Environmental problems have been a major concern for mankind for so long. If left unchecked, these issues can affect the way we live. Therefore, protecting the environment is worthy of everyone’s attention. However, being environmentally conscious entails more than just turning off your appliances when you are not using them or sorting your trash for recycling. It also involves long-term habits and eco-friendly lifestyle changes that add up to a sustainable lifestyle.
Do you struggle to live a greener and happier life? Is making the necessary, meaningful changes hard? If you want to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, it is critical to safeguard life’s fundamental values. You must be willing to change your day-to-day actions wherever possible. If you are just starting and don’t know where to begin, here is your guide to making those eco-friendly lifestyle changes so you can live a more green life.
Look For Sustainable Brands
What kind of personal brands do you use daily? Are they recyclable or do they contribute to environmental degradation? Companies are in the spotlight when it comes to how their products affect the environment. There is the constant worry that plastic waste affects marine life, such that if a sea turtle swallows plastic, it could get suffocated.
To that end, A Nielsen report from 2018 found that 81% of global consumers feel strongly that companies should protect the environment. To do your part, you can opt for a material that can be used repeatedly. For instance, you can buy a canvas shopping bag from the mall instead of using a disposable plastic bag at every store. This particular eco-friendly lifestyle change takes little effort and can have big results.
Reduce What You Throw Away
The United States is among the top countries in the world that produce the most waste. While this is a combination of companies and individual households alike, what about you? What do you throw away in the garbage can, and why?
Therefore another simple yet effective eco-friendly lifestyle change is using sustainable and renewable brands which in turn will reduce the amount of waste you generate in the long run.
Shop For Local Produce
What kind of products do you purchase at the marketplace? Hopefully, it’s local produce from your area. Customers who buy directly from the farm or nearby farmers’ markets tend to value higher-quality food with a lower environmental impact.
U.S. agrochemical expenditures at the producer level totaled nearly $9 billion in 2012 due to industries like dairies and plantations. Local food producers, on the other hand, practice organic farming which reduces their carbon footprint. Therefore, buying local products is one of the best eco-friendly lifestyle changes you can make.
Buy Second Hand Material
Another simple eco-friendly lifestyle change you can make is to buy second hand material instead of brand new. Is it really necessary to buy everything you need from the shop? Some durable items are needed for a limited time, like lawnmowers in the summer and nursery furniture for your growing baby.
It’s simply not necessary to buy something new every time; especially if it that ends up in the basement or barn when its use is over. Craigslist and eBay are popular Internet places to purchase used items that are still in good shape.
Furthermore, yard sales are more appealing, as you can negotiate a price for a used item you’re eyeing should you feel its price tag is probably undeserving or too much.
Search For Eco-Friendly Care Products
Least but not last on the list of eco-friendly lifestyle changes is to make a concerted effort to .As mentioned earlier, commercial produce is often contaminated with pesticides. You are what you eat, so they say. At the end of the day, your very own lifestyle could enlarge the hospital bill. For example, the regular Joe eats a lot of unhealthy food, but fails to maintain consistent dental appointments due to other countless commitments. No wonder why gum disease, or periodontal disease, is extremely common and affects 47.2% of adults over age 30.
Regular visits to a dentist or a doctor are important. They help keep you on track when it comes to your health, and suggestions from your doctor or dentist stem from approved research. These could, therefore, be your guardian angels in searching for eco-friendly care products.
By observing what you buy, eat, throw away and consult, an eco-friendly lifestyle is easily achievable.
Hilaria Morris
Tuesday 6th of July 2021
That's what I'm aiming for. For six months now, I've been recycling trash, trying not to throw away food, and repurposing old clothes. Also, my find in recent weeks is a special paper for keeping food in the fridge, it is wax treated and washable, and reusable, it is eco-friendly and it eliminates the use of containers or plastic packaging for storage. I found one on Amazon but can't remember the exact name. These are small actions that definitely won't have any global effect on their own. But if everyone does the same, the positive results will be felt.