5 Lifestyle Changes to Help You Become More Environmentally Conscious

The environment needs our
help—with rising global temperatures, massive deforestation, and pollution
threatening our civilization, everyone needs to do their fair share to help
curb climate change and the degradation of our planet.

A lot of people think that living
an eco-friendly lifestyle is incredibly difficult and requires big lifestyle
changes that are just too much to ask for anyone who’s already stressed with
maintaining a solid work-life balance. But actually, you can be eco-friendly by
making only a few minor changes to your daily routine.

Here are 7 lifestyle changes to
help you become more environmentally conscious.

1.     
Cut Back on Red Meat

It’s no secret that Americans are
hooked on beef and steak. Here’s the problem with our insatiable obsession over
red meat: in order to meet the demand, a massive amount of cows are slaughtered
each day all across the country. When cows are killed, C02 from within their
bodies is released into the atmosphere—it’s harmful to have large amounts of
C02 entering the atmosphere because the gas traps heat on Earth and contributes
to global warming.

If you want to help cut C02
emissions, just cut back on your red meat consumption. You don’t have to cut
meat out altogether—just reduce your intake and opt for white meat, like
chicken and fish. White meat is a healthier
eating option, anyway.

2.     
Use Less Water

Rising temperatures are evaporating
important water supplies from lakes and rivers. But even if climate change
weren’t happening, the world’s tremendous population growth has put a strain on
available water supplies. Some countries, like South Africa, have actually run
out of usable drinking water and had to import it from elsewhere.

There are a few things you can do
to cut back on your water consumption. First, try and take shorter showers.
Ideally, most of your showers should take no longer than 5 minutes (you might
want to buy a shower timer for your bathroom).

If you have a lawn, you should
consider cutting back on how often you water it. That, of course, may lead to a
dead lawn. Consider replacing your lawn with artificial grass
or with desert landscaping if you live in an arid climate. Some states even
offer tax incentives for replacing your grass lawn.

Lastly, cut back on your
consumption of soft drinks. Soft drinks require a lot water to produce. Not
only are they not healthy for you, but their production reduces the amount of
water that’s available for more important things, like plumbing.

3.     
Recycle

This is an easy one: recycle. You
can easily recycle plastic bottles, cans, glass, and cardboard. Consider
getting a recycling bin for your home, or store your recyclable items in bags
and take them to a recycling center (you can get paid out for your
contributions). Most parks and offices these days have recycling bins, too, so
you can always use those if you’re not able to recycle at home. Recycling is
truly one of the most hassle-free ways to practice environmental sustainability.

4.     
Use Public Transit

Automobiles are another huge
contributor to harmful emissions. Instead of driving everywhere, consider using
public transit when you’re able to. Again, you don’t have to use public transit
exclusively—that would be very difficult in states that don’t have very good
public transit systems. But if you’re able to take a bus, train, or bike to
wherever you’re going, you’ll be doing your part in reducing emissions caused
by cars.

Public
transit can actually be more convenient than using your car—for instance,
when you use public transit you won’t have to worry about parking your car at
the airport, or limiting your alcohol intake when you go out so you’ll be sober
to drive home.

Some people
feel apprehensive about using public transit when they’re travelling alone or in
a foreign country. Use some of our eco-friendly travel tips to give you peace of
mind when traveling afar, ensuring that you’re doing your part to save the
world while exploring it!

5.     
Avoid Plastic Products

Last, but certainly not least, try
and use
fewer plastic products. Some types of plastic products can be recycled, but
others are nondegradable and wind up polluting the soil or the ocean (plastic
is a real menace to sea turtles).

One of the easiest plastic
products you can cut are plastic straws. Plastic straws are really unnecessary
to have, and yet they’re responsible for a tremendous amount of plastic waste.
Consider getting a reusable straw, instead.

You can also cut back on using
plastic bags when you go to the grocery store. Opt for reusable grocery bags
and keep a heap of them in the trunk of your car so you’ll always have them
available when you go shopping.

That wasn’t too hard, was it? With
just one or more of these small lifestyle changes, you can make a hugely
positive impact on the environment.

The post 5 Lifestyle Changes to Help You Become More Environmentally Conscious appeared first on Nature Moms.