How you can do your part for the planet by going green

With all the recent extreme weather events and dire predictions about the consequences of climate change, it’s time for us to start thinking seriously about how we can live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Of course, it’s critical that governments and businesses take a stand, but we can also do our part by making lifestyle changes that can help the planet. Here are some suggestions of where to start.

Travel

One key step we can take for the environment is reducing the amount that we drive, and instead choosing to walk, cycle or take public transport where possible. For times when you do have to drive, consider choosing a car that doesn’t guzzle gas, or maybe even opt for an electric vehicle. You could also try to drive in a more eco-friendly way, for example by driving smoothly and gently to use less fuel and maybe even reduce the chances of getting in an accident. This in turn can save you money on gas and maybe even reduce the cost of your car insurance in Las Vegas, or wherever you’re based, by cutting the likelihood of you making a claim.

Home

The home is perhaps the place where we can make the biggest difference to our carbon footprint. For example, try to use less electricity by always unplugging electronic devices such as phone chargers at the wall rather than leaving them on standby, and switching to eco-friendly lightbulbs. Actions like these have the added benefit of reducing your bills too. When it comes to water use, you could take showers instead of baths, and switch to an aerated shower head that uses less water without a loss in pressure.

Other top tips include only boiling the amount of water that you need in the kettle, only running the dishwasher and doing laundry when you have a full load and putting on a jumper instead of turning up the heat. Lastly, be sure to recycle as much of your waste as possible, and bring tote bags, reusable water bottles and travel coffee cups with you when you go out to avoid generating more trash!

Diet

What you eat has an impact on your carbon footprint, and there are lots of ways to make your diet more environmentally friendly. One way is to literally make it greener – by reducing the amount of meat and dairy you eat and instead having a more plant-based diet, you’ll be using up fewer resources to make your meals. Similarly, try to eat locally produced and seasonal food wherever possible. This reduces the fuel emissions from transporting food all around the world, and also supports your local farmers.

Fashion

The link between fashion and the environment might not be immediately obvious, but the ‘fast fashion’ industry is surprisingly resource-intensive. Instead of buying lots of cheap clothes and throwing them out after just a few months, consider purchasing better quality items that will last much longer. Alternatively, you could shop in thrift stores to find some vintage bargains or learn how to mend small holes and rips so that you don’t have to throw away clothing just because it has a small amount of damage.