Global warming, climate change and depletion of vital resources are just a few of the environmental challenges that are front and centre in the media — from news channels and newspapers to social media posts. These man-made afflictions point to an increasing number of reasons to become more planet-conscious and green.
But how?
Understanding Green Living
Green living is defined as a way of life that doesn’t harm the environment. It doesn’t mean you have to live without luxury and convenience, but to reduce the negative effect we have on the planet, we must make a few simple changes to our daily routine.
It might seem that your efforts won’t mean much, but they do. Every sustainable change you make in your daily routine plays its part in the bigger picture. With that, you can begin to implement eco-friendly practices in varied areas of your life. If you’re ready to make the shift to leading a more sustainable lifestyle, we’ll show you how.
Here are my top five practical tips to make a positive and green difference today and every day.
Let’s take a look!
1. Make Improvements in Your Property
It’s hard to live sustainably if your property or home is an energy drag. Not only will an energy-efficient property help you shrink your carbon footprint, but also help you reduce your utility bills. To make sure that your property is as energy-efficient as possible, you need to figure out points where energy is being wasted or overused. One way to find this out – and therefore to make your property more sustainable is by getting an Energy Performance Certificate.
Whether you live in Essex, London or anywhere else in the country, EPC assessments can help you start living a greener life sooner rather than later. This testing will show how efficient your property is by issuing grades between A and G. An EPC will also contain recommendations about how you can take it to the next grade. It will guide you toward your goal of a more sustainable property, making it more energy efficient.
Hiring a block maintenance company is also a powerful way to make your property more eco-friendly. These companies will make sure you have access to a network of contractors who specialise in making energy-saving upgrades. For example, they will help you find someone to fix gaps in your property’s doors and windows where heat might be escaping. They can also connect you to quality contractors who will ensure your property’s heating system is functioning at its best.
It doesn’t matter what kind of building or block you own, making energy-efficient changes is the kind of proactive thing that is a huge part of green living.
It’s hard to live sustainably if your property or home is an energy drag. Not only will an energy-efficient property help you shrink your carbon footprint, but also help you reduce your utility bills. To make sure that your property is as energy-efficient as possible, you need to figure out points where energy is being wasted or overused. One way to find this out – and therefore to make your property more sustainable is by getting an Energy Performance Certificate.
Whether you live in Essex, London or anywhere else in the country, EPC assessments can help you start living a greener life sooner rather than later. This testing will show how efficient your property is by issuing grades between A and G. An EPC will also contain recommendations about how you can take it to the next grade. It will guide you toward your goal of a more sustainable property, making it more energy efficient.
Hiring a block maintenance company is also a powerful way to make your property more eco-friendly. These companies will make sure you have access to a network of contractors who specialise in making energy-saving upgrades. For example, they will help you find someone to fix gaps in your property’s doors and windows where heat might be escaping. They can also connect you to quality contractors who will ensure your property’s heating system is functioning at its best.
It doesn’t matter what kind of building or block you own, making energy-efficient changes is the kind of proactive thing that is a huge part of green living.
2. Maintain Your Car Regularly
Maintenance of your car is not just a ‘mechanical’ best practice – it’s also a ‘green living’ best practice. Regular car maintenance can help the environment and leave the world in a better state for our future loved ones. A regularly serviced car performs better and produces less air pollution, while also using less fuel than a car that’s not been well taken care of.
Things like checking tyre pressure, changing the air filter, tuning the engine and maintaining the right spark plugs can make a major difference as can paying attention to car issues and fixing them as they come up.
For example, a bad brake system can make the engine work harder and go through more fuel. So fix bad brake pads or replace brake callipers the moment you notice them wear out or malfunction. It’s easy to purchases brakes online or offline, as you maintain your car’s efficiency and performance.
Routinely maintaining your car cuts down on smog-inducing air pollution and produces cleaner air for a healthier environment. Overall it's a win-win both from sustainability and safety perspectives.
3. Changing Waste Disposal Habits
Improper waste disposal is one of the biggest environmental problems we are dealing with. How waste is disposed of not only affects your immediate environment but also impacts the local and global ecosystem.
We can help by reducing the amount of waste produced especially biodegradable waste, by separating and discarding it accordingly. Additionally, we can also consider creating compost to use waste sustainably and avoid it from piling up in landfills.
Vegetable and fruit peels from the kitchen can be used to produce biogas. Similarly, you can look for more creative ways to dispose of waste - for instance, make potpourri out of fragrant fruit peels, flowers and other spices. Another example is repurposing a pair of old jeans into a bag or a top. You can also create storage boxes or DIY cupboards using delivery boxes from all your online orders.
Who knows, you might end up finding your new hobby and expertise as you adopt a more innovative way to take care of the waste.
4. Adopt A Sustainable Diet
Another simple yet effective green living habit you must adopt to support environmentally sound living is to consume a sustainable diet. Reducing the consumption of animal products and processed food in favour of plant-based, organic, and locally-grown produce is not only good for the environment but also for our health.
A balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans doesn't just reduce the risk of disease but also ensures you get a variety of much-needed nutrients. Packaged food requires a lot of energy and resources for it to stay fresh which increases carbon emissions, damaging the environment gradually and over time. It is generally packed in non-degradable plastic, which, aside from increasing waste, is harmful to the environment.
