Climate change and becoming environmentally sustainable have been significant themes of the past few years. While many young people employ environmentally conscious recycling to help slow down climate change, yet most are still major consumers of fuel, excess amounts of water, and plastic. If you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, here are some tips to alter your lifestyle toward benefiting the environment instead of harming it.
1. Invest in different transportation.
Vehicle manufacturers such as Ford and Tesla are leading the pack toward electric and hybrid cars. Although getting a newer vehicle is more of an investment than reducing your plastic bottle intake, it’s an investment that would greatly help our planet. Purchasing a fuel-efficient car is more beneficial for the environment. They help reduce pollution and smog by 50%, get better mileage, and have more modern designs.
2. Say no to plastic.
A simple change that’s not hard to make is saying “No” to plastic products. Using reusable shopping bags or reusable water bottles would make all the difference if everyone started doing it. Each year, 8 million tons of plastic reach the ocean, ultimately causing the amount of plastic in our oceans to triple by 2040. When deciding between plastic or metal, glass or unlined paper packaging products, never choose the plastic. Making investments in reusable cutlery and straws will help lower America’s rates of waste. And acts like these create a more environmentally conscious recycling habit.
3. Adjust your electricity usage.
Along with the simple habits of turning off the lights when not using them, things like switching to LED bulbs can save up to $30 billion in energy costs. In addition, the small act of unplugging electrical products when not in use can slow down standby power usage. You can also choose to buy already used or environmentally recycled electronics. Also, more and more companies are looking at recycling old electronic products to create new ones. Maybe in the future, you can look down at your phone and know you helped to reduce your carbon footprint.
Overall, the importance of being environmentally sustainable cannot be ignored much longer. Do you think that you could incorporate these minor changes into your lifestyle?
