21 bad habits for the environment
DITCH These habits if you want to help save the planet and reduce your carbon footprint.
Pandemic coronavirus has changed his life as we know him. And although there is no advantage of this terrible contagion, while many of us are in quarantine, it has become clear how our daily lives steals ravages on the planet. In fact, atmospheric pollution has decreased across Europe and China almost one night, because people started staying at home. In London, for example,The average levels of air pollution fell to their lowest Since 2000, according to the air quality network of London. But what caused exactly this decline in pollution? Well, it's a direct result of peoplenot Participate in some habits. To help you learn what you did is bad for the environment, we talked to experts to gather a list of habits you should launch to help save the Earth this year.
1 Drive
One of the largest pollution contributors is the emission of gases from cars. "Drop driving as much as possible. Toggle with a bike or public transport. This reduces your carbon footprint, increases your level of activity and is generally more profitable," says the expert on sustainabilityGallinaco-founder ofBaabuk. If you can not go cycling to work, try carpooling with a colleague to reduce your carbon footprint.
2 Purchase of fast fashion
Fast fashion companies are another prejudice for the environment. "The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global emissions and fast fashion only exacerbates the problem," said Witting. "Rather than choosing the cheap synthetic fiber shirt that you will only wear once, choose the natural fiber option with quality that has less pain on the planet."
3 Dispose of objects in good condition
Make sure the items have a long life helps the earth have a healthier life too. But in the name of deception, people often end up launching things that could be represented or given to someone else, causing a perfectly good shirt or blanket to end up in a discharge. Whatever the mind urges people to "replace what they can and would recycle articles."
4 Buy single-use items
We all tend to rely on plastic plastic bags and single-use plastic bags when packing our lunches or our remains. But reduction, reuse and recycling have never been so easy with so many companies providing sustainable alternatives to these daily products. Replace plastic wrap withReusable wrapping of beeswax and exchange plastic sandwich bags withReusable silicone bagsThese small changes can make a huge difference.
5 Bottle water
We were told to stop buyingbottled water For years, but many people do it again. If you need a reminder, know that plastic can take up450 years in Biodegradé, Inflicting Years of Damage on Earth. Some people have carried outRechargeable water bottles Keep their consumption of water and save the earth - and it's something you should consider too. Water is a natural resource that should not be placed in a harmful chemical box when we can also easily get it from the sink.
6 Using buffers and buffers
More than half of the population is composed of women and most of these women will have their rules almost every month for about 40 years - which means that we use a ton of female hygiene products that create non-products. recyclable. How much, you may be wondering? According toJulie Weigaard Kjaer, CEO and co-founder ofRuby"The average person who has periods will use up to 12,000 disposable periods during a life. ... A menstrual buffer contains the same amount of plastic as four support bags. A buffer takes 500 years to break down . " Exchange buffers and pads for reusable menstrual cups such as the cup of rubies or brand period underwear such as Minorex and KNIX can significantly reduce your negative impact on the environment.
7 Using utilities at 18:00
This may seem like a strangely specific demand. But as an energy expert and CEO ofOhmconnect Cisco Devries Explains: "During peak energy moments, such as 6 m., Public services respond to the increase in demand by ineffective-reading: CO2 intensity" Peaker "plants, which transmit this cost on consumers. " According to Devres, Pecker plants produce two to three times carbon emissions from a classic plant. So this process hurts the environment andYour energy bill. Devres suggests that people are trying to turn the devices earlier in the day (if possible) when energy comes from greener sources.
8 Use pesticides and weed killers
A 2009 study ofNational Center for Information on BiotechnologyDisplays overwhelming evidence that pesticides pose a potential risk for humans and unwanted side effects on the environment. Count these pesticides at the edge of the border and use natural methods to keep your garden instead.
9 Importation of goods
Our company has become very dependent on express shipments and online purchases, but these practices come with negative side effects for the environment when considering all the emissions that will get your goods from one side of the globe to another.