If nothing else, remember to include locally grown food in your daily diet. This simple green living habit involves less pollution due to transportation, helps you support your neighbourhood farmers and provides easier access to fresher, healthier food. It encourages seasonal eating habits, which are better for the environment.
With a conscious and well-planned diet, you will incur less food waste which can significantly compliment your environmentally friendly choices.
5. Use Public Transportation for Daily Commute
When we use our cars for daily errands and trips, we use an excessive amount of fuel and energy. For a greener, cleaner, more Earth-friendly lifestyle, use public transport to get from point A to B– especially for shorter distances.
Buses, trains, and trams are all superior to your car in terms of “emissions per person,” as they are all designed to carry large numbers of people at once. Walking is another fantastic option for short journeys, improving your overall health, increasing your environmental awareness, and decreasing both traffic and the expense of car ownership.
For a more conscious and green approach, you can also use your bike especially when commuting to work or going to the grocery store. You squeeze in a bit of exercise without adding to your carbon footprint.
Conclusion
These are some simple ways to build a more sustainable lifestyle. Not all of them can be implemented overnight as it’s going to take a bit of planning and figuring out before implementing or replacing sustainable habits and choices.
There are, of course, countless other habits you can adopt that will reduce your environmental impact and bring you more in harmony with the planet. That said, its important to emphasise that living green is not just about individual changes. It’s a change in the mindset where we recognise that we are a part of the planet, not apart from the planet.
Maintenance of your car is not just a ‘mechanical’ best practice – it’s also a ‘green living’ best practice. Regular car maintenance can help the environment and leave the world in a better state for our future loved ones. A regularly serviced car performs better and produces less air pollution, while also using less fuel than a car that’s not been well taken care of.
Things like checking tyre pressure, changing the air filter, tuning the engine and maintaining the right spark plugs can make a major difference as can paying attention to car issues and fixing them as they come up.
For example, a bad brake system can make the engine work harder and go through more fuel. So fix bad brake pads or replace brake callipers the moment you notice them wear out or malfunction. It’s easy to purchases brakes online or offline, as you maintain your car’s efficiency and performance.
Routinely maintaining your car cuts down on smog-inducing air pollution and produces cleaner air for a healthier environment. Overall it's a win-win both from sustainability and safety perspectives.
3. Changing Waste Disposal Habits
Improper waste disposal is one of the biggest environmental problems we are dealing with. How waste is disposed of not only affects your immediate environment but also impacts the local and global ecosystem.
We can help by reducing the amount of waste produced especially biodegradable waste, by separating and discarding it accordingly. Additionally, we can also consider creating compost to use waste sustainably and avoid it from piling up in landfills.
Vegetable and fruit peels from the kitchen can be used to produce biogas. Similarly, you can look for more creative ways to dispose of waste - for instance, make potpourri out of fragrant fruit peels, flowers and other spices. Another example is repurposing a pair of old jeans into a bag or a top. You can also create storage boxes or DIY cupboards using delivery boxes from all your online orders.
Who knows, you might end up finding your new hobby and expertise as you adopt a more innovative way to take care of the waste.
4. Adopt A Sustainable Diet
Another simple yet effective green living habit you must adopt to support environmentally sound living is to consume a sustainable diet. Reducing the consumption of animal products and processed food in favour of plant-based, organic, and locally-grown produce is not only good for the environment but also for our health.
A balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans doesn't just reduce the risk of disease but also ensures you get a variety of much-needed nutrients. Packaged food requires a lot of energy and resources for it to stay fresh which increases carbon emissions, damaging the environment gradually and over time. It is generally packed in non-degradable plastic, which, aside from increasing waste, is harmful to the environment.
If nothing else, remember to include locally grown food in your daily diet. This simple green living habit involves less pollution due to transportation, helps you support your neighbourhood farmers and provides easier access to fresher, healthier food. It encourages seasonal eating habits, which are better for the environment.
With a conscious and well-planned diet, you will incur less food waste which can significantly compliment your environmentally friendly choices.
5. Use Public Transportation for Daily Commute
When we use our cars for daily errands and trips, we use an excessive amount of fuel and energy. For a greener, cleaner, more Earth-friendly lifestyle, use public transport to get from point A to B– especially for shorter distances.
Buses, trains, and trams are all superior to your car in terms of “emissions per person,” as they are all designed to carry large numbers of people at once. Walking is another fantastic option for short journeys, improving your overall health, increasing your environmental awareness, and decreasing both traffic and the expense of car ownership.
For a more conscious and green approach, you can also use your bike especially when commuting to work or going to the grocery store. You squeeze in a bit of exercise without adding to your carbon footprint.
Conclusion
These are some simple ways to build a more sustainable lifestyle. Not all of them can be implemented overnight as it’s going to take a bit of planning and figuring out before implementing or replacing sustainable habits and choices.
There are, of course, countless other habits you can adopt that will reduce your environmental impact and bring you more in harmony with the planet. That said, its important to emphasise that living green is not just about individual changes. It’s a change in the mindset where we recognise that we are a part of the planet, not apart from the planet.
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