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7 Easy Ways to Positively Impact the Environment

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Marquette chapter.

People are becoming more aware of the harsh effects that we have on the environment. There are simple steps that you can take every day to reduce your carbon footprint! It doesn’t require going vegan or living in a tent for the rest of your life either.

1. Change your light bulbs to fluorescent.

Fluorescent light bulbs create much less light pollution and are much less harsh on the environment.

2. Go vegetarian once a week.

Beef production uses thousands of gallons of water per week. Cutting back on the meat intake each week, even for just one day, can positively influence the environment and your health.

3. Invest in a reusable coffee cup.

This may seem like an obvious one, but plastic cups litter the landfills and waterways. Investing in a reusable coffee cup can cut back on as much as 1,000 pounds of waste per year.

4. Request paper bags at the grocery store instead of plastic.

Plastic bags suck. They don’t decompose and people rarely recycle them. Paper bags can be reused for many things, and are easily recyclable!

5. Cut the plastic rings that come with 6 packs.

Those plastic rings are deadly to aquatic animals. They wrap around their necks, and often times cause painful growing issues.

6. Opt for online billing.

This saves paper two times over. The money you save from paper billing per year could add up to as much as $1,700!

7. Wash with warm or cold water.

The energy used to generate hot water is insane. Washing with warm or cold water (clothes and dishes) can save up to as much at 10,000 barrels a day!

Simple changes like these help the environment and generations to come.

Marquette Senior. Future Lawyer. Environmental and Animal Rights Activist. Ace Ventura expert. 
Prefer to consume my calories in liquid form. Living in the land of beer and cheese. Dreamer. Explorer. Wanderer.