduce wasted food, click here
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Resources used in this article:
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