Introduction
Have you tried looking at what’s happening around you? We now experience the wrath of natural disasters, water crisis, global warming, air, water, land pollution, climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, etc.
What do you think these detrimental environmental issues try to tell us? Don’t you think these environmental problems are vivid signs telling us something is wrong on our planet?
Admit it or not, we all have our fair share of negligence or abuse of our surroundings, now reaping the aftermath of our wrongdoings.
It’s high time to shift to living an eco-conscious lifestyle to help save the world and make it a healthier and better place to live in for all of us.
It’s crucial to adopt an eco-conscious lifestyle to prevent the many environmental threats that can put our life, health, and planet at risk.
Let’s dive further into this topic to find out more about it!
Why adopt an eco-conscious life? And, what does it mean?
Embracing an eco-conscious lifestyle means you care more about the effects of your actions on our planet.
In particular, you are mindful of your actions, considering that whatever you do doesn’t harm the environment and other living creatures.
In short, you do all your best to ensure that negative impacts on the environment are reduced, preserving the world we live in for you, your loved ones, and future generations.
Green living is becoming increasingly valuable nowadays, be it at home, workplace, industries, markets, and other businesses.
Eco-conscious living focuses on living with a good purpose; influencing how individuals, businesses, and communities act and practice an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Being eco-conscious isn’t merely about wearing eco-conscious clothing, segregating garbage, recycling, etc., but also about changing the purpose of your everyday life.
For instance, by doing your part to preserve our planet even in small acts, you can remarkably help prevent noise, water, land, and air pollution and save more energy.
Such acts are advantageous to our environment, human health, and other living things.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/0kpPu9WPVmU
How to be eco-conscious in your daily life?
Consciously or unconsciously, we take actions that can have a lasting impact on our planet. The delightful news is that we can live more sustainably and positively impact our planet if we cook, wash clothes, clean, and work more responsibly.
Fortunately, we can do countless things to help make the world a better place for everyone. And we can start by adopting some eco-conscious lifestyle habits, such as the following:
1. Recycling
You might already know that you can help reduce the waste taken to landfills if you start recycling.
For instance, you may recycle and reuse metals, paper, plastic, and glass. However, before doing so, you must learn the proper way of recycling according to the materials so that you can recycle them per category.
Please note that some types of plastics are okay to recycle, while some are not. You can recycle nearly all paper products aside from those that feature metal or plastic components.
The same goes for metal and glass recycling. Nevertheless, if you find it confusing and uncertain to recycle your waste, it’s best to hire an environment-friendly garbage disposal firm to do the task for you.
2. Purchasing second-hand items
Second-hand items, especially the ones that still look good as new, are functional, making them wise investments.
Craigslist and eBay are some of the best sites to search for top-quality second-hand goods. Buying second-hand goods help reduce carbon footprint in half.
3. Investing in energy-efficient appliances
The next time you purchase a refrigerator, washing machine, oven, etc., consider buying energy-efficient appliances.
You can quickly determine an appliance’s energy efficiency by inspecting its energy efficiency label that ranges from A to G, with A as the best option.
4. Shifting to solar panels
Installing solar panels is rapidly becoming more popular because they can tremendously minimize the amount of carbon emission released on our planet.
Since solar panels only require solar power to generate energy, you don’t have to worry about paying expensive electricity bills.
5. Ditching disposable products
Plastic and paper utensils and plates, disposable paper towels, napkins, diapers, batteries, and other disposable items are great contributors to landfill waste.
The serious issues are the greenhouse gas emissions that result from these disposable products’ production and disposal.
Instead of disposable products, use cloth diapers and napkins, sturdy razors, cloth rags, refillable coffee thermoses, and rechargeable batteries.
6. Investing in an Energy Star-labeled computer
Consider buying a laptop as it is more energy-efficient than a desktop computer. On the other hand, purchase an option with an Energy Star label if you prefer a desktop computer.
Energy Star computers help conserve about 35% to 65% of energy. You may want to donate your old desktop computer instead of recycling it.
7. Starting your home garden
It’s a cinch to grow edible herbs, fruits, and veggies, whether you have a small or big yard. Try planting seeds in window sills and small pots.
Starting your home garden can supply healthy and freshly grown veggies and fruits whenever needed.
8. Unplugging electronics when not in use.
Did you know that electronic devices consume standby power to conserve warm-up time? This means that even if they’re idle, they still utilize energy, adding to your electric bill and harming the environment.
