You don’t have to be an eco-warrior living in a cave away from civilization and eating nothing but beans to make a difference to the environment. In fact, there are literally hundreds of small things we can all do to help protect the earth and make the future a brighter one for or children.
Here are some really easy ways you and your family can start making a difference right now:
- Replace Wrapping Paper with Fabric
Instead of using disposable wrapping paper to make your gifts look pretty, try wrapping them in reusable fabrics and bows instead. Not only will it help to preserve natural resources and keep stuff out of landfill, but it will make your gifts look more beautiful and unique than ever before.
- Use Biodegradable Dog Bags
If you have a pet pooch, and you want to be a responsible dog owner, but you also want to reduce the amount of plastic you use and throw away, switching to biodegradable dog bags is the way to go. These bags will naturally break down in a fraction of the time it’ll take for a normal plastic bag to do so, which means that it’ll do less damage to the environment and it won’t poison wildlife.
- Switch to Reusable Diapers
I know a lot of you out there reading this will have just recoiled in horror at the very thought of reusable diapers, but they really aren’t as awful as you might think. Yes, you can’t just dump them in the trash, but they’re actually cheaper in average than disposables, which means no funky smells until trash day, they tend to be more comfortable for baby, and once you get the hang of washing them, it really doesn’t take much effort. Most important of all, by switching their diapers to cloth versions, you will be helping to make the planet a better place for your little bundle of joy.
- Unplug Things
Instead of simply switching your TVs, games consoles and kitchen appliances to standby when you aren’t using them, unplug them and not only will you save energy and cut your emissions, but you could potentially save hundreds of dollars on your utility bills each year.
- Drive Slower
So, you like driving fast, I get that, but decreasing your speed from 70 mph to 50 can cut up to 25 percent of your fuel consumption, which will be of immense benefit to you, your bottom line and the planet as a whole.
- Reuse Your Bath Water
No, I’m not saying that you, your spouse the kids and the dog all have to wash in the same bath water – those days are over – but what I am saying is that you should try to reuse your bath water for things like watering your plants, where possible. Water is our most precious commodity and the more we can do to preserve it the better.
- Switch to Showers
Even better than reusing your bath water would be switching to showers only. You use much less water showering, providing that you don’t spend an hour in there, and many people think it’s a lot more hygienic too!
- Buy Energy Efficient Appliances
You shouldn’t start throwing out perfectly good appliances to switch them for more efficient ones, but whenever one of your appliances or bulbs break down, you should try to choose a replacement that is energy star rated.
- Buy Used
There’s no denying that we live in a consumer society where we treat goods like they don’t mean anything. Most of us think nothing about throwing away perfectly good stuff only to replace it with a newer shinier alternative. This is causing us to deplete raw materials and pollute the earth much more than ever before. To fight back against this without having to go without anything, one of the best things any of us can do is to, first fight the impulse to throw out perfectly good items and secondly, to buy used goods where possible. You can buy almost anything you need second-hand in good condition from places like Goodwill, Craigslist, and eBay and you’ll never have to pay full price again. It really is a win-win situation.
- Recycle Everything
If you’re serious about protecting the environment for future generations, then there’s no two ways about it – you simply must recycle, and you should recycle not only the easiest items but anything that can be recycled, including old electronics. Sure, it takes a little more effort than throwing everything in the trash, but can you really put convenience before the planet and your children?
What do you do to help protect our environment? Do you have any tips that would be useful to protect the environment? Leave your ideas in the comment section!
