5 Eco-Friendly Actions You Can Take to Protect the Environment
Taking steps to protect the environment is something everyone should do. It is our planet and our responsibility to do what we can to prolong it’s longevity. Whether you are believer in climate change and global warming or not, the actions you take do have consequences. As our children and their children will be inhabiting this world long after we have gone, it is important we take a few key eco-friendly actions to protect the environment in which we live.
1. Clean-up your local community: You don’t need a national “clean-up day” to pick up around your local community and encourage others to do the same. If you see trash, pick it up. Toss it in the nearest trash can. If you see someone drop trash on the ground, politely ask them to dispose of it properly. My kids can do it, so why can’t full-grown adults? They can. It’s simply a matter of each of us taking responsibility for keeping the surrounding environment clean. We want a nice place to live, so we have to take care of it.
2. Minimize waste: U.N. estimates indicate around 33 percent of the food that is produced around the world is wasted, according to The Guardian. This means close to 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year, while close to 795 million people are going hungry or suffering from malnutrition. When you break this down by category, it is easy to see which foods are being wasted most:
- 45% fruits and vegetables
- 35% fish and seafood
- 30% cereals
- 20% dairy
- 20% meat
3. Do a little gardening: Those who grow their own food can become more sustainable, and will be less likely to waste the food for which they worked so hard. In addition, gardening is good for your overall health and well-being. You know what you are eating, as you grew it yourself, so you won’t have to worry about ingesting harmful pesticides and toxins. Parts of the herbs, fruits or vegetables that aren’t used can go right back into your garden as compost to complete the circle.
4. Get busy recycling: The more you recycle, the less will end up in dumps and landfills. Set up a recycling bin/bag in your home and talk to your family about recycling. Do the same at your office. Recycling is one of those simple actions anyone can do with very little effort. In addition to recycling, you should work on reducing your overall consumption, reusing those materials and goods that can be used again, and upcycling items which no longer have a use in their current form into new, usable items. You might as well get the most out of your purchases.
5. Stay in touch with nature: Take the time each day to get out and about, so you stay closely connected with nature. The better you understand its value, the more respect you will have and the more you will do to protect the environment. Even if it’s just for a few minutes a day, go for a walk, take a bike ride, go on a hike or just sit outside and look around. When you look closely, you’ll be amazed at nature and its capabilities.
Don’t forget to lower your emissions by opting for eco-friendly forms of transportation, ride-sharing, and using a proven liquid fuel catalyst to improve engine power, increase fuel economy and reduce air