4 Easy Ways to Live an Eco-Friendly Life
If you feel guilty about living a wasteful lifestyle and are determined to make a change, you may wonder how to live in a more eco-friendly way. Fortunately, there are easy ways to live greener. You’ll feel more grateful about making the switch greener, and you can positively help others to do the same. Here are four practical ways to live an eco-friendly lifestyle.
1. Save Energy
Reducing energy usage is one of the major roadblocks for people to live greener. However, it doesn’t have to be complicated. First, you can easily switch your candescent light bulbs with LED ones.
If you can switch to renewable energy, you’ll have the cost-saving benefits and the freedom to live off-grid. Installing a solar system in your home isn’t difficult either.
There are portable solar panels that are much easier to install. Simply set up a rack and ensure you have mounted them at an angle. They work by capturing the sun’s energy and converting them from DC to AC power. You can even store additional power through a solar generator to have power at night or during rainy days.
Solar electricity has many benefits like cost savings, increased home value, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Not to mention the tax benefits you’ll receive from the government.
2. Eat Less Meat
Reducing your meat consumption can significantly help the environment. According to the United Nations, the livestock supply chains increase 7.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 14.5% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
With a significant portion of Earth’s surface utilized for livestock, less meat production will also save trees. While not everyone can completely cut out meat, reducing consumption can help our planet and encourage a more vegetable-centric diet.
If you can switch to renewable energy, you’ll have the cost-saving benefits and the freedom to live off-grid. Installing a solar system in your home isn’t difficult either.
3. Eliminate Plastic From Your Daily Life
Plastic is practically everywhere. Just look all over your home. You’ll find plastics in cosmetics and food containers for entertainment, cleaning, and more.
Plastic bags pose a massive threat to ocean wildlife since many species will get entangled or ingest them. Not to mention, the chemicals from the plastic can seep into the environment by entering our waterways.
The lifecycle of plastic will vary. Plastic bags last around 20 years, but plastic cups and water bottles last up to 450 years!
Eliminating plastic requires making small changes, such as using reusable water bottles and reusable shopping bags. Also, you can store food in glass containers or jars instead of plastic bags.
4. Use Eco-friendly Transportation
Transportation is responsible for 22% of the emissions. Therefore, using more eco-friendly options can significantly help the environment. We’ll list out some environmentally-friendly transportation options:
- Drive an electric, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid vehicle
- Ride a bike
- Walk to places
- Carpool with friends
- Catch the bus or train
- Fly direct flights
While it may seem daunting not to use your gas-fueled vehicle, there are plenty of options. If you can’t do without a car, you could always sell it and purchase an electric vehicle. Many affordable EV hatchbacks cost the same or are cheaper than most new vehicles.
Final Thoughts
Adopting environmentally-friendly practices in your home feels gratifying since it contributes to a better planet. Start taking the initiative and take the first steps by following the abovementioned methods. An eco-friendly lifestyle can help preserve our environment, benefiting you financially and physically.
