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Protecting and preserving the environment is a topic that should be on everyone’s mind, but it’s not always easy in a world where the norm is fast fashion, plastic and throwaways. Becoming completely sustainable can be extremely expensive or out of reach for most people, so here are 5 easy ways to live a more eco-friendly life!
Buy local
A great way to be greener in everyday life is to support your local farmers’ markets. Instead of buying all your food from supermarkets, support your local economy. On average, food travels 1,500 miles in the United States to get to the store, which uses a huge amount of fossil fuels and packaging, adding to the current pollution problem. However, when you buy local, you get fresh food, support your local community, and save the Earth.
If you don’t have a farmers market near you, you can also start a garden. Growing your own food is not only incredibly rewarding, but it’s also another great way to cut down on plastic packaging while still keeping delicious food fresh.
Reuse, reuse, reuse!
Reusing things like water bottles, straws, and shopping bags is great, but other things in your home might not be so obvious. If you’re someone who needs your daily morning caffeine fix with a Keurig, this is the one for you. These handy coffee machines can be great for a quick morning jolt, but they’re not good for the environment; Luckily there is a way to fix it! The standard pods that people use for these coffee makers are unfortunately neither recyclable nor biodegradable, so they get thrown away and end up in landfills. Fortunately, Amazon and many other sites offer reusable K-Cup filters. they’re a bit more expensive upfront, but they’ll save you money in the long run.
If you want to go even further and reuse more everyday objects, don’t hesitate, here is a list of ideas!
-Newspapers or magazines to wrap gifts or make envelopes
-Use fruit and vegetable seeds for a garden
– Glass jars or boxes to store pencils or other office supplies
Reusable capsules from Amazon
Say no to fast fashion
Fast fashion is not only terrible for the environment, but it also depends on sweatshops and foreign workers for production. The fast fashion industry is built on the idea that these companies can manufacture, usually of poor quality, clothes intended to meet a current trend, for a small quantity, sell them at cheap prices, and then once whether the piece goes out of fashion or falls apart, the consumer will simply buy more from the company to meet new trends. In order to make these clothes, these companies use sweatshops where the workers are mistreated and don’t even earn a living wage. Industry is a major contributor to pollution and carbon emissions, pumping water to irrigate crops like cotton, as well as powering the heavy machinery needed to make clothes.
Avoiding fast fashion can be tough, especially when brands aren’t always upfront about the sustainability involved in their products, but an app called “Good on You” has made it a whole lot easier. The free app has a collection of articles on sustainability and avoiding fast fashion, but it also has an amazing database that helps avoid it as a consumer. All you have to do is type the brand you think is not entirely sustainable into their search engine and it will give you a rating out of 5 on how environmentally conscious the brand is.
Emma Watson, ‘Good on You’ biggest ambassador, said: “Fashion helps shape our identities. What we wear signifies who we are and what we stand for. I support Good On You because I need to know that my clothes are not harming our precious planet or its people.” The power that consumers hold is greater than they believe. What you buy every day can influence the world around you, whether you know it or not.
Laundry
Doing your laundry, although you may not realize it, may be more harmful to the Earth than you think. Between the energy needed to heat and run the water and the harmful detergents, your clothes might appreciate it, but the environment will not. Buying a more eco-friendly detergent is a good way to help, not only is it better for the Earth, but also for your skin. Hanging your clothes to dry instead of using the dryer, if you have the time, is also a good way to reduce energy consumption. An economical and ecological solution is to wash your clothes in cold water rather than hot water. It will save a lot of energy, and most of your energy bill comes from hot water, so why not reduce it?
Search engine
Don’t underestimate the power of curiosity. There are many web browsers today that promote social and environmental good.
Ecosia is a search engine, much like Google or Bing, that not only answers your questions but helps the planet. The company uses 80% of its profits to plant trees around the world. This is especially important today as rainforests and woodlands are rapidly being wiped out. Ecosia also has full internet privacy which means they will not sell your data to advertisers or other companies. They’ve planted 70 million trees since 2009 in the areas that need them most, just download the free navigator and search!
Use Ecosia here!
These five ways to be more eco-friendly are very simple and will help preserve this beautiful Earth we call home. Hope this inspires you to do even more to participate and not take for granted the beautiful planet we call home.