Easy Ways To Stay Green
The importance of going green has increased with the concern for global warming and the conservation of natural resources. These are the two major reasons which drive the global push to stay green. Creating a sustainable planet for future generations gives the hope of a cleaner, safer and brighter future.
Going green can also help in reducing your regular utility bills, reduce air and water pollution, preserve the environment, make your home and office more durable, reduce carbon emissions and improve your health.
The steps to go green are the most effective ones you can take towards meaningful living. Most of these ways are very easy to access, inexpensive and can have a huge impact on the environment and our natural resources. Here are some of them that can easily be implemented in our day to day lives.
Save Fuel - Changing your commuting mode to walking, biking, riding or carpooling is advantageous for your physical, mental and financial status. It’ll also help in reducing air pollution and traffic congestion.
Save Water - More than 50% of household water gets wasted in drains like bathroom sinks, showers, tubs, dishwashers and washing machines without faecal contamination. This water is called greywater or sullage which can be easily recycled for landscape or crop irrigation and many non-potable uses. Apart from the obvious benefits of saving water and money on your water bill, reusing greywater keeps it out of the black water or sewer system and reduces the water pollution.
Food Habits - Buying affordable organic food, purchasing bigger quantities for the packaged food products so that less packaging material goes into the bin, preparing food at home and buying less from the food stands also help to stay green.
RRR - Learn the concept of Reduce Reuse Recycle. The basic goal of three R’s is to conserve natural resources and save the planet from all kinds of pollution. First, reduce the number of single-use items and reduce the waste you’re producing. Second, find another purpose for an item and try to reuse it. And last, turn the waste into new reusable material by recycling it. Here’s some more information on this handy tip - you can read more about the three R’s of Recycling.
Conservation of Energy - There are many ways to conserve energy. You can switch off the appliances that aren’t in use. Use lamps instead of main lights in case you need a small amount of light. You can replace your old light globes to compact fluorescent ones. Microwaves and electric kettles use less energy than ovens and stoves respectively, so you can use them more frequently. Turn off the extra lights, thaw the frozen food to reduce cooking time, keep lids on utensils while cooking, run the washing machine on full load and perhaps think about solar energy as your primary source.
Water Purifier - Instead of buying expensive bottled water from the market, use water purifiers at home for drinking purposes. Make use of a reusable water bottle - preferably aluminium rather than plastic.
Online Shopping - You can go online shopping, which can save both time and money. Nowadays you can find anything or everything in terms of household products.
Avoid Plastic - This is one of the most important ways to go green. Try to avoid plastic as it is non-biodegradable. Wrapped fruits and vegetables, plastic bags, takeaway coffee cups, plastic straws, plastic water bottles, bin liner etc. are some of the daily used things that you can easily replace with some of their better non-plastic alternatives.
These are some of the easier methods for a greener lifestyle. Staying green is easy if you take one small step at a time. Good luck!