The media is full of stories that talk about the negative impact our modern lifestyles have on the environment. The things we do to make our lives work also damage the world that’s immediately around us. Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate the impact we have on the environment, and they don’t have to be inconvenient or difficult.
Making small changes to your routines and making conscious decisions to do something different goes a long way toward reducing your waste footprint and helping improve the environment. Here are some ways to make a change for the better.
Recycle Whenever Possible
Not everything can be recycled, and it’s not always possible to get something into the recycling bin. Don’t beat yourself up for not being able to put something into the recycling stream. Instead, do your best to recycle as much as possible instead of trying to recycle everything. What you don’t manage to recycle gets picked up by waste haulers for processing at a transfer station.
After your garbage has been picked up, the waste processing stations pick up where you left off. The station sends garbage down conveyor belts where employees pick out items that are recyclable and set aside for further processing. This reduces the amount of trash that winds up in the landfill, which saves money and keeps the landfills from filling too quickly.
Buy Fewer Reusable Bags
On the surface, this may seem counterintuitive, as bringing reusable bags for your shopping is a great way to reduce the use of plastic bags. The fact is, the tote bags that are sold at stores have their own problems with being recyclable. It’s true that they’re made with recycled materials and cotton for durability, but recycling the fibers they’re made from poses its own challenges.
The materials used for making the bags are difficult to break down for further use. The tote bags ultimately wind up in the landfill after their useful life has ended. Instead of buying a reusable bag because you forgot to bring one from home, use the plastic bags at the store. You can always recycle the plastic bags the next time you go to the store, and you can put them into your tote bags as a reminder to take them with you.
Compost Organic Material
Composting your leftovers helps reduce the amount of organic material that reaches the landfill. It also helps enrich your gardens and flower beds, reduces the amount of fresh dirt and soil you buy, and returns nutrients to the land. The best part of composting is that you can do it anywhere, no matter if you live in an apartment or home.
When composting in an apartment, look for a bin that’s of a size that fits your kitchen and can contain smell. You can donate the final product to a community garden or find a pick-up service. Homeowners have it a little easier in that they can designate a small patch of the lawn for composting, and then use the compost around the yard and gardens.
Change Your Food Shopping Habits
The cultivation of certain types of foods is harmful to the environment and draws on resources faster than other foods with less intensive needs. The beef industry is one of
the biggest s of natural resources, but agriculture in general is hard on the environment. Does this mean you need to eat a lot less of your favorite foods? Not necessarily.
When you shop, look for foods that were grown using sustainable farming practices and buy whenever possible. Consume less red meat, and find other forms of protein to fill the gap. Organic farming is not always a guarantee that the food was grown with sustainable practices, so be sure to check the labels for additional information.
Climate change is also putting pressure on how animals are raised for food and how crops are grown. The agricultural industry has a lot of challenges ahead of it as a result, but you can help by making smarter food choices.
Look for Biodegradable Materials in the Products You Buy
Manufacturers are gradually finding ways to create plastics that are strong enough to protect the product it contains, yet biodegrade in a relatively short time frame. One product, plastic films, is made with materials that break down under certain conditions including exposure to air and light. Biodegradable products tend to break down in a couple of years at the most, with many falling apart in a few months.
Biodegradable products let you throw out waste without worry as they’re made from organic components instead of plastic. They’ll go into the landfill, but their harm is non-existent because the materials disintegrate without leaving behind a trace. To find this type of material in a product, look for a statement about the product being biodegradable on the packaging.
Turn Out the Lights, Even the Dim Ones
All light bulbs use energy, and they can use enough energy to spike your electric bill. That goes for the low-wattage Edison-style bulbs to the 100-watt LEDs. It’s true that modern light bulbs are more energy efficient than ever, but that doesn’t mean you should leave them on for long periods of time, especially if you’re not in the room.
Turning off the lights goes directly towards pulling less power from the grid. You may think that you’re an insignificant draw, but you’re actually part of a large pool of people who demand power from the grid throughout the day and night. Turning off the lights saves you money and reduces energy demand. Lower energy demand means the electric company uses fewer resources to generate electricity, benefiting you and everyone nearby.
Become Fuel Efficient When You Drive
Increasing your fuel efficiency doesn’t mean you have to buy an electric vehicle or stop driving altogether. It’s true that using public transportation and riding a bike helps you save money on gasoline, but it’s not always feasible for people to not drive a car.
If you can’t give up your car, you can make it more fuel-efficient by keeping it in good shape. That means getting new tires when the old ones are worn, changing the oil at regular intervals, and minimizing the amount of stuff you carry in the car. Keeping a car in good condition and holding less weight all improve your fuel economy, so you spend less money at the pump.
Making Little Changes Makes a Larger Impact Than You Realize
It’s not always possible to maintain a minimally impactful lifestyle for yourself and your home. Instead of trying to be perfect, aim to be as good as you can be. Make changes whenever possible, take small steps to use less of a product or resource, and look for alternatives whenever you can. The more you focus on these small changes, the more you make the world a better place to live.
Megan Isola
Megan Isola holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and a minor in Business Marketing from Cal State University Chico. She enjoys going to concerts, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with friends.
