By: Alyson Lundstrom
“Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the air and drink the water. Don’t sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet.”
Almost all of the significant impacts on environmental health fall to the bad habits of humanity. Every single part of our daily routine is a vote for the world we want to see.
Planet Earth doesn’t need a few of us to be perfect earth warriors; real, lasting change will come with all of us doing sustainability imperfectly.
Below we invite you to be an imperfect citizen of planet Earth with these ten micro habit changes.
1. Diet Change, Not Climate Change
Raising animals for human consumption is nothing new; however, as our population grows, so does our astronomic demand for animal-based protein, which has a heavy carbon imprint on the environment.
Consider “crowding out” your plate with more plant-based proteins. Adopting a ‘flexitarian diet” can reduce your carbon footprint by lowering related greenhouse gas emissions by 52%.
2. Consume Locally
Humans are professional consumers of food, goods, and natural resources. Whatever you consume, do it locally.
When it comes to food, local consumption reduces the need for greenhouse gas emitting transportation. Also, it reduces the need for things like polluting pesticides, additives, and preservatives that are needed to withstand long trips.
3. Skip The Packaging
Packaging is often difficult to avoid, so much so that we often end up buying toxic materials involuntarily with our everyday purchases. For example, plastic packaging covers our food at the grocery store, styrofoam holds our takeaway food, and excess packaging accompanies our deliveries.
So how can we avoid consuming more than we bargained for? Bring reusable shopping bags to the market, buy in bulk when possible, and bring your own takeaway containers to the restaurant.
4. Say No To New Clothes
The fashion industry contributes to 11.3 million tons of textiles thrown away each year. You might wonder how this impacts the environment. Modern times have seen the fashion shift towards synthetic materials, often incorporating the same components as plastic.
Take a break from regular shopping trips, repair or upcycle your wardrobe when possible, and when an end-of-life fashion event is unavoidable, look for a clothing return program, donate, sell, or trade.
5. Convenience Is An Earth Killer: Skip The Single-Use
Avoid at all costs the single-use scenario. These ultimate convenient but miniature earth killers include disposable beauty products, utensils, and household products like paper towels.
Today there are handy reusable versions of almost everything. So make it your new must-pack item to bring reusable utensils, straws, containers, and coffee cups on the go.
To make this micro change happen- planning is everything! Have a “go bag” in your car, backpack, or purse so you can be prepared when the single-use conundrum strikes.
6. Unplug It
Items left plugged in might not seem like they are pulling considerable energy. However, multiple devices and appliances left dormant or fully charged are still pulling micro amounts of electricity, equating to wasted natural resources.
7. Buy It Second Hand
A second-hand purchase of electronics, clothing or sports equipment equates to a second life for something that might otherwise become burdensome waste to the landfill or even a source of toxic leaching.
Second-hand purchase also reduces the packaging and manufacturing practices that every new item requires. There are plenty of “freecycling” groups on social media where people willingly give away items to prevent waste scenarios.
8. Full Loads Only
If you need to use large appliances like washers, dryers and dishwashers, fill it up! Full loads maximize efficiency and minimize their carbon footprint wasting less electricity and water in the long run.
Better yet, give them up. Instead, pop on a podcast and hang clothes to dry in the sun, wash dishes the old-fashioned way, and minimize your impact to the max.
9. Skip The Bathtub
We’ve all heard every climate scientist's plea (and our mom’s at some point!) to “turn off the water!” While there is significant water use at the sink, nothing compares to the water waste of a bath over a shower which uses 50% less water.
Water might feel like an infinite ever-flowing resource, but it is in fact, becoming more precious as weather patterns change, droughts occur, and pollution becomes a more pressing issue.
If you want to go the extra mile, take your plants in the shower with you! Sharing is caring, and your shower water can serve two purposes at once!
10. Swap Your Cleaning Products
Way before we had commercial cleaners, we had more natural means of getting our living spaces clean like; alcohol, vinegar, and other naturally derived disinfectants.
Commercial cleaners are laden with chemicals that end up in our water systems and have knock-on polluting effects on our environment. So do the earth and yourself a favor, and research easy DIY cleaning solutions that will keep chemicals out of your house and the environment.
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