When Earth Day comes around, people get inundated with various ways they can preserve Mother Earth. However, the information can be pretty overwhelming. Besides, not everyone wants to grow their own food immediately. Thankfully, there are simple and affordable practices you can start in order to become environmentally considerate of the earth. To get started, adopt the following tips.
1. Make Your Own Cleaning Products
A lot of cleaning products contain toxins and chemicals that aren’t great for the environment. In order to offset the negative impact, consider making your own cleaning products with natural ingredients that are in your fridge. When you go grocery shopping, keep certain items like lemons, white vinegar and baking soda in your cart.
2. Shop Second-Hand
It’s easier than ever to shop second-hand. You don’t even have to visit the thrift stores if you don’t want to. You can simply log on to sites like eBay, Poshmark and DePop in order to purchase second-hand clothing, shoes and much more. By shopping second-hand, you can also score better deals and submit offers for certain items.
3. Purchase Reusable Water Bottles and Grocery Bags
While it’s fine to purchase a few cases of bottled water in the case of an emergency, try your best to avoid water bottle consumption on a consistent basis. Instead, purchase a water filtration system and a reusable water bottle. When it pertains to groceries, most people get them once a week. Keep a few reusable grocery bags in your trunk. When it’s time to shop, grab the reusable bags and fill them up. If you live in a city or a county that charges you a few cents for each grocery bag, you’ll actually end up saving money in the long run.
4. Turn the Lights Off & Use Better Batteries
Unless you’re already living in a solar-powered home, chances are you can become more intentional with the energy you use. An easy way to be more environmentally-friendly is to start replacing your current batteries with the best lithium ion batteries. In addition, it’s a great idea to turn off the appliances when they’re not in use. If it’s a sunny day, turn the lights off in the house. Use the natural sunlight to light up the room.
5. Eat Less Meat
Meat consumption is responsible for a lot of waste. This is one of the reasons why many companies are concocting meatless burgers and other alternatives. If you don’t like the idea of a processed burger, just focus on eating less meat. Ease your way into the process by implementing “Meatless Mondays” where you choose one day to avoid any meat or animal by-products. If you and your family enjoy Taco Tuesdays, replace the ground meat with a walnut meat recipe or a vegetarian option like black beans. It might seem tough at first, but there are plenty of delicious foods you can consume that don’t include meat. Once you get used to this type of process, you might even decide to start a garden, grow your own food and save a ton on groceries.
6. Recycle Water
Monitoring your water consumption is an effective way to become eco-friendly. Many toilets use gallons of water for every flush. Thankfully, many manufacturers created toilets that reduce the water consumption per flush. If you don’t already have those types of toilets, hope isn’t lost. Start with the water you consume in the shower.
Don’t allow the water to heat up and run for ten minutes. It usually only takes less than three minutes for the water to heat up. Once the water is ready, hop in and shower. Try to keep your showers under ten minutes. Turn the shower water off while you’re scrubbing your body. Apply the same practices to the sink when you’re either washing your face or brushing your teeth. The water doesn’t need to run while you’re scrubbing your face or brushing your teeth. Don’t waste that water. In the shower, keep a bucket to catch all of the extra water. Use that extra water to flush the toilet, water indoor plants or water your outdoor garden.
Conclusion
Always remember that it’s impossible to become an overnight success. If you want success, you need to commit to the long-haul process. If you’d like to become successful with eco-friendly practices, take it one day and one choice at a time. As you consistently make better choices, it’ll become a lifestyle.