You might want to utilize power strips for your electronic devices to make unplugging and plugging a breeze.
9. Lessening your meat consumption
Humans utilize some portion of the earth’s surface for livestock rearing.
Did you know that deforestation generally emerges for the primary purpose of acquiring land to rear livestock?
Unfortunately, greenhouse gas emissions can occur due to the use of fertilizers and the emission of methane from cows. Similarly, livestock rearing primarily contributes to water pollution through streams and rivers.
10. Discarding plastic bags
Plastic bags take an extended period to decompose, posing a serious hazard to wildlife. For example, many animals die of suffocation after getting entangled in plastic bags.
Likewise, many marine mammals die from consuming plastic bags, mistaking plastic bags for food. Hence, make it a habit to bring an eco-friendly or reusable shopping bag with you.
You can do many other eco-conscious acts; best of all, it doesn’t matter big or small acts, so long as you care enough for the planet.
What small changes can make a significant difference?
It’s becoming more and more vital to find ways to conserve our planet, considering the alarming signs of climate change and other terrifying environmental occurrences.
The good news is that it’s unnecessary to feel overwhelmed about when, where, and how to start because even small acts and changes can considerably impact our environment.
Simple things like using water and energy responsibly, recycling, and investing in energy-efficient appliances and lighting can already save our debilitated planet.
Not to mention, encouraging others to do the same can create a significant impact since having more and more people join the movement can make a tremendous and immediate change.
Here are some examples of doing small acts that can produce a remarkable difference:
1. Choosing eco-friendly goods manufactured by eco-conscious firms is a small and simple act to do your part to moderate global warming.
Buy kitchen items produced by manufacturers that support causes and campaigns related to saving the environment. Or, use reusable and washable silicone food bags instead of plastic or disposable ones.
Use natural kitchen cleaners instead of chemical-based cleaning agents. When cleaning, you can use lemon juice, white vinegar, or various essential oils.
2. Use eco-friendly lawn tools when managing and maintaining your yard or garden. Plant flowers, herbs, veggies, and fruits.
Aside from providing fresh and organic supplies, planting can provide bees, butterflies, and other insects with some food and shelter to dwell in.
You might also want to use solar lights to illuminate your outdoor spaces and install a water barrel to capture rainwater, which you can use to water the plants.
3. Purchase spray bottles and plain glass containers to store body washes and other bathroom products. Afterward, buy big refills on as many items as possible to minimize the number of containers you throw away.
Alternatively, you may use bar shampoo, conditioner, or bar soap, unleash your creativity, and think of some DIY projects for this setup.
Avoid using disposable items in the bathroom. Get bamboo toothbrushes instead of plastic ones because they’re biodegradable and more durable.
Chiefly, there are lots of small acts and changes that each of us can make. Imagine hundreds of millions of people doing small acts every day; wouldn’t it significantly impact preserving our planet?
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/UrgpmTHMd_Y
The 5 Basics of an Eco-Conscious Lifestyle
1. Creating a healthy environment
Creating a healthy environment means engaging in active and worthwhile activities that encourage wellness and good health.
You deserve a life free from stress, fun-filled, and good for your overall health.
Examples of activities to improve life quality include walking in the park, biking, gardening, hiking, skiing, wearing eco-friendly clothes, etc.
2. Consuming organic and local foods
One of the essential fundamentals of sustainable living is sustainable farming. It promotes local, low-impact, healthy, organic, and seasonal diets.
You can avoid food wastage by supporting organically-grown produce and local farming. Hence, you must purchase local and consume organic food.
To date, you can check out organic food grocery delivery service to ensure that you consume organic foods.
3. Promoting sustainable water consumption
It’s critical to design water management systems to manage problems like water wastage, flooding, and protecting water sources from destruction and contamination.
The efficient consumption of water in manufacturing, construction, and farms is a component of sustainable living fundamentals.
4. Using sustainable transport
Encouraging low or zero-carbon transport mechanisms is vital in ensuring an eco-conscious lifestyle.
It embodies the need to minimize travel and resort to eco-friendly transport services, including electric vehicles and trains, biking or walking instead of driving high emission cars.
5. Repairing and refurbishing older items
Manufacturing new products is costly, requires more energy and labor and raw materials, and is potentially hazardous to our planet. Therefore, purchasing high-quality used items through legit online stores and consignment stores can help.
