Provident Blog
8 Ways to Positively Impact the Environment
Feb 15 2010Taking meaningful yet small steps towards going greener this year can lead to real, measurable and positive change for the planet.
1.) Buy Local
Buying local has a dramatic impact on both your health and the environment . While you achieve the goal of supporting local, organic , independent farmers, you also have the opportunity to eat seasonally and raise the bar for yourself in terms of healthy eating habits.
The National Resources Defense Council notes that much of the U.S. produce will travel an average of around 1,500 miles before it makes its way into your super market. The negative impact on the planet is huge – think of the pollution alone that is created in that transport.
2.) Use Recycled Toilet Paper
Toilet paper made with recycled paper will have a tremendous impact on the environment in terms of the total number of trees saved each year.
3.) Wash in Cold Water
Washing in cold water is a really simple thing to change in your daily or weekly routine, and the environmental impact is great.
Procter & Gamble notes that if we all started to use cold water in the washing machines, we could save enough energy to light two and a half million homes for a year.
4.) Eliminate (Bad) Bottled Water Habits
According to National Geographic magazine, approximately 7 billion gallons of bottled water are bought per year. This amounts to roughly 22 billion plastic bottles that eventually get thrown away, and often not in the recycling bin. Consider the (yearly) 1.5 million barrels of oil that it takes to produce those plastic bottles – this amount is enough to fuel nearly 100,000 cars for an entire year.
Buy a water filter and drink tap water that has been properly filtered. Order large bottle service and drink from a glass at home or at work. At the very least, recycle the plastic bottles that you do use – always.
5.) Recycle Gift Wrapping Paper
Unwrap gifts with a little concern. The amount of paper that could be saved is astronomical, if each of us were to recycle wrapping paper from just a few gifts each year. Get a bag or a box, and start saving bows, ribbons and neatly folded, carefully removed gift wrapping paper. No one will know the difference.
6.) Use Re-Usable Grocery Bags
Buy a re-usable cotton or hemp bag, and keep it in the trunk of your car for shopping. Get creative with your kids and find blank canvas bags online that they can paint or decorate to personalize them.
7.) Eliminate Junk Snail-Mail
Hate the junk mail that comes in your mail box just about every day? For most of us, that pile of materials goes directly into the trash. For others, it goes directly into the recycling bin. Take a second and visit the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service to register not to receive junk mail any longer. The process may take a few months, but eventually, you won’t get so much trash in the mail.
8.) Drive Green
If you can afford it, buy a hybrid. But there are plenty of other ways to do something about fuel consumption and vehicle pollution. Carpool if and when you can. Bike to work if you can; you’ll be getting exercise and helping the planet at the same time. Or just plain drive smarter when you get behind the wheel – get timely tune-ups and keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure to ensure maximum gas-saving efficiency. If you take long trips on the highway (out of the way of traffic), then switch to cruise control to improve your mileage. Take off from stops less aggressively, brake more gently and slow down when you can.
Final Thoughts on Easy Steps to Going Green
Taking meaningful yet small steps towards going greener this year can lead to real, measurable and positive change for the planet. A few easy questions here and there, changing a habit or two, educating yourself and making smarter choices – a little bit at a time is really all that it takes. Think about the many millions of people making one collective change all at once – that alone could pay huge dividends for our future.
Reference: LifeOrganizers.com