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As a teenager myself, I can say that the best part of being a member of Gen-Z, officially called “Generation Zet”, is having a big aspiration to make this world a better place for everything. the world. We are passionate about fighting climate change and thinking about ways to make long-term changes to reduce the harmful impact our daily lives have on the environment.
If you feel the need to start your “world-changing journey” but don’t know where to start, I have a simple answer for you. House. The place where you spend the most time should be your starting grid. In this article, I will provide you, dear reader, with 10 ways to make your home climate-friendly.
1. Stop using plastic bags
The problem of plastic bags is known to everyone but is not yet mentioned enough. The most sold item in supermarkets is the plastic bag. They are literally used for 12 minutes to bring products from the store so they can later be sent to the landfill anyway.
Important! Every year, plastic bags kill 100,000 sea animals and around 1 million seabirds worldwide. Most often they mistake the bags for food, especially jellyfish. Scientists predict that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish.
Paper bags are perhaps the most environmentally friendly and safest. The kraft paper used to make them can biodegrade quickly in landfills without causing irreparable harm to nature. Such packaging can withstand quite a lot of weight and can be used repeatedly.
Another great alternative is eco-bags. It is a fabric bag of the simplest design, designed to replace plastic bags. It is also taken with you in case of purchases. Self-expression through eco-bags is possible with the help of different inscriptions: funny or serious, and also through different images on them.
2. Save food scraps
When cooking, for example, cutting vegetables and fruits, something always remains superfluous. Don’t throw away the excess! First, leftover fruits and vegetables can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer, and over time they will accumulate enough to use. Or you can use the leftovers as a natural fertilizer for your garden. In any case, there will be less waste and more money for new purchases.
Important! Wasted and lost food accounts for about 8% of greenhouse gas emissions attributed to human activity each year, according to a UN (from Discover)
3. Replace plastic bottles with glass bottles
We solved the problem with plastic bags, but what about plastic bottles?
Important! Around 20,000 PET bottles are created every second worldwide and around 1,000,000 are sold per minute. Every year, the average person produces more than 50 kilograms of plastic waste, most of which is PET bottles and other food packaging.
The best alternatives to plastic bottles are glass bottles. In addition to environmentally friendly materials, glass is the safest type of packaging for humans. The fact is that this material is absolutely neutral, does not emit any substances or odors, and also does not absorb the aroma of the substance packed in glass containers. In addition, due to the neutrality of the composition, the glass cannot modify the taste characteristics of the product.
4. Reuse things instead of throwing them away
We often throw things away when we don’t have them anymore or think they’re out of fashion and we don’t want to wear them. We don’t even think about the possibility of using these things in any other way. Think about how you could reuse an old t-shirt: a cleaning cloth or a hair towel, etc.
Important! It takes 700 gallons of water to make a cotton shirt. It takes a lot of water to produce the cotton needed to make clothes. To put those numbers into perspective, the amount of water needed to make a t-shirt is enough to keep a person hydrated for 900 days, while the amount of water needed to make a pair of jeans is equivalent to watering your lawn for 9 days. hours in a row. (According to PlanetAid)
5. Create your apartment garden
Even if you live in a small apartment, you still have the opportunity to take care not only of flowers, but also of growing vegetables. Onions, salad greens and peppers are great options for apartment gardening.
Growing an apartment garden has proven to be one of the best expenditures of time and money I have ever made. You are always sure that what you eat is environmentally friendly, without any impurities. And also, you don’t need to buy new vegetables and fruits every time.
Important! You can find more information about gardening here
6. Use eco-friendly toilet paper
When creating toilet paper, it is not necessary to use virgin pulp. Toilet paper doesn’t need stiffness and durability, or supernatural whiteness. Thus, it is quite possible to make it from waste paper, and not to cut down forests. Recycled paper is environmentally friendly. Its use helps to conserve forests and reduce household waste.
Important! According to the Australian Conservation Fund, “every tonne of recycled paper saves 13 trees, 2.5 barrels of oil, 4,100 kilowatts of electricity, four cubic meters of waste and 31,380 liters of water”.
7. Stop using single-use straws
When it comes to the dangers of plastic, we can’t get around the topic of using plastic straws. If you still cannot refuse straws for various reasons, it is very easy to find an alternative to them that is not only environmentally friendly, but also aesthetically pleasing. For example, metal drinking straws have become very popular these days.
These straws are practical and the most eternal. You can safely wash them in the dishwasher and not be afraid that something will happen to them. They are certainly not the prettiest, but they have their own charm.
Important! Nearly 7.5 million plastic straws have been found on US shores during a five-year cleanup research project.
8. Choose eco-friendly cosmetics
Every day we use a lot of cosmetics to prolong our youth and beauty. And for cleanliness in the house, we use household chemicals. All this comes into contact with the skin, and dangerous components enter our body. For this reason, it is better to choose proven products with a composition that is safe for humans and nature.
Best Ethical Beauty Brands:
– Elate Cosmetics
– Dab grass
– 100% pure
– River Organics
9. Use eco-friendly cleaning products
Whether you like cleaning or not, your cleaning products could be harming the environment. When buying floor or multi-purpose cleaners, pay close attention to the label. Look for non-toxic and biodegradable products presented in a recyclable bottle.
10. Buy a tankless water heater
For as little as $500 you can get a high quality electric water heater. Its installation is also much easier because all you need is a reliable power supply in your home.
An electric tankless water heater is ideal if you live in a small area since it is one-third the size of a gas water heater.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article, my dear reader. Starting the “world-changing” journey can be tough, but I believe these 10 tips will help you get there!