There are many individuals who are trying to make a difference in the world by living their lives in a more environmentally friendly way. In our household we started recycling those plastic bags that are used in grocery stores; the problem is that we keep forgetting to take them back to the store so now we have a pantry full of rolled up plastic bags. Seriously, we have almost two years worth of bags piled up in there!
There are many ways to live in a more eco-friendly manner which are not too hard such as recycling those plastic grocery bags, and utilizing reusable bottles for water as opposed to plastic ones which end up in landfills. There are also things one can do at home to make every day environmentally friendly.
- Bring your mug to the coffee shop – Coffee shops will fill your own mug or travel container with coffee if you bring one. Using your own coffee mug will eliminate the cardboard cup making its way into a landfill.
- Grab a Growler – There are micro-breweries cropping up all over the country, so rather than buying the mass produced (and not that great tasting) beer in bottles that end up being thrown away, visit your local brewery. They usually sell their beer in what is called a growler, which is a container that resembles an old moonshine container. These containers are reusable, so you can bring it back to the brewery to be refilled when it’s empty. The extra added bonus is that you’re supporting the local economy.
- Send E-Cards – Everyone is on the internet today, so utilizing your computer for sending greeting “cards” is almost natural. Greeting cards are a lovely way to say your remember, but after a day or two they just end up in the trash bin no matter how pretty they are. So why not send an “e-card” via computer along with a note saying that the money saved on the card was sent to their favorite charity.
- Install programmable thermostats – The number one money drain in a home is the heating and cooling systems. Programmable thermostats allow the heating and cooling systems to be used when needed as opposed to all day, every day. A good programmable thermostat will allow seven day programs, so you can separate your weekday usage from your weekend usage.
- Start composting – Millions of pounds of food waste are thrown into landfills every year, which could be utilized as garden mulch. There are several inexpensive composting systems available which can turn your food waste into fertilizer. Food waste mixed with grass clippings and leaves will make a nutritious soil for everything.
Living green is not all that hard, it just takes commitment and some thought into what you do every day. Do you live close enough to work to ride a bike? Do you live in an area where rainfall can be caught in buckets and used to water plants? Making small adjustments to our everyday living can make a big impact on our planet.
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5 Tips For Making Your Everyday Living More Environmentally Friendly Credit Picture License: Grzegorz Łobiński via photopin cc
