6 best ways to live a more “eco-friendly” lifestyle
Have you always struggled to navigate the world of “going green?” Do you want to make a difference in the environment crisis, but you are not sure how? Maybe it was a part of your New Years resolution goals to stop living so wastefully and begin making some real changes.
But going waste-free or living entirely eco-friendly off in your bunker in the woods, harvesting your own coffee beans and re-using orange peels to make tea is likely not in the cards for the time-being. Going green starts with a few small steps – and just those small steps can be the beginning of making a huge difference! How do you begin?
Here are Panda7’s 6 top tips to begin living eco-friendlier.
1. Cut back on your consumption of meat.
While going fully “plant-based” or “vegan” might be daunting, cutting back on your meat consumption can have amazing impact on the environment. Currently, more than 30% of Earth’s land is consumed by agriculture purposes – majorly, raising livestock and growing their feed. A United Nations study once decreed that of all the CO2 emissions derived from human activities, 9% could be contributed to the livestock industry and 65% of human-derived nitrous oxide could be generated by the raising of various livestock animals. With less demand for meat, there would be less livestock bred and more land to use for recreation and the planting of new forests. Also, eating less meat may contribute to a higher consumption of vegetables and fruits which can be beneficial for our health!
2. Replace “one-use” items with reusable.
When you go grocery shopping, swap out the plastic bags for reusable cloth bags. Worst case, opt for paper over plastic. The same goes for water bottles: skip the vending machine water bottle and opt instead for a reusable water bottle. Not only is this a great way to save some money, but it might even encourage you to drink more water! If you like to drink from straws, opt for steel or glass straws rather than your common plastic straws. If you go to a restaurant, carry your reusable straw with you!
3. Start a compost pile.
Have you been throwing out your old vegetable peels, bones, and napkins? Plus maintenant. No more. Start a compost bin. It can help you to “re-use” items you would normally throw out, and they can help to add some nutrients into the soil where you would ordinarily grow your garden. This spares you from having to go out and buy expensive compost or fertilizer when you can simply create your own! If you do any gardening, it makes a ton of sense to have your own compost bin. Some communities may even offer a communal compost bin you can start contributing to!
4. Take a shower instead of a bath.
From an environmental standpoint, a shower exceeds a bath in terms of water usage. If you want to conserve water even more, go for a water-saving shower head – which will prevent you from having to use any more than two gallons of water/minute. As long as your shower does not exceed ten minutes, you can use roughly only twenty gallons per (ten minute) shower whereas a full bath would require thirty six gallons just to fill – never mind rinsing. Moreover, if you find yourself on a time crunch, reducing your time spent washing by opting for a shower over a bath can help you from rushing in the mornings before work.
5. Recycle more and use paper less.
More and more nowadays, we have been opting for digital technology for communication, work, and school over paper. Say what you will about being addicted to our phones, but it can seriously save on paper! Furthermore, there is less risk of you misplacing your important school notes when you choose digital over physical paper or notebook. When you use less paper, less trees need to be cut down to turn into paper. Can’t avoid using paper? Recycling can help contribute to saving trees. Without the need to cut down new trees, you can reduce the energy usage used to create “virgin” paper and manufacture more paper products without cutting down additional trees.
6. Get a quote with Panda7!
You read that right – by getting a quote with Panda7, you help us to plant one tree. This is because we have decided to create a more meaningful connection with our happy clients and surrounding communities by helping a greater cause – one that binds us all: cleaner air. Our pledge? To plant 1 million trees by the year 2030. While that goal may sound impossible, it is within our reach with your help! Through Panda7’s partnership with Brynk.eco, we will plant a tree in your name for every car or renter’s quote received virtually – and triple that if you go ahead and purchase.
We give our clients the power to help us eradicate CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and contribute to a greener earth. What better way to flex your green thumb than knowing you have contributed in our mission to plant a forest? See below for more information on our Giveback program.
We hope that this list has given you a few ideas on how to live more green. While living entirely wastefree and/or eco-friendly can be daunting, by making a few small switches in your day-to-day life you can make a serious impact! Also, by making these small changes, you can encourage your family, friends, and co-workers to do the same! The more people that start to make these small steps towards a cleaner environment, the greater our chances are of turning the earth around!
