Every time you read the news, there seems to be something about the environment and how much damage humans have caused it. The reality seems dismal, and it is easy to assume that nothing can be done to fix the problem. However, defeatism isn’t the answer. Anyone can play a part in saving the environment. Here are a few tips to step up in 2022.
Take a bike or walk to work
Biking is a fun and effective way to protect the environment. If more people took their bikes instead of cars to work, we could lower greenhouse gas emissions significantly.
If you can, walking to work may be a good idea as well. While it isn’t always a viable option, including some footwork in your routine goes a long way in reducing your carbon footprint.
Share a car or go public
The thought of getting into a crowded bus or train may not sound appealing, but it has its upsides. It gives you time to relax while you commute, and more importantly, it can do wonders for the planet.
Alternatively, you can share a ride with your friends, family members, or coworkers. Every gallon of gas that your friend saves keeps about 20 pounds of CO2 from the environment.
Avoid single-use plastic
Single-use plastics create a lot of unnecessary waste. Every hour, people throw out more than 2.5 million plastic bottles. More than 500 billion disposable coffee cups go to landfills. That is so much waste that can be avoided.
In 2022, you can be kinder to the environment by reusing plastic. Support organisations such as Spacewhite produce household products that steer clear of single-use plastics.
Track your trash
Tracking your trash may be good for the environment. It can help you establish the amount of waste you produce and where it goes. Keep a weekly record of every moldy bread, rotten banana, and half-eaten packet of chips. Establishing patterns could help you adjust and minimize waste. There are apps to warn you when foods in your fridge are about to go bad.
Read expiration dates
Reading and understanding expiration dates could reduce wastage. While you shouldn’t eat bread with mold or curdled yogurt to save the environment, throwing food away as soon as it hits the sell-by date is waste.
Expiration dates are more about quality than food safety. Also, ‘use-by’ isn’t similar to ‘sell-by’. The former is when a product begins losing its quality and flavor, and the latter is when retailers should stop selling it. If your freezer or fridge is cool enough, your groceries can remain fresh for longer.
Unplug something
In 2020, the average home consumed 10,715-kilowatt hours of electricity per year. When it comes to saving electricity in the household, many people think about using energy-saving bulbs, using star-rated equipment, and so on.
However, something as simple as unplugging devices when not in use can go a long way.
Look around your home and find one thing to unplug. You don’t necessarily need to go without your TV or laptop. You just need to unplug them from the socket when not in use. Don’t forget, the more items you plug in, the higher their risk of damage during a power surge.
There is always something that you can unplug without affecting your life. It could be the alarm clock in your spare bedroom or the cell phone charger you never use. This is energy that you can conserve without doing much.
Conclusion
If you wish to impact the world in 2022, little changes in your lifestyle could go a long way. You don’t need to wait for help from the government or large corporations.
Start with small changes like getting reusable water bottles and coffee cups instead of single-use plastic. Unplug appliances when they aren’t in use, and take a bike to work. While your actions won’t automatically reverse damage to the environment, they will make a difference.
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