A to-do list everyone should follow.
by Ava McNeil
Global warming has become an increasing problem for us. Many of the things we do on a daily basis are harmful to the environment. You could be causing damage without even knowing it! How can we stop that though? Keep reading to find out.
Wasting food is a serious problem. You don’t realize just how much food you’re wasting every day. What can we do to alleviate this problem? Stop over-buying at the grocery store. When you buy all that food and don’t use it, you end up throwing it out which is not something you want to do. You can also freeze fruits and veggies that you aren’t going to use before the turn. This way, you can use them later. Lastly, if you have leftover food or food scraps consider starting a compost. The compost can also act as fertilizer!
Avoid using single use plastics! Single-use plastics are unquestionably bad for the environment. Instead, buy a water filter for your sink so that you don’t have to buy bottled water. Use reusable water bottles to bring to school and work. You should also bring reusable bags to stores. Don’t use produce bags at grocery stores instead order small cloth or mesh bags for your produce. Do not use straws! At restaurants ask to have your drink without a straw or, if possible, get a paper or metal straw.
Make some swaps in your bathroom. Instead of using body wash out of a bottle, us body wash bars. Don’t let your products go to waste! Make sure you’re getting everything you can out of them and if the product isn’t helpful to you, find other ways to use it. Instead of single-use cotton rounds, you should use reusable ones. They’re more efficient and can be easily washed.
Make some kitchen swaps too. Try not to use too many paper towels. Instead, use dish towels. Stop using plastic wrap and use beeswax wraps as an alternative. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. Go to local farm markets and buy local meat. Factory meat isn’t as good for you and will contribute to global warming. You can also start a garden and even use your compost to sustain it. This way, you can grow your own fruits and vegetables. Consider Thrifting homeware and appliances instead of buying new things.
Shop consciously. You can support companies with environmentally friendly practices. Buy products that have organic ingredients. Encourage small and local businesses instead of buying from big companies.
There are simple every-day things that you should be conscious of. Try not to use unnecessary amounts of water in your house. You shouldn’t leave any lights on in your house unless absolutely necessary. Separate your trash and recycling! I can not stress this enough. So many things that can be recycled are thrown into the trash because people can’t be bothered to throw it into recycling. All that recycling will end up in landfills! Once your device is done charging, unplug it. Leaving it plugged in is not only bad for your device, but it also creates phantom electricity. This means that all the electricity that is going into your device is going to be wasted.
Even if these solutions won’t do much individually, if we all start looking for alternative ways to go about our days, we can make a big difference. Hopefully our community can become more environmentally friendly and we can be an example to others.