Turning towards having a much greener lifestyle than you do now (or perhaps even a little greener – even the smallest changes can help the planet) is a wonderful idea. Not only is it good for the environment, but it can also be good for you personally – it can be an ideal way to save money on your energy bills, to live in a healthier home, and – something that’s truly important – it can be a fantastic way to set a good example to the next generation.
Making these changes is clearly an important thing to do, but it can be hard to know where to start, especially if you’re used to doing things a certain way. With that in mind, here are some tips to help you make simple changes for a greener lifestyle, and once you get started, you won’t want to stop.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, reuse, recycle… there’s no doubt you’ll have heard that mantra before, but have you ever really thought about what it means? The fact is that these three little words can have a huge impact on the planet – in a good way – and implementing the ideas behind them into your life more is a very good idea, and an excellent place to start when you want to make changes to your lifestyle.
A few things you can do include carrying a reusable water bottle around with you rather than buying plastic ones, or perhaps take your own shopping bags to the supermarket. Or you could specifically always pick items with less packaging if that’s possible. Plus you can recycle more, so get to know where your local recycling place is or, if your rubbish is collected, sort it so anything that can be recycled is separate from the rest.
Choose Sustainable Transportation
Since you’ll always have to go somewhere at some point, thinking about how you do that and the transportation you use can be another good way to make green changes in your life. Instead of driving, for example, more eco-friendly options are walking or cycling, and if you can’t do that, then picking public transportation is a good alternative because even though it’s still a vehicle, it’s one journey for multiple people, rather than multiple separate journeys – it’s better overall.
If you do want or need to have your own vehicle, there are still green choices you can make. For example, you could choose an electric car rather than a gas-powered one, and if you do that, speak to experts about having electric vehicle charging installation carried out so you can have a full battery at all times – that’s much better for the planet.
Eat Green
No, we don’t mean you only have to eat green food (although, in fact, green food does tend to be more environmentally friendly and better for your health, so it’s not a bad idea!). What we mean by ‘eat green’ is that you can make some better choices when it comes to what you’re eating – some food is better than others if you want to be eco-friendly.
A lot of people like the idea of enjoying plant-based foods on a specific day each week, for example (meat-free Monday has really taken off), so that could be a great place to start – you don’t have to go completely vegetarian or vegan, but reducing how much meat you eat is definitely going to help.