Although we dealt with the effects of a pandemic last year, the world also sought to address climate change. For instance, because of the decrease in air travel, people thought about their carbon footprint. And yes, there’s such a thing as “flight shaming.” Nevertheless, more and more people care about the environment and how to be more green. Today, we want to share excellent tips and ideas for green living. With a little awareness and effort, you could make a significant contribution to a more sustainable planet.
1. Going Green Starts at Home
The first thing for green living is to look in your home. In other words, most families have clothing, shoes, and sneakers that they no longer use. The last place you want to see these items is in the trash because of green living sustainability issues. As you know, it’s not good for the environment to have things that could get re-used thrown away. Textiles make up a significant portion of what’s in landfills. And, yes, there’s a better way.
Donating clothes and shoes you don’t need any more is a great way to avoid filling up landfills! If you live in the southeast, all you have to do is find a donation bin near you or schedule a pick-up. What’s more, you could help charities do their important work in communities and make a tremendous social impact. So, start going green by cleaning out your closets and recycling the clothing and footwear you no longer need. Imagine making a positive impact on the environment with your unwanted clothing and accessories.
2. The Best Transportation for Getting Around Town
Everyone needs to get around the towns and cities where they live. But, not everyone needs to get around using their cars. Let’s face it, the more vehicles on the road, the greater the pollution. So, if you want to make the shift to green living, how you get around is something to consider. Even if you live in an area where you don’t have public transportation, you could get around without using your car at all times. For instance, you could walk, or you could get a little exercise and ride a bike.
However, we also know that many cool new vehicles exist for transportation, such as scooters and e-bikes. Yes, while they use energy because they get plugged in for electrical charges, it’s still a smaller carbon footprint. So, think about the cool ways to get around your neighborhood or town and consider purchasing one of these vehicles for transportation. Remember, if you want to lose weight and get in shape while going green, walk or ride a bike as often as possible.
3. Green Living Includes Your Office
Sure, many people work from home these days, but millions still go to the office. Did you know that there’s a lot you could do at work for green living? First and foremost, there’s a lot of stuff plugged into electrical outlets. Think about electronics such as printers, computers, copy machines, lamps, and charging stations for mobile devices. These items are energy “vampires,” and they not only waste energy, but they also increase your energy bills. In short, even if devices are turned off, they still use electricity. A great tip is to get your work team used to pulling the plugs for laptops, computers, and other devices at the end of the day.
Another typical item office that you could consider for green living is paper. We live in a digital world, and now more so than ever! Fortunately, that means that we don’t have to raze trees to create paper (but could plant them instead!). As you remember from grammar school science, we need trees to clean the air we breathe. So, think about taking all of your work online and the cloud. And, during those instances when you do need to print, use recycled paper. You could also recycle reams of paper by printing on both sides and not just one side of every sheet.
4. Ditch the Plastics as Much as Possible
Unfortunately, there’s so much plastic around us, and it’s harmful to the planet. All of the plastic we use daily also prevents us from truly going green. Sure, it’s convenient and nice to have a strong plastic toothbrush. And, many drink water out of plastic bottles or filter it through plastic water filters. But, did you know that it takes oil and a lot of natural resources to create plastic? Moreover, plastic can take thousands—not hundreds—of years to decompose.
There’s a better way for green living! Consider using reusable bottles (glass) for the water in your home or office. As for your toothbrush, check out bamboo toothbrushes. When you go shopping for groceries, don’t use plastic bags. Instead, carry your reusable bags. For smaller plastics, such as take-out food or wrapping your lunch for work, think about purchasing reusable metal containers. These are just a few easy ideas that you could start doing today to decrease plastic use.
5. Consider Other Ways to Stay Cool in Warm Weather
Soon it’ll be summer, and air conditioners will start cranking in homes, stores, and offices worldwide. Still, millions of people around the world try to stay off the air conditioners, if they have them, including in Europe. Unfortunately, air conditioners are a giant energy hog and stand in the way of going green. Air conditioners burn fossil fuels and create a lot of pollution. We know that people want to stay cool, especially as we experience more heatwaves. There are different things you could do to minimize, if not eliminate, air conditioner use.
First, if you want air conditioners, make sure they are energy efficient. Fortunately, most manufacturers and government regulators have moved to make air conditioners more efficient. But there are other ways to remain cool in hot weather. You could use portable fans, especially if you spend a lot of time at your desk. When you travel around town, you could use a hand fan. Depending on how your home or office is set up, you could open windows for cross-ventilation, especially when the sun isn’t high. You could also place in your home ceiling fans, limit the use of light when there’s heat, and even use swamp coolers.
Bonus Tip for Going Green
When you do a Phill the Box Fundraiser for your school, church, or organization, you have the opportunity to raise funds without asking anyone for a financial contribution. Imagine that! Just by asking your community to “Phill the Box,” you can get the necessary funds you need at your location. All you have to do is sign-up, get the box delivered to your site, and promote the fundraiser by asking your community to empty their closets! Yes, it’s that simple, and it’s entirely free for you! What could be better? Check out the Phill the Box Fundraiser, raise money, and help everyone get started on green living.
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