Living a more environmentally sustainable life is not nearly the herculean effort it sometimes is made out to be. As a part of our celebration of Earth Day, we’re giving you a few easy tips to help you on your way to becoming an environmental hero!
1. Bring your own to-go food containers when you dine out.
Next time your eyes are bigger than your stomach, make sure you bring tupperware from home to take your leftovers. This reduces the use of those styrofoam to-go containers that can take as much as 500 years to decompose! (Science Learning Hub)
Save your leftovers and the environment in one fell swoop! Bring your own to-go containers the next time you dine out.
2. Get a travel mug for your coffee
It’s a greener option than the single-use styrofoam and paper cups. Added bonus: if you get your coffee at Starbucks, they give you a 10-cent discount when you bring your own mug.
Reusable coffee mugs reduce the use of paper and styrofoam cups that are thrown out after one use.
3. …And a reusable water bottle for your water
According to Forbes, over a million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, and 91% of those go unrecycled. Do your part in reducing this number. Get a bottle or canteen that you can refill.
Added bonus: Stainless steel bottles, like the one pictured, can keep your drink cold for up to 28 hours!
4. Ditch the plastic grocery bags!
Reusable shopping bags and totes are all the rage right now, and you can find them pretty much everywhere. There are bags made from recycled water bottles, and reclaimed cotton for an added layer of sustainability. Added Bonus: Several retailers give discounts to people who shop with reusable bags including Target, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s!
5. Turn off the lights in empty rooms
There’s a little bit of a “budget conscious dad” in all of us, so this shouldn’t be too difficult. Next time you leave a room, make sure you flip the switch!
6. Take showers instead of baths
This should also be an easy one if you haven’t already made the switch. The average shower takes 20 gallons of water, while the average bath uses 36 gallons of water.
7. Plant your own food
The amount of resources dedicated to bringing your food from farm to table is pretty high (water used to grow crops, refrigeration, transportation). You can reduce your pantry’s carbon footprint by growing your own vegetables and herbs. Here are 7 of the easiest edible plants to cultivate in your own backyard.
8. Buy an eco-friendly phone case
Once again, cutting down on plastic is important for our environment, and there are plenty of non-plastic options to protect your phone. There are cases made out of recycled denim, flax straw, and even wood! (That last one is produced right here in Indiana!)
9. Become less dependent on your car
Next time you need to run some errands near your home, put on some comfy walking shoes or hop on your bike! If you need to drive and you’re heading in the same direction as your spouse or neighbor, offer them a ride. Anything you can do to reduce carbon emissions is a win for the environment!
