1. Always turn off appliances
(source: Lifestyle Tips by Antoaneta)
Standby appliances in the home consume more energy than you can imagine. An average household in the United States spends more money on energy than food. Constant consumption of energy without means of replenishing it has caused energy to be one of the major issues facing the world today. In your little part, you can save yourself a few bucks and save the world too by turning off all appliances when not in use. Be sure to go round the house to check for appliances that are yet switched on before leaving for work or going to bed at night.
2. Plant A Tree
Did you know that planting trees is one of the easiest, cheapest and potentially most effective tools we have for combatting climate change and drawing down carbon from the atmosphere? We could reverse the last 10 years of carbon emissions by simply planting 1 trillion trees. One Tree Planted is a non-profit organization, and they plant trees in North America, South America, Africa and Asia.
Trees are vital parts of our eco-systems that help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink and provide habitat to over 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. They also provide jobs to over 1.6 billion people, absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere, and a key ingredient in more than 25% of all medicines. To make this even sweeter, it only costs $1 to plant a tree.
3. Change your eating habits
Pick up breakfast on-the-go? Grab your lunch from a shop in between meetings? We all do it, but just think about all the packaging that gets used from our daily Pret habit. Instead, try using a Tupperware for a homemade lunch, plus carrying a reusable spork (spoon fork combination); both of which will drastically reduce your weekly packaging waste. Even if you can’t do this every day, it all adds up.
Secondly, don’t forget to compost your food waste at home. Ask your local council for a mini food waste bin – they hardly take up any room and it’s a great planet friendly way of getting rid of things like egg shells, old coffee granules and banana skins.
Thirdly, eat more plants. Try swapping out two meaty meals a week for vegetarian or vegan ones. Then the money you’ve saved for those meals can be spent buying better quality, free range or organic meat for the carnivorous meals you do eat. Yum.
4. Be A Conscious Grocery Shopper
If we are talking about eating a diet that is more environmentally sustainable: eat local and seasonal, choose organic produce, shop in bulk and at farmers’ markets, eat fewer animal products. Avoid overly packaged food with long labels full of ingredients you can’t pronounce, avoid food that your grandmother wouldn’t recognise (i.e. overly factory processed), avoid farmed fish, avoid industrially reared meat and dairy, avoid overly packaged food and avoid regular food delivery. Avoid ingredients with unethical and environmentally destructive supply chains such as palm oil, farmed shrimp and non-fair-trade coffee and tea.
5. Go full eco-warrior
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(Image source: https://www.facebook.com/Eco-Warrior-1406484172722014/)