(Kourosh Qaffari/Pexels)
By Jennifer McKee
There are so many ways to help the environment, and most of them only require a small change. This is not a comprehensive list, but simple ways to help make the Earth cleaner. It’s easy being green!
- Purchase eco-friendly bags. Buy a lunch pail or reusable lunch bag to cut down on single-use paper or plastic lunch bags.
- Use refillable bottles. Reuse single-use and gallon water bottles, but also use refills for dish soap, hand soap and bath & beauty products.
- Turn off lights and unplug devices when you’re not using them. When you go out of a room, flip the switch.
- Buy recyclable coffee filters and use coffee grounds as fertilizer. Keep your garden green and flowers pretty by using spent coffee grounds to fertilize.
- Do laundry in full loads and use cold water to wash garments. This decreases the amount of water and energy used, and also saves you money!
- Buy local foods. Support your community and sustainability when you purchase from local providers—it doesn’t have to go as far so emissions are fewer.
- Replace fluorescent and incandescent light with LED light bulbs. LEDs use 90 percent less energy and last 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
- Consider walking to short-trip destinations. Visiting multiple stores in a strip mall? Don’t start up the car each time, walk from stop to stop.
- Keep your car’s tires properly inflated. When they’re low on pressure, you use more gas and create more emissions getting from point to point.
- Be thrifty. Don’t throw out clothes, housewares, etc., you don’t use anymore—have a yard sale or clothing swap, or donate them to charity or a thrift shop.
