1. Grow your food
The food that we purchase from the market undergoes a process where the food is grown, then transported, and finally stored before reaching the supermarket. More often, the food that reaches the supermarket or a grocery store is necessarily not always grown in sustainable methods. We can help reduce our carbon footprints as well as reduce harmful environmental impacts by simply growing our food in our backyard. Planting our vegetables in the backyard imposes several benefits. We can grow them without using pesticides or chemicals, and even recycle our kitchen wastes as fertilizers. This is a great way of enjoying the outdoors, getting some exercise, and even bringing our family together.
2. Recycle
Recycling happens to be the best way of promoting sustainability. The activity of recycling as well as buying products made out of recycled materials provides many benefits to us. If we clean up our house and at the same time recycle our old household trashes, we can instantly get a much cleaner house with some additional extra cash. The process of recycling naturally reduces demand for raw materials, mining effort, cost of fuel and other costs associated with extraction, transportation, and processing of minerals.
3. Make informed choices
We can bring some changes in our purchasing habits by opting for more sustainable products and services. We need to gather enough information regarding our purchase before making one. Also, we must buy only when we need to. For example, we might have food in our refrigerator that we have not used yet. This can be the first step in avoiding food wastage. Also, we should compare different products while buying and ensure we choose the right brand that promotes sustainability. Also, avoiding products that use excessive packaging is another way of being sustainable
4. Compost kitchen waste
We must try to utilize as much food possible from our kitchen and effectively employ many of the clever left-over cooking ideas given by popular cookbooks. Any kind of unusable raw wastages can be used as a great compost fertilizer for our garden. What can be better than avoiding the use of chemical fertilizers for reducing negative impacts on the environment in the long run?
5. Go Plastic-Free
There have been numerous campaigns against the use of plastics but all in vain. Presently, billions of pounds of plastic can be found in swirling convergences comprising almost 40 percent of the world’s ocean surfaces. Each year, so many oceanic organisms like seabirds, seals, sea turtles, and other aquatic organisms die after ingesting plastic or getting tangled up in it. We can immediately start minimizing our plastic waste by using reusable bags when we shop, or carry plastic-free water bottles and straws and by avoiding products made from plastic whenever possible.
6. Minimize waste
Wastage of food is one of the biggest issues in our present world. We have nations like Africa where people and children still die of starvation and malnutrition, whereas countries like that of the USA waste 50% of the food that they produce. Most of it is wasted in packaging, marketing, and transportation even before it reaches your tables. Not only this but many food items are even purchased by the consumers and yet never consumed. They just throw it away wasting huge amounts of resources and energy by storing and distributing it. Much of the energy is wasted in the transportation of the foods and a huge amount of fresh water is used up in irrigating and powering the cold storage plants. Thus saving these energies from being lost unnecessarily by reduction of the wastage of food can help the environment as well as save you on your grocery bills.
The process of efficient waste management is a very important factor in the reduction of environmental degradation and the promotion of sustainability. The three main keywords that everyone should remember is recycled, reduce and reuse which is hugely important in the reduction of its impact globally and help in conservation of the natural resources as well as reduce pollution and our carbon footprint on the earth. The first step one should follow is to use up every product you buy and buy only the necessary things which you would use. The use of plastic and excessive packaging should be averted and use recyclable goods only. You should always separate the household trash into recyclable and non-recyclable goods before discarding them. The organic waste from the kitchen can be reused in backyard farming or gardening as manure. Reuse of old furniture’s and electronics by repairing them or donating them rather than throwing them away should be the priority.
7. Boycott products that endanger wildlife
The use of animal products especially from rare wild animals which are on the verge of extinction has to be stopped completely. The governments have enlisted a large number of animals, whose transaction in buying or selling them is illegal, but there are a large number of animals which are not enlisted can be harmed. Only we the people or the buyers can stop this crime by boycotting any products which may cause harm to these animals or their natural habitat. Due to our needs many forests all over the world especially the rainforests are being cut down which would cause great harm to the natural habitat of these animals. These species of the animal kingdom may seem unimportant, but they play a major role in biodiversity and maintaining the ecological balance of the earth. If this balance s destroyed, then no animal and plant species would be able to survive.
8. Be water wise
It is a myth that only bottled water is safe for drinking and tap water is harmful to your health. In some cases may be the tap water is unhealthy but most of the cities in the world provide clean drinking water which has passed all tests of purity. The amount of resources wasted by the bottling plants is enormous and the plastic produced by them is very harmful to the environment. This created myth has to be absolved and reduction of consumption in bottled water can help the environment greatly. You can conserve water by taking short showers, fixing leaking pipes and choosing low water consuming appliances.
9. Drive less, Drive green
One can drastically reduce their carbon footprint on this world by changing their driving habits and switching to renewable sources of transportation as early as possible. Vehicles running on fossil fuels are the biggest contributor to carbon footprint in this world. The use of carpooling or switching to battery-powered cars and means of public transport like electric railways or metros will be helpful. Even if you need a car, keep it good condition by timely service and right tire pressure as both are the reasons for more fuel consumption in cars. Servicing increases fuel efficiency by 40% and right tire pressure decreases gas use by 2%.
10. Purchase energy efficient appliances and plant more trees
The use of energy efficient appliances has brought down our carbon footprint by a long margin all over the world. The energy-efficient appliances save money in electricity bills as well as work for longer duration and are good for a load of power supply. Always use the highest rated possible appliance at homes.
The plantation of more trees has been beneficial economically, socially and environmentally. The presence of more trees means lesser CO2 and CO in the air which causes pollution. Trees also help in cooling down the temperature of the earth and provide shade in the scorching heat of summer. Trees are the major cause of rainfall even in barren lands and can save us from natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes.
Sustainability is not a choice but a necessity
To conclude, it should always be remembered that sustainability is not a choice for us humans but it is a necessity as, without sustainable living, all animal and plant species may wipe out in the coming century. Every day scientists are trying to develop amazing ways to be more sustainable by developing technologies to create an environment of peace and harmony. But our role plays a major part in sustaining the environment. Until or unless we are more aware of the benefits of sustainable products, we cannot sustain life on earth much longer. We can still now roll back the harm we have caused to the environment by using the above top 10 trending ways to become more sustainable.
