How to Help Save Earth from Home – A Beginner’s Guide
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Helping protect the environment and save Earth doesn’t have to be hard nor complicated.
You don’t need to start or attend rallies (unless you want to) like Greta, climb mountains to plant trees, or spend your savings on eco-friendly products.
It could be as simple as doing these 10 small things at home, and you can help save mother Earth for yourself, your family, and the next generation.
1. Use Eco-Friendly Home Products
The image below is not some post-apocalyptic scene from a movie.
It’s merely one of the many, many landfills around the world filled with plastic waste that won’t decompose for thousands of years – and is only getting worse.
We understand it’s tough not to use plastic at home, but there is an effective way to reduce our plastic usage.
Make the switch to biodegradable and eco-friendly home products.
- Zero Waste Shampoos & Conditioners
- Natural & Zero Waste Deodorants
- Environmentally-Friendly Drain Cleaners
- Sustainable Bamboo Bed Sheets
- Eco-Friendly Toilet Papers
- Eco-Friendly Laundry Baskets
- Zero Waste Perfumes
2. Reduce your Carbon Footprint
Carbon footprint is defined as the amount of greenhouse gases (responsible for global warming) emitted by an individual, event, or product.
We contribute to global warming even without doing anything because we breathe out carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
Moreover, our daily activities such as operating machinery, traveling, using appliances, and cooking also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reduce our carbon footprint besides not breathing, some of which you might already know:
Use a Bike More Often
Whenever possible, use your bike instead of your car when going to school, shopping, running errands, or going to work.
Riding a bike is an excellent way to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Plus, it will also help you stay fit and healthy!
Yay for Earth and your health!
Practice Minimalism (Don’t buy unnecessary stuff)
You might have a lot of money to spare but if you’re thinking about helping save the planet from trash and pollution, only buying products you truly need is one way to go.
When you only buy essential things, it means that you help reduce the waste created in gathering raw materials, transporting, manufacturing, and disposing of a product.
Buy Locally-produced Foods
Transporting food uses fossil fuels and other resources that contribute to pollution.
By choosing to buy foods produced in your locality, you help minimize pollution from food transports.
3. Don’t Use Straws at Home
You’ve probably heard your grandparents talk about how things are much simpler in the old days.
Coincidentally, living a simpler life can help save Earth from home, one of which is not using straws for drinks.
An estimated 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute our world’s beaches and oceans.
If this goes on, how long do we have until plastic straws cover the entire planet?
If there are occasions at home that require serving drinks with a straw, get reusable straws in advance to avoid using plastic straws.
4. Get a Reusable Water Bottle
A reusable water bottle for each member of your family will significantly reduce the number of plastic bottles that end in landfills.
We want to clarify that there is nothing wrong with buying water in plastic bottles if you have to.
However, investing in a good reusable bottle will help save Earth from plastic waste and as well as your budget.
5. Get a Reusable Shopping Bag
Are you going shopping?
You might want to know that approximately 160,000 plastic bags are used per second in the entire world, most of which are thrown immediately after a single-use.
Guess where most of them end up? (Remember the image at the top?)
You can help reduce these crazy numbers by carrying and using your own reusable shopping bags when picking up supplies.
If you’re worried that carrying a reusable shopping bag might ruin your style, you might want to think again.
6. Don’t Use Machine Dryer
When doing laundry on a sunny day, let the sun do the drying for you by hanging your laundry outside using clotheslines, hangers, and clips.
Most of the electricity worldwide is generated by burning fossil fuels and coal, which highly contributes to carbon emission.
Furthermore, fossil fuels are non-renewable sources of energy.
So the less electricity you use, the more eco-friendly your lifestyle is.
But even better is by saving electricity from drying your clothes, you also save money!
7. Practice Smart Water Usage
The more water you use, the more pollution you create.
And believe it or not, it takes energy to deliver water to your home.
So while it’s a cliché, please use water wisely.
I know you’re probably already doing these things, but here’s a reminder on how to save and use water wisely:
- Turn off your water faucet when no one is using
- Don’t let the water run while washing dishes
- Use the dishwasher or washing machine with a full load
- Water plants using leftover bathwater or laundry water
- Turn off the water when brushing teeth
8. Practice Eco-friendly Food Storage
Thrown away foods produce methane as it rots. Methane is a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide and dramatically contributes to global warming.
Furthermore, wasting food means wasting the resources used to grow, process, transport, and cook the food.
However, saving leftover food doesn’t have to come at the expense of our planet.
Instead of using plastic wraps (aka cling wrap, saran wrap), use non-plastic and reusable food containers.
9. Opt for Electronic Statements
Many people are now choosing to get their bills, bank statements, and other documents electronically.
You can do the same!
By getting electronic statements, you’ll minimize the use of print and paper.
This, in turn, will save more trees and lessen the consumption of resources needed to produce printed documents.
10. Reuse, Rot & Recycle
This one needs no further explanation.
But on top of simply reusing and recycling things, buying used, reusable, and recycled items whenever possible will also help reduce waste and pollution.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of simple and easy ways to help protect the environment and save mother Earth from the comfort of our homes.
And as we’ve discussed in this article, having an eco-conscious lifestyle doesn’t have to be hard or cause inconvenience for you and your floured ones.
What do you think of the different eco-friendly home tips in this article? Do you know other simple ways to help save Earth from home?