How to Be Environmentally Friendly in 2021
Most people are trying to be more environmentally friendly, but it can be difficult to make changes. Thankfully, being eco-conscious doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it’s a rather simple thing to do.
While most people get the mental image of adding solar panels to their house, it’s much simpler than that. Just making small changes to your daily routine can result in a huge reduction in your carbon footprint over your lifetime.
Here’s how you can make a different in the simplest ways:
4 Ways to be Environmentally Friendly
1. Buy A Reusable Water Bottle
Summertime is right around the corner and that means you’re probably going to be drinking a lot of water to beat the heat. However, instead of purchasing plastic water bottles, you should consider buying a reusable water bottle you can refill.
Did you know that 1,000 water bottles are opened every second? Yet only 9% of all plastic is recycled.
All of this plastic ends up in landfills or, more prominently, the ocean. Using a reusable bottle avoids this problem entirely. On top of this, you can customize the bottle to match your personality and it can hold more water.
2. Use Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Shampoo
Everyone needs to shower, and shampoo is an essential part of it. While it may seem harmless, when those soap suds go down the drain, they actually tend to end up in the ocean. The chemicals they use can actually kill fish and damage sea plants.
And the same is true for conditioner, body wash, and virtually all cleaning products.
Since this problem has been identified, green shampoo and cleaning products are popping up by the dozens. If you take a few extra minutes to find environmentally friendly products, you can make a difference with the smallest of changes.
3. Unplug Appliances When Not In Use
Even if the device is set to off, it’s probably still drawing electricity. This is known as a phantom load, and it can actually cost you quite a bit each month. A typical household’s phantom load could set a family 25 to 30 dollars a month.
And since the majority of power still comes from fossil fuel, this is causing more emissions.
Yet, it has a really simple solution. Unplug the device. That’s all it takes. Even if you find this inconvenient, saving hundreds of dollars each year will convince most people.
This is especially important if you do a lot of traveling.
4. Go Paperless
If there’s one thing every person gets each month, it’s bills and letters in regards to their various accounts. Yet, in many cases, this mail ends up in the trash or in a giant bin in the back of a closet.
The average person can save 938 gallons of water, 2.5 trees, and 595 kw of energy each year by going paperless.
If you are like the average person and barely interact with the letter you receive, switching to paperless saves you time and helps the environment. It’s also a proven fact that setting up auto payment is more reliable than paying a bill with a check.
It Doesn’t Need to Be A Massive Change
One of the biggest misconceptions is that being eco-friendly requires a big change. The reality of the situation is that small changes in your everyday life can have a huge impact.
While putting up solar panels on your roof or buying an electric car is great, not everyone can afford it. Start with simple changes and you can make a big impact.
Robert has been following and writing about environmental stories for years at GreenGeeks. He believes that highlighting environmentally friendly practices can help promote change in every household.
