As the weather gets warmer, we’re all reminded of the importance of protecting the earth and being as eco-friendly as possible. Being more environmentally-friendly doesn’t mean that you have to completely change your daily life, but it does mean that you might have to put effort into small changes in your normal routine. Below are a few ways that you and your family can try to be more eco-friendly this spring and beyond.
Think Through Transportation
Sometimes the only option for transportation is to use your car, but choosing to use alternate forms of transportation when it’s possible can be a great way to be more eco-friendly. Considering the fact that the average driver spends 17 hours a year looking for parking, you’re also saving yourself some time and frustration. If a destination is within walking or biking distance, choose to walk or bike instead of drive. Not only is it more eco-friendly, but you’ll also be encouraging exercise, which is always a good thing. If something isn’t within walking or biking distance, you can look into your town or city’s public transportation system to see if it can be of use. Even if you have to drive part of the way to get to a station, using a train, subway, or bus to get to your location can be much more eco-friendly.
Turn Off the Lights When You Leave a Room
Start making it a habit to turn off any lights or unused electronics whenever the last person leaves a room. Doing this consistently can help you save on a lot of energy over time, and it’s something that’s relatively easy to make a habit of. Once you start to show the importance of energy conservation, your family can start finding smaller ways to cut back on your electricity use, like unplugging electronics when you’re not using them.
Look For Sustainably Made Products
There has been a huge push recently to look for more sustainably made products, and that creates a huge advantage for you since it’s gotten easier to make eco-friendly purchases. In addition, many sustainable and eco-friendly products don’t have harmful chemicals or materials in them. For example, if you shop for sustainably made, organic soap, you’re making a choice that will impact you and your family’s bodies. When you use soap, 60% of the substances will be absorbed into your bloodstream, so soaps with lower quality ingredients can actually have a negative impact on your health. Soap isn’t the only thing you can get a more eco-friendly version of — in fact, almost every product that you would normally use, from clothing to food items, has a more sustainable version out there.
Shop Local
When you are shopping for produce and products that are locally sourced, you’re helping to bring down the amount of waste created in packaging and transporting items. For example, if you choose to go to a local small business that sells handmade bath products instead of ordering online from a big name store, you’re cutting down on the waste of the packaging from shipping the products, the gas from transporting the product, and you’re also supporting a small business.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, you should try to find a farm stand or farmer’s market where you can buy directly from the farmers that grow the produce. There will likely be no preservatives that bigger companies have to use to keep fruits and vegetables from going bad during transport, and once again there won’t be the waste created by packaging or transporting the produce.
Go For LED Bulbs
Switching out your traditional lightbulbs for LED ones is a small thing that can have a positive impact on your home’s energy consumption. This is a great activity to have your kids help out with because unscrewing a lightbulb and replacing it with a new one is very simple. LED lightbulbs use less energy, last significantly longer than traditional lights, and come in a variety of colors and warmth level.
Use Less Water
Cutting down on the amount of water that your family uses is a great way to be more eco-friendly. The most basic ways to cut down on your water usage is to take shorter showers and turn off the water in the sink while brushing your teeth or washing your face. These things are definitely the easiest ways to implement this change in your life. If you are more committed to reducing your water usage, consider getting a dishwasher if you don’t already have one and use that in place of hand washing your dishes.
Use Reusable Bags
Any time you’re shopping, bring your own bags with you. Although many states have banned plastic bags, grocery stores have been using paper instead, which is still creating waste. Using reusable bags can help you avoid having to use a single-use item, and over time that can add up to creating a lot less waste. To make this easier, you can keep a stock of reusable bags in your car or by your front door so that you have them on hand for more spontaneous shopping trips.
Get Things Built to Last
One of the most sustainable and eco-friendly choices you can make is buying things that are designed to last for a long time instead of cheaply made items that will break and end up in a landfill. For example, the average couch lasts between seven and 15 years, and by investing in a more high-quality item, you can ensure that your couch will last closer to 15 years than seven. The best way to be more eco-friendly is by not creating waste since we don’t know how to deal with all of the waste already in existence, and buying higher-quality items will help reduce the amount of waste that you create. This also means avoiding single-use items made of plastic and styrofoam in favor of reusable items.
Making eco-friendly choices doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. Instead, it can be as simple as switching out lightbulbs or walking to a park instead of driving. What do you do to be more eco-friendly with your family? Let us know in the comments!
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