As residents of the blue planet, it is part of our duty to ensure that we encourage daily practices for a sustainable environment. While technology will make life increasingly easier, we too must put in some effort to ensure that our new lifestyles do not harm the generations to come.
With this in mind, what are the things we could do every day to ensure that we use what the planet gives us responsibly?
Here’s our list of 8 daily practices for a sustainable environment that you should follow:
1. It’s time to switch to LEDs
LED light bulbs are made of light-emitting diodes, which contain a semiconductor and do not need a filament to produce light. Instead, they directly emit light from the source input.
This way, it uses a lot less energy and produces a lot more light. You can also try warm-tone LED lights to give your room that cozy white light ambiance.
2. Switch to reusable copper water bottles
Using copper vessels to store and carry water around instead of plastic is one of the best daily practices for a sustainable environment. In addition, there are many benefits of drinking water from copper vessels, like reduction of joint inflammation, assistance in digestion, and prevention of anemia, to name a few.
Also, these bottles last you for years, are easy to clean, and reduce your dependence on plastic.
3. Use a bicycle/ electric bike wherever possible
This tip works well for people who have to travel less or live close to their workspaces. Using a bicycle to travel to work not only reduces your carbon footprint but also helps you with your daily dose of cardio.
And if you are someone who has to travel more, then you can switch to an electric bicycle. These offer more speed, can travel long distances on a single charge, and also come with the option of peddling.
4. Don’t overestimate your food portions
Even when you feel like binge-eating your favorite fast-food meals, make sure you order the right portion size. Often people overestimate their hunger and order more food than is necessary, thus resulting in wastage.
To reduce wastage further, take small portions on your plate and re-serve if you are still hungry. This way, you can store the food or give it to someone who needs it. Sharing food with the needy to avoid wastage is one of the most humane daily practices for a sustainable environment.
5. Carpool to work
If you have colleagues staying nearby, you can always pick days to carpool to work together. This way, you not only reduce traffic significantly but also reduce fossil fuel consumption. In addition, you can rotate the driving responsibilities so that everyone gets to contribute.
Many western countries encourage carpooling extensively. Following their suit will be one of the best daily practices for a sustainable environment.
6. Follow best water-usage practices
Freshwater is by far one of the most valuable natural resources we have. Therefore, we should always focus on using it sustainably and reducing wastage as much as possible.
Do not keep tap water running at any time when it is not in use. Instead, mix your bath water with a portion of hot water to reach optimum temperature rather than heating the entire volume and waiting for it to cool down.
Always use sprinklers while watering plants to prevent wastage.
These are just some of the daily practices for a sustainable environment you can follow to reduce water wastage.
7. Reduce/ refuse single use plastic
One of the best daily practices for a sustainable environment is to refuse/ reduce single-use plastic use. Unfortunately, this use-and-throw plastic variant is predominantly used in the F&B industry and cannot be recycled easily.
They are significant contributors to plastic pollution, which is why many states have already banned its use. Nevertheless, we must try reducing use wherever possible and support the implementation of its ban.
8. Plant trees wherever possible
Most of the previous daily practices for a sustainable environment listed above aim to correct or reduce polluting activities. However, planting trees aims to invest in our planet and pay environmental dividends for years to come.
It will teach us to care for the earth and grow our emotional attachment towards it.
These are the 8 daily practices for a sustainable environment that you can commit to and make sure that you and your family are doing what’s required to keep this planet healthy.