The Change We Need Starts With You
There is a lot of discussion circulating throughout the media, the internet, and millennial generation about how we are going to reverse the damage that has been done to our earth within the past 40 years. Once upon a time, humans were dependent on the environment to provide for us when it was ready and respected the timing of everything’s fruition. As technology advanced and our population grew, we demanded more from the world and even found ways around how slowly nature produced resources for our needs. It is today where humans control everything and it is now in our hands to control where nature goes from here instead.
As drastic as it sounds, the bigger picture of our planet’s current condition strongly supports this notion. We have learned where every desirable crop and resource lies, how to generate more of it regardless of the time of year, and how to manipulate any other life form to cater to our demands. Nonetheless, there is one imperative factor of our ecosystem that beyond our rule.
In 1980, the polar ice caps were four times the size they are today. NASA reports that the ice continues to melt at 12% this year and will increase if we continue down our path of trashing the earth with greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.
To instigate a positive change and move towards a more sustainable future, it will take more than planting a million trees or switching your electricity source to solar panels, as noted by Treehugger’s blog. The root of the issue here lies in the corporations that produce what we consume: energy, food, and water. How does one stop a house from flooding? Some may say that you can grab buckets and throw the water out to lessen the spill but what would be even more effective is turning off the faucet so no more water contributes to the mess.
The community of those who actually give a shit about these alarming issues can start by boycotting products that harm our planet. Every piece of waste that is created is a reaction of supply and demand. The human population grew comfortable with the convenience of endless supplies of energy and single use plastic products just to name a few but I’m hopeful that we can stop this detrimental flow of damage at it’s spout by changing our everyday habits.
Here are a few ways to minimize your carbon footprint and live a more sustainable lifestyle:
Minimize the intake of meat and dairy products.
The #1 leading cause of land waste, crop overproduction, CO2 emissions, and not to mention health problems is the meat industry. If someone were to combine the amount of greenhouse gases that is created from all transportation in the world, it would still be less than what results from the meat industry. The issue starts with the absurd amount of animals that are biologically engineered and raised for slaughter. Agriculture has a monumental impact on the environment because we raise 70% of our crop to feed these animals and fatten them up to industry standards. It’s baffling to think that all of that excess food could feed the 795 million people in the world who are starving and undernourished. The world has devoted 40% of our land to house the production of beef alone — land that could be used for so many better reasons. Any surrounding rivers or communities near the factories where meat is raised are contaminated with feces. To read more about how meat affects the environment, you can dive deeper into the problem here. Your part in this can be to stop eating meat and other animal products. Although the change may be gradual and ditching the habit will be tough, it will do our earth a great service.
Buy Local food and items
When you support local farmers and products, you keep the waste of gas to transport the items and the unethical production of corporate produce at bay. Visit your local farmers market for fresh vegetables and fruits and you can go home knowing exactly where your food came from without the worry of pesticides, plastic packaging, and energy saved to bring it to your kitchen.
Eliminate single-use plastic products
Plastic was created in the early 1900’s for it’s versatility, low cost, cleanliness, and convenience. We can find plastic essentially everywhere because most companies have adopted it to package their products in stores. It’s baffling to realize that the plastic you discard will outlive you and your kids. One piece of plastic takes 1,000 years to break down due to the unnatural chemicals and ingredients that it is made out of. The best way to avoid it is to bring your own items when going out. I’ve been shamelessly bringing my own chopsticks, utensils, cups, and containers when I eat out but the result has been less clutter in my garbage and in my space overall. Here are some options on Amazon to consider purchasing for future usage. For products such as makeup removal pads, tampons, napkins, razors, toothbrushes, and batteries, there are zero-waste alternatives for those too! It’s amazing to see more companies joining the revolution of a sustainable future.
Reduce your Energy Usage
Imagine if we lost energy for an entire day. An entire hour. Our civilization would fall apart as we have grown to be so dependent on energy. This vital source of shelter, warmth, food, and entertainment however is limited. To reduce your energy usage, unplug anything that is not being used at the moment such as lights, chargers, television, and other appliances to save your wallet and our earth’s precious supply. Switch to energy saving products like LED lights and wash your clothes with cold water instead of hot. Small changes like these and more will accumulate to saving more energy and money for you.
Use Water sparingly
It may seem like we have an endless supply of water as it spews from our faucets, waters our lawns, cleanses our bodies, but hydrates us everyday but we over abuse this beautiful resource . The more water we use, the more greenhouse gases are emitted into the environment for its filtration and treatment in plants. On top of that, the dirty water as a result of us using it often pollutes lakes, oceans, and other water bodies near by where it runs into. A good start for beginners here that could lessen how much water we squander include taking shorter showers, only washing full loads of laundry, only flush when it appears necessary. For more mindful tips, Eartheasy has an entire arsenal of actions to consider implementing into your lifestyle.
Don't Waste food: Eat only how much you can
Companies like Imperfect Produce and even Shandong Qiaobin Agricultural Technology Company with their bazaar cockroach farm. Although the latter mentioned may sound quite farfetched, we need to take any action we can to eliminate food waste. One-third of the food we create ends up in the trash and thus into landfills, emitting greenhouse gases into our environment. It’s horrendous to think about all of that wasted money and nourishment that could be conserved or even better yet, saved for future use instead. Some ways to combat this long systemic problem is by only eating what you absolutely need, don’t buy in bulk. save leftovers, and start to adopt composting as I will describe more in my next tip.
7. Dump your waste properly and responsibly.
There was a recent article released about how much of our recyclable materials actually get repurposed and not wasted. National Geographic reports that only 9% of the plastic we use is recycled like it should be but actually ends up in our oceans or littering our lands. To continue with the food waste issue as explained in the previous point, we can do our part to try and eliminate as much waste that will fill our landfill as possible. Composting is an amazing alternative to tossing your food in the trash. Not only does composting put the food back into the earth to improve soil texture and help more plants grow, it also reduces your trips to the garbage by a lot. Personally, I used to throw my trash out once every two days with a house of three members and since transitioning to composting, we only visit the dumpster once a week. Additionally, this will save bags, money, and time after you put in a bit of effort on your part to make it happen. If you don’t have a composting facility nearby, I would contact your city’s government website or calling them about having that amenity offered to your street. If not, there is always the option to just do it yourself.
8. Don't shop more, use your clothes as long as you can
It’s hard when you value fashion and love the feeling of wearing new clothes, trust me. However, when you buy clothes, it requires more factories to create the material which comes from the earth and use energy to ship the clothes to your location. There are so many alternatives to buying new clothes such as thrifting. Take a stroll down to your local Goodwill (in Washington, we have Crossroads and Buffalo Exchange available) to see what there is to offer. Not only is thrifting saving the planet but it saves your wallet too because second-hand clothes tends to be cheaper as well. If you feel weird with buying clothes that was once worn by strangers, you can always check out Facebook market for nearby items on sale where you can actually meet the owner of the parcel and it’s not as ambiguous. My friends and I often trade old clothes that we don’t use anymore which I find is the most ideal option.