By Conner Tighe
Did you know you can make the most significant impact toward a greener, healthier planet from the comfort of your home? Check out these five simple ways of going green and hopefully spurring some ideas of your own.
Type instead of write
It’s a sad reality that the days of handwriting letters, papers, assignments, and other familiarities may be gone entirely in the future. In a sense, we’re losing something dear to many of us, but at the same time, it’s beneficial for the environment. Using fewer paper products in general saves trees, a well-known fact.
Turn off lights when you leave the room
Lightbulbs like incandescent lights give off more heat than lighting. So, by simply turning off the switch when you leave a room, you’re creating a cooler environment and saving energy—more bang for your buck.
Recycle
Everyone knows to recycle, but less than 50% of Americans actually do the duty. A staggering 34.5% of Americans recycle. A respectable number to reach is 75% as it will amount to 50 million cars on the streets.
Reuse before recycling
Water bottles are created for one-time use by manufacturers. Although it’s beneficial to reuse plastic, the act is not nearly as impactful as switching to glass products when possible. Plates, bottles, and other daily products we use can be changed from paper and plastic to glass as they can be reused repeatedly. The oceans would greatly appreciate this.
Limit water use
Humans require up to 20 to 50 liters of clean water daily for cooking, bathing, and drinking. However, as much as we take water for granted, many countries worldwide still fight to find clean drinking water. It’s a famous misnomer that clean water is in infinite supply, but it’s not. Approximately 97.5% of Earth’s water is saltwater, while 2% of freshwater comes from ice caps and glaciers. Reducing water consumption will ensure clean drinking water for future generations to come.
There are many ways to go green, and not all of them are listed here. If you’re interested in seeing further efforts on how you can go green, visit SignUpGenius or other “go green” websites.
Sources: Energy.gov, Rubicon, Healthline, Koshland Science Museum, H2ouse, SignUpGenius
Images: Xacte, Bitters Co.
Featured Image: Conserve Energy Future