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5 Ways to Be More Environmentally Conscious in Your Daily Life

Environmental issues are something you probably hear about almost every day. Going green is a hot topic in the news nowadays, but when you try to actually do it, knowing where to start can sometimes be a challenge.

While you may not be ready to make any drastic changes, there are a lot of small things you can do to help.

Thinking about how you can make simple adjustments in your life in order to have less of an impact on the environment is the first step toward contributing to larger-scale change.

Here are five ways to become more eco-friendly in your day-to-day life.

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1. Shop Mindfully 

Whether it ends up in the ocean or in an overfilled landfill that is quickly running out of space, the presence of non-biodegradable garbage in the environment is a huge issue.

Plastics in particular can take a massive amount of time to break down and have the potential to cause all kinds of issues.

One great way to cut back on your plastic use can be to shop mindfully. Use reusable bags, and when possible buy bulk items that use less packaging.

2. Sort Your Garbage

No matter how much you try to cut back on plastic consumption, you will still end up with some garbage. However, you can still help to keep it out of the landfill by recycling as much as possible.

You can make this easy on yourself by sorting your garbage as you use it. Having separate garbage bins for plastics, compostables, and other items can make taking out your different types of trash much easier.

Remember to wash out any plastic items, such as milk cartons, before putting them out to be recycled.

If you have a garden, composting your organic waste can help take your plants’ productivity to a new level. You can find a lot of online tutorials about how to get started with composting, as well as other forms of recycling.

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3. Cut Back on Water Use

Arguably one of the most important ways to cut back on your impact, especially if you live in an area prone to droughts, is minimizing the amount of water you use.

Using less water is easier than you might think. Even though you’ve probably heard them said over and over, tips such as turning the faucet off while you brush your teeth and taking shorter showers are still very solid advice.

You can read up on ongoing projects to conserve water on a large scale, such as The Cadiz Water Project in California’s Mojave Desert, for more ideas on how to use water more efficiently in your daily routine.

4. Upgrade Your Home

While not the easiest change to make, upgrading your appliances can come with a surprising amount of benefits for both you and the environment.

Newer appliances are often substantially more energy-efficient, use less electricity and, in cases such as washing machines and dishwashers, they often use much less water than older options.

While any upgrades should come with some degree of efficiency increase, you can specifically shop around for appliances listed as green or energy-efficient to get the most benefits out of switching things out. 

Besides appliances, you can also consider other aspects of your home’s energy usage.

A lot of homes waste a lot of power all round due to heat loss in the winter and overheating in the summer. Adding more insulation, specifically to the attic area, can be a great way to keep the temperature in your house more stable.

This allows you torun your heating and cooling systems for shorter periods of time, while still keeping you and your family perfectly comfortable.

Although upgrading your home can cost a fair amount of money upfront, you should find that you not only have less of an impact on the environment, but that you can lower your bills as well.

5 Ways to Be More Environmentally Conscious in Your Everyday Life

5. Use Shared Transportation

Vehicle emissions can cause air pollution that contributes to climate change. Walking or riding a bike can both be much cleaner methods of transport, but they often aren’t convenient ways to get where you need to go.

While driving is frequently a necessity, you can still be mindful about your fossil fuel consumption. Taking public transportation can be one way to do this, helping you cut back on both pollution and how much you need to spend on gas.

If you can’t take public transport, you should consider carpooling with friends, family and coworkers, especially if you have routine commutes to work or other activities.

Going green doesn’t have to take a lot of time or effort. You can start out easy with simple adjustments and work your way up as they form into constructive habits.

You’ll find that being environmentally mindful becomes a reflexive, normal part of your day to day life.

While some changes are easier to incorporate than others, it’s important not to get discouraged and to remember that any effort you put in is substantially better than doing nothing at all!