When it comes to the progression of climate change, we all need to take responsibility and make changes. By implementing changes into our daily routines, we have the power to combat or stop climate change from progressing further. Our damage to the Earth comes at a cost, and as a result of many years of negligence and avoidance. Instead of continuing to deplete Earth’s resources, change needs to happen. Whether it’s a small change or an intensive lifestyle change, we can all do our part to stop climate change. Here’s a list of changes you can make, starting today.
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Make Diet Changes
Meatless Mondays
Ever heard of “Meatless Mondays?” Meatless Monday is a trend where people dedicate their Mondays to eating plant products, or following a vegan diet. Granted, this can be done any day of the week, but the founders believe Mondays are best because it sets the tone for the rest of the week. Reducing the amount of meat consumed contributes to using less greenhouse gases annually.
How does it do that?
- Livestock production creates more greenhouse gases than transportation (including cars, trucks, planes and trains in the whole world).
- Livestock production uses 75% of agricultural land
- One ¼ beef burger uses 425 gallons of water. That is enough water to fill 10 bathtubs.
- Producing one ¼ pound beef burger uses the same amount of energy it takes to charge an iPhone for six months.
- Skipping one serving of beef every Monday for one year is the equivalent of emissions from driving 348 miles in the car.
With these results coming from just skipping one day a week, imagine the benefits if users challenged themselves to dedicate two or more days a week. Switching to plant alternatives is a great way to stop climate change from progressing.
Buy Organic or Buy Local
Most cities offer a farmer’s market where anyone can come and buy crops that are locally grown. This helps reduce waste, This reduces the amount of time driving store to store, the quality is better, and you’re only eating fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season.
Grow Your Own Fruits and Vegetables
If you’re looking for a great hobby, or if you want to teach children about how to grow food- start with fruits, vegetables and herbs! Having a fresh selection in your backyard minimizes trips to the store, reduces waste and can be a great learning experience. It might even get you to eat more healthy foods! There’s something satisfying about maintaining a garden to provide sustainable meals with. There are plenty of guides for beginners, so take the step today.
Changing the Way You Use Transportation Can Stop Climate Change From Progressing
It’s no secret that Americans enjoy driving. With a projected 2021 total of 289.5 million cars on the road, they’re producing an enormous amount of carbon monoxide and other toxic elements that are left in our atmosphere.
Some changes that you can implement to reduce the amount of carbon emissions into the air include:
- Walk or bike if close
- Take public transportation
- Rideshare/carpool
- If applicable, switch to electric or hybrid vehicle
- Stop for errands that are on your route home instead of making multiple different trips around town.
Utilize the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse & Recycle to Stop Climate Change
For many of us, the concept of the 3 R’s have been driven into our memory from a young age. The names themselves are self-explanatory, but there are many different avenues to achieve them.
Reduce
One great way to reduce is by getting rid of your paper and plastic items that are disposable. Instead, swap them for more sustainable options. Typically, these items are more expensive and require cleaning, therefore people are less likely to buy them. However, with disposable items you’re continually having to make a purchase to refill your stock. Instead of buying items to throw away, invest in sturdy replacement items to reduce the amount of waste you’re producing. Some common ways to reduce are:
- Swapping out plastic bags for reusable bags. Plastic bags take over 1,000 years to fully decompose in our landfills, and are not sustainable. Instead, look into tote bags or collect any fabric bags that are often given away at events.
- Use a reusable lunch box instead of paper or plastic bag.
- Instead of buying paper towels that are used and discarded, invest in reusable paper towels. Not only are these paper towels cute, but they are machine washable and sustainable.
- Use a refillable filtered water bottle for on-the-go instead of adding to our plastic problem. This also allows the benefit of drinking filtered water, rather than risking drinking contaminants with local tap water.
Reuse
It’s often assumed that recycling is the most beneficial for the Earth, but in fact, reusing items is the best way to minimize your carbon footprint! This is because it takes energy to break down items thrown away. Instead of buying something new that causes deforestation, take items that you already own or can pick up at a thrift store. It is cheaper and repurposing items can help with a creative outlet.
Another way to reuse is to buy clothes from thrift shops or flea markets. The trend of fast fashion is a major contributor to climate change, as it requires cheap materials and cutting environment friendly corners to meet the needs. In fact, fast fashion is the second leading cause of pollution behind the oil industry.
To avoid fast fashion, steer clear of buying clothes and products from companies like Shein, Topshop, Nike, Urban Outfitters and more. Instead, repurpose your clothing by doing your own alterations or buying from thrift stores, or sustainable companies.
Recycle
Recycling is a popular method of sustainability. There’s the obvious ways to recycle like throwing your plastic, paper, or cardboard into a blue trash can for your trash-pick up service to collect. There are also other ways to recycle such as:
- Composting. Not only can you compost vegetables and fruits, but there are also companies, like Billie who ship their items in compostable materials.
- Buy recycled paper and print on both sides
The 3 R’s are a great way to make sure you’re doing your part to stop climate change.
Change the Way You Use Energy to Stop Climate Change
In our day and age, it’s easy to continually use energy without thinking about where it comes from. In order to stop climate change, we have to start thinking about the ramifications of our actions. Whether or not you think about it, the standard way of using electricity and energy is depleting our natural resources. These resources are not renewable, and once they’ve been exhausted we cannot use them anymore.
That’s why switching to renewable energy is so important. A great way to utilize renewable energy and save money is by switching to solar energy. Solar energy captures the sun’s energy through solar panels and transforms it into usable electricity for our homes. There’s more that goes into solar energy, which is why we’ve detailed an amateur’s guide to understanding solar power. Want to learn even more about solar energy? Visit our website here or give us a call at 1-833-433-0331.
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