7 Ways to Help the Environment

Many feel like the challenge to combat global warming or simply do their part in saving Mother Nature is too daunting.  There are small things everyone can do!

•  Eat less meat

The meat industry takes up and uses an insurmountable amount of land, food, water, and energy to produce the meat you eat. From an environmental standpoint, this is a huge waste of land and a major cause for emissions, so would you like to be supporting these corporations? 

•  Limit your water usage

Only 0.3% of our earth’s water is freshwater, and that cannot be wasted. Desalination (turning saltwater in freshwater) is an expensive and lengthy process, so rather than looking for ways to produce more freshwater, we should conserve our already limited source. You can do this by reducing shower times, using a water saving shower head, turning the running sink off, and simply watching how you use water.

•  Avoid using your car

Cars make up for 20% of the world’s total yearly emissions, which is over 333 million tons. While it may be an easy transportation option, there are other ways to get around. For example, carpooling, biking, and public transportation. 

•  Switch to reusable, plastic alternatives

10% of the plastic that gets produced yearly makes its way to our oceans, roughly 260 million tons. Lots of this plastic either ends up on beaches or eaten by marine life. What does this mean for us? It means that we will end up subconsciously eating plastic when we eat fish. Since we can’t get rid of plastic, it will continue this destructive path from consumer, oceans, fish, back to consumer.

•  Take notes online 

While this can fit into a more vague category of paper usage, it is an easy switch us students can make with the available resources available. If you attend a high school where you use iPads, simply takes notes on there using the numerous note taking apps you can download for free. These apps not only reduce your paper usage, they are neater looking, easier to organize, and don’t weigh your backpack. 

•  Be aware of what you throw away

While it may be easy to do so, you may be throwing away items that can be either recycled or reused in some way. As said before, garbage produces methane, so always look for ways to reduce the materials you are adding to the garbage. It may seem tricky to do, but some items you tend to throw away often can be reused in helpful ways. For example, glass jars and storage, plastic bags can be donated, and egg cartons as starter gardens. The multiple uses for everyday objects may surprise you. 

•  Reduce Food Waste

Around 40% of the food we get is wasted, and then put in landfills. When food ends up in landfills, it is converted into a greenhouse gas, methane. This gas methane then heats up our climate, which is what is contributing to climate change. If you continually find yourself wasting food, either try to learn to portion sizes of what you eat or compost the natural materials for a functional all-natural fertilizer for your garden.