Alternatively, consider leasing, sharing, or borrowing instead of spending more. It’s pointless to buy things that you’ll only use temporarily; you can just rent, share, or borrow. Such items include tools, home or event decors, books, baby items, etc.
Watch: Can fast fashion be eco-friendly? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00NIQgQE_d4.
How does adopting an eco-conscious living save you money?
Embracing an eco-conscious lifestyle works wonders in helping you save money, such as:
- Buying energy-efficient appliances, lighting and fixtures, and electric devices help cut down your energy bills.
- A plant-based diet is cheaper, healthier, and good for the environment than red meat.
- Installing solar panels doesn’t require electricity to operate your appliances, so you don’t have to worry about pricey electric bills.
- Walking or biking, or using other sustainable means of transportation, can significantly reduce fuel costs and driving-related expenses.
- Recycling, repurposing, reusing, or repairing old items helps save more money because buying new items is unnecessary.
- Growing organic herbs, fruits, and veggies provide fresh produce that you can readily cook anytime.
- Unplugging electronic devices when not in use helps lower your monthly electricity expenses.
- Ditching disposable products and using more durable and long-lasting alternatives help save money because there’s no need to buy more.
How does being eco-conscious help preserve the environment?
Being eco-conscious benefits the environment by supporting energy conservation and preventing land, noise, water, and air pollution.
Adopting an eco-conscious lifestyle doesn’t only preserve our planet but also avert wildlife and human health from destruction.
You can become eco-conscious by being well-aware of how your choices affect your surroundings.
It’s paramount to uncover the extent of your carbon footprint and actions to minimize that footprint on our planet.
Furthermore, it’s necessary to learn how to use items that cause minor harm to the environment.
Encouraging others to live sustainably is also decisive in ensuring sustainable communities for everyone.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/L3lznpRPZbI
The Advantages of Doing a Weekly “Reusable Grocery Day”
Many sustainable living blogs recommend using reusable grocery bags because they’re undoubtedly convenient, fashionable, and beneficial to living creatures and our planet.
Reusable grocery bags are helpful items that can slow down the worsening effect of climate change.
Some of the advantages of using one include:
Minimizes pollution
Plastic products can destroy our planet because they take more years to break down, causing water, air, and land pollution.
They can also cause drainages, canals, streams, rivers, and oceans to get clogged and polluted, thus, killing more marine animals and other living creatures.
Repurpose
You can use reusable grocery bags for many different purposes, not just shopping. You can take it on your road trips, pack food when on the go, or put books and other items when going to the library, laundry shop, drug stores, etc.
Helps preserve resources
Unlike plastic bags, reusable grocery bags don’t have a larger environmental footprint.
More durable and long-lasting
Unlike plastic bags, reusable grocery bags are not prone to tearing off easily. They also feature sturdy handles and are leak-proof, making loading and unloading various items a piece of cake.
Save more dollars
Almost all supermarkets and grocery stores charge extra fees for plastic bags; therefore, you won’t have to pay extra if you have a reusable grocery bag.
Helps safeguard wildlife
Plastic bags are one of the causes of death in marine animals, accidentally swallowing them and mistaking them for food.
Plastics can also suffocate other wildlife animals when it is entangled with them.
RELATED: Reusable Grocery Bag Ideas https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/unexpected-uses-for-reusable-bags/.
Conclusion
Being eco-conscious isn’t about ditching disposable products and plastic bags; it’s more about making small yet purposeful daily choices.
Positive and impactful choices will benefit human health, wildlife, the environment, and our overall quality of life.
Embracing an eco-conscious lifestyle can immensely reduce various types of pollution, preserve natural resources, and safeguard wildlife.
Indeed, it could help you take other actions that can aid modify the rate of climate change. All of us can contribute and do our part to create a remarkable difference in our environment.
We can start by minimizing the amount of rubbish we create, repurposing, or reusing consumer products rather than throwing them away in landfills.
Prudent, meaningful, and intelligent environmental choices become a habit, influencing others to make similar choices, practices, and actions.
Preserving the planet can offer limitless personal benefits and helps you become more engaged with others and the community, contributing to a better, happier lifestyle.
References:
https://eartheclipse.com/environment/reasons-to-be-environmentally-friendly.html
https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/how-to-be-more-eco-friendly