You’ve heard that we need to start being more eco-friendly. The environment is in danger, and you know that, you just don’t really know how to help. Well, that’s okay because here are just some of the many ways you can start living a more eco-friendly lifestyle today. Use these ec0-friendly ideas to help.
Try Solar (A Great Eco-Friendly Idea)
Using solar power is a great way to cut back on your energy consumption and help the environment. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, as of mid-2017, the United States has a total solar power capacity of 47.1 gigawatts (GW), which is enough to power 9.1 million homes. You can start small with solar-powered light and appliances before you dive in and install solar panels on your house.
Recycle everything
It’s estimated that Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. The sad part is that more than 80% of those bottles won’t get recycled. Make sure you are doing everything you can to recycle the products you use. You can recycle pretty much anything that’s made of plastic, cardboard, paper, aluminum, and more.
Get New Windows As One of Mnay Eco-Friendly Ideals
According to the Department of Energy, 45% of the average energy bill goes towards heating. If you have old and drafty windows, your heating and cooling will be going right out the window, literally. This will cause your HVAC systems to work harder than they need to, consuming too much energy. New energy efficient windows can not only help you save money, but they can help the environment too.
Insulate your home
This concept is similar to the section above. If your heating and cooling escape your home, they’re not really regulating the temperature there. Your furnace or air conditioner will have to work harder than it should, causing higher energy bills and potential premature burnout of your equipment. Spray foam insulations can cut monthly AC and heating costs by as much as 60%, so that can reduce your energy consumption significantly.
Eat less meat
What does eating meat have to do with helping the environment, you ask? Well, more than 30% of the Earth’s surface is being used to raise and support livestock. According to a study conducted by the United Nations, “the livestock sector accounts for 9% of CO2 deriving from human-related activities but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gasses. It generates 65% of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2.” Cutting back on meat consumption helps reduce the overall emission of GWP gases.
Wash cold
When you run your washing machine, you should wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot water as often as you can. Roughly 90% of energy used by top-loader washing machines is for heating the water. Using cold water instead helps reduce your energy consumption. You can also purchase an Energy Star washing machines to cut back on your water and energy use.
Keep your clothes
Speaking of clothes, you should keep washing them instead of getting rid of them. Landfills in America have more than 26 billion pounds of textiles in them. Some of those clothing items, like jewelry and flip-flops, are even getting into the oceans. If you have to get rid of old clothes, make sure you donate them instead of throwing them away.
Start walking
Finally, if you can walk or ride a bike to get somewhere instead of driving a car, you could really help the environment. Noise and carbon dioxide emissions have extremely harmful effects on the environment, so the way you travel can make a big difference. If you walk, bike, or even carpool somewhere, you’re saving one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don’t drive.
You might feel like you’re only one person and that you can’t make a difference for the environment, but that’s far from the truth. Start doing some of these things listed above, and remember that it only takes one drop to overflow the bucket.
What eco friendly ideas have you utilized? Please tell us about it in the comments below.
I’ve started to pickle things and make jams and chutneys. It’s super easy and it’s a really good way to use up all of that old fruit and veg – plus it saves on waste!
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