Small Changes You Can Make to Help the Environment
If you’re trying to live green, you may find it discouraging when you watch the news… or walk around your neighborhood… and see all the other people who aren’t living green. What good does it do the environment if one person lives green while others don’t?
Well, that’s a valid concern, but what you need to remember is that because there’s people in your neighborhood who don’t live green, there are a lot of people who are living green, and more are embracing the movement every day.
So do what you can to live green and the rest will take care of itself.
People shouldn’t be forced to go green either. That creates resentment and passive revolt.
So, what can you do?
1. Ride a bike to work, or walk
Depending on where you live, walk to work or ride a bike. If you’re far away from work, you’ll need to take your car, but consider using a “park and ride” for at least most of the way. Or, you can take a bus or use a car pool.
This seems simplistic, doesn’t it? Well, plenty of things on this list will be simplistic. But they may be things that a lot of you reading this haven’t thought of before.
And there’s the American love affair with cars, that may, until now, have prevented you, on principle, from taking a bus when you have a perfectly lovely automobile. You’re willing to do other things to help save the environment, but not give up your automobile, even for a day.
So, let’s move on to other things!
I like to drive and I’m always glad of an excuse to go for a drive. So one day (back when gas wasn’t so outrageously expensive as it is now) I’d drive the four miles to my local superstore to pick up some ice cream and the next day I’d go for cans of soup and the next day I’d have a craving for candy and go for that.
2. Plan your shopping trips
Well, I admit it. That was a waste of gas and money. It wasn’t a waste of time because I was “refreshing” my brain before going back to work – but I could have as easily accomplished that by going for a bike ride or a brisk walk.
3. Buy in bulk
By purchasing stuff in bulk, you’ll reduce the amount of trips you’ll have to take to the store, obviously. You’ll also have less packaging to deal with and bulk items are less expensive than buying things singly.
At work, if you’re concerned about organic food and don’t want to buy processed foods, you’ll need to shop appropriately.
So just keep these little things in mind when you’re going about your usual day. Just doing one small thing to save the environment will help in a BIG way!
Filed Under: Eco-Living • Green Living
