Major Habits to Support Eco-Friendly Living
Maybe you live in a metropolitan area with an apartment that makes composting or gardening really difficult or maybe impossible. We’ve all seen the terrible environmental consequences of unregulated capitalism, and it seems to be accelerating. So the perfect place to start, the only place where we have real and lasting control, is in our behavior. The trick to lasting change is to make a sustainable living just as practical and very affordable. Here are three ways to live more eco friendly and sustainably that won’t hurt your wallet (or cost you a fortune):
Never Use Single-Use Plastic
This one is pretty obvious from an environmental standpoint, but it’s incredibly important. The best way to do this is to get your own sustainable “clothes” to wear everywhere. The main components of your clothes are reusable water bottles and reusable shopping bags. If you forget and are really in a hurry, then don’t forget that aluminum cans are much more renewable than plastic bottles also have a larger carbon footprint, plus a higher recycling rate (67% vs. PET plastic bottles than just 25-30%.)
Use reusable straws and sandwich bags. Reject plastic straws and opt for bamboo or metal ones instead. Also, stay away from plastic and look for eco-friendly options like bamboo cutlery. Once you get used to living completely plastic-free, trust me, you won’t be interested in going back (and you can save money by bringing in all your reusable personal stuff!).
Eat Less Meat
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, I’m probably preaching to the choir. Overall, every little sustainable change in the individual has a much better effect on our environment and the planet. The fact is, most people will continue to eat meat. But if there is even a small decrease in consumption and that food intake becomes more humanistic, local, and has a smaller carbon and water footprint, society wins. If many people can give up plastic straws and plastic bags in the long run, don’t you think they can also give up meat weekly?
Ride Your Bicycle or Walk
Well, biking to work may be the best option for those who live in metropolitan areas or have a short commute. In addition to not producing carbon dioxide, you’ll burn calories doing it. You’ll feel a lot better. And you’ll look a lot better. The next step is public transportation: if you’re already doing it, great job!
But if you’re on the Eleven More, that’s a double win and, who knows, you might create a new commuting buddy! Last but not least, there’s aviation. This is one of the hardest because, even though it is very polluting and inefficient, there are now no uniformly fast decisions. The best advice here would be to use rail. It is much faster than flying, if you factor in the cumbersome and time-consuming security checks.
