Everyday Eco-Friendly Tips: Helping the Environment One Small Step at a Time

8593342_f426aa90f7

Much has changed in the past two decades, particularly when it comes to environmental awareness. On any given day, you might see someone biking to work, bringing reusable bags into the grocery store or even installing solar panels on their roof. All of these actions are indicative of the fact that our country is putting more emphasis on living a green life and trying to cut back on their waste. If you would like to do your part, the following tips are simple to implement and have the potential to make a big difference.

Cut back on the plastic

While disposable flatware certainly has its time and place, it is important to avoid using these utensils whenever possible. The United States throws away about 275 million pounds of plastic each year as a result of disposable utensils. Bring a fork and knife from home, store them in your desk at work and clean them when necessary. It won’t add much time to your day, but it will make a big difference at the landfill.

Enroll in paperless billing

Paying bills is, quite frankly, a drag. It’s time consuming to write out checks and address envelopes, not to mention how inconvenient it is to discover you are out of stamps the night before a bill is due. You can eliminate many of these issues by simply paying your bills on the Internet; doing so saves trees and also stress. If you are nervous about making the transition, ease your way into it by converting one bill at a time to the online payment process.

Eat one meatless meal a week

Committing yourself to eating at least one meat-free meal each week is equivalent to trading your car in for a hybrid model. Livestock aren’t easy to raise, and they are particularly hard on the environment; a substantial amount of greenhouse gases are released as a result of their care. While you don’t need to become a vegetarian, changing your monthly meal plan slightly can make a huge difference.

Support local businesses

By patronizing businesses in your area, you can cut back on the amount of fuel used during transportation, which is obviously good for the environment. Therefore, hire the Los Angeles pest control company that you drive past each day and frequent your neighborhood farmer’s market; supporting businesses like these will make a difference. In addition, local companies generally put more of their profits back into the community, which makes the area a better place to live for everyone involved.

More people than ever are committing themselves to an eco-friendly lifestyle. If you would like to “go green” as well, start by implementing a few of the tips above. In many cases, they will save you money while helping the Earth at the same time.

Image Credit: Some rights reserved by wvs