I’m sure you’ve all heard the term, “Going Green.” But what does that actually mean? When someone refers to being green, generally speaking, they are talking about being environmentally conscious and caring for the world around us. Everyone knows the Earth is in trouble. Whether you refuse to admit that global warming is real, you can’t deny oil spills, deforestation, or even acid rain. There are so many little things that you can do to help. For ways to start saving this precious planet we call home, I suggest reading on!
1. Recycle!
Photo credit: Canton
There’s a reason that bottles have a deposit on them! They’re rewarding you for recycling. Not only are you reducing the amount that goes into the landfill, but you’re also making 5 to 10 cents off of every bottle you recycle! As far as other products go, like plastic food packages or milk cartons, give them a rinse and bring them and put them in the recycling. Break down your cardboard products and toss those in there too. The majority of towns and cities have a recycling center that make it easy to just drop off your products. It’s so simple to do and makes a bigger difference than you think.
2. Save Electricity
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Unlike recycling, this is a little harder to see how turning off a light can help the environment. It’s not like waste is piling up, but trust me it can make a big difference. By consuming less power, you are reducing the amount of toxins that power plants are releasing into the atmosphere. In order for electricity to be generated, power plants have to use fuel. This can be seen as burning coal, oil or other fossil fuels. The less power you use, the less emissions those plants have to make.
3. Carpool
Photo credit: Colostate
It’s always so easy to just get in your car and go or order an Uber X for yourself. Why not think about carpooling though? Ride to work with a friend or order an Uber Pool. You’ll save money on gas and fare by riding with others. Another cool thing about carpooling is that many states around big cities offer a special lane during commuting hours for those with more than one person in the car. This lane moves more quickly which allows you to often avoid the heavy traffic and save some time. They’re rewarding you, so take advantage of it!
4. Use a reusable bottle
Photo credit: Swell
This one is so easy yet so overlooked. According to banthebottle.net, Americans alone use about 50 million plastic bottles a year. To make that many bottles it requires 17 million barrels of oil. That’s enough to power 1.3 million cars. If you ask me, that’s outrageous. Get yourself a reusable bottle that you clean a few times a week and refill throughout the day. Trust me, you get used to bringing that bottle everywhere. I feel empty without mine. It’s such an easy and great way to help.
5. Purchase Green Beauty Products
Photo credit: Garnier Fructis
The majority of plastic in beauty products today is not recyclable. Just think about the plastic on your lipstick tube or in your shampoo bottle. It’ll take 1000 years for that to break down. Now let me put that into perspective for you: I have long hair and personally use about 5 bottles of shampoo a year. So if we say that the average person uses 4 bottles of shampoo a year and there are about 325 million people in the United States, that’s about 1.3 billion bottles of shampoo used in the US alone. So let’s start using products that have eco friendly packaging that is biodegradable and can be recycled.
By just doing these 5 simple things you can have a big impact on the world around you! I challenge you to do these 5 simple things, and trust me, Mother Earth will thank you.