Instead, we should beShopping locally. "One of the most powerful ways to transform our economic system while lightening our footprint on earth is to seek our staples locally instead of importing them from far, including food, power and money" , declares the professional surfer and the environmental activist.Lauren Hill.
10 Eat a lot of meat
The consumption of meat must go down the world if we want to save our planet. A 2019 report inThe lancet Urges people to adopt a diet widely based on planting with occasional allowances for meat, dairy and sugar. It means being aware of your meat consumption and minimize where you can. We do not say that you have to go full vegetarian, but the addition of Monday without meat could be extremely beneficial for the environment. According toThe GuardianBeef consumption must fall by 90% and should be replaced by five times more beans and legumes to avoid the dangerous effects of climate change.
11 Buy more food than you need
People often store grocery stores, throwing everything they want at the time of basket without considering if they really need this article. In the United States alone,30 to 40% of the food is wasted. Especially at a time, like this, we should all buy what we need. The next time you are at the grocery store, try to buy only what you know you will use, especially with regard to perishable products.
12 Throw out
If you tend to be an excessive buyer, you probably ended up throwing a handful of products every week, which is a waste of resources of the earth. Make a point of using each piece of product possible in your meal plans and snack on the rest. It is also useful to learn how to use each part of a vegetable,Even the remains.
13 Using 60 watt bulbs
If you have not done the switch to LED bulbs, the time is now! Liberation with old incandescent90% of their energy as a heat, then only 10% of energy actually going towards the creation of light.
14 Leaving the water running
Leaving the running water for the few minutes, you brush your teeth or shampooing your hair might not seem like a huge deal, but a lot of energy was going to treat water that crosses your faucet or your shower head. The conservation of water is essential to maintain a healthy planet, especially in communities where there is a drought.
15 Run small loads in the dishwasher or washing machine
Having a washing machine and a dishwasher in your home are modern luxuries that we have come to enjoy. But be aware of how much you put in these machines. According toThe University of Michigan's Planet Blue, "The average washing machine uses 13,500 gallons of water a year. It's all water as you drink all your life." Make sure you run only complete loads so you can make the most of each wash.
16 Recyclable
It's easy to launch something in the Recycle Bin without realizing that it is recyclable, but take the time to recycle can help the planet for years to come. To studyWhich articles can be recycled And be sure to put them in the correct tray to avoid a wasted occasion of recycling.
17 Put non-recyclable objects in the recycling tray
On this same note, you do not want to recycle the objects that do not belong to the recycling bins. Certainly, recycling can be confusing. There are a lot of styrofoam mosquitoes and plastic grocery bags, which seem to beshould be recyclable, but in fact, are not. But it is worth learning because you choose non-recyclable bins in the recycling of the bins with the recycling process and could potentially cancel a whole recyclable batch.
18 Use paper towels
Naturally, it can be of the second nature to tear a paper towel sheet from the roll to wipe a mess or when you dry a dish because it's probably what you have done your whole life. But consider that the United States produces alone3,000 tons of paper towels one day. If you train, look for aReusable towel optionInstead of a paper towel will start to feel natural.
19 Electronic components
We generate around40 million tons of electronic waste Every year, around the world. According toAmerican environmental protection agency"The recycling of one million laptops saves energy equivalent to electricity used by more than 3,500 US inhabitants in one year. For every million cell phones, we recycle, 35,000 pounds of copper , 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 palladium books can be recovered. "So the next time you get rid of your electronics, be sure to do quick search onwhere you can recycle them properly.
20 Get invoices by mail
Everything can be electronic now, ordering food to get receipts, so there is no need to get as much paper in the mail. Go to online billing for your credit cards, rents and utilities to save paper stacks each month. It's not just better for the earth, but also more effective for you.
21 Print documents on one side
Go completely without paper is preferable and definitely feasible in our digital world. However, if you need a physical copy of your documents, do not imperate unilateral. Select the option to print your two-sided papers, which cuts waste from your paper in half with the click of a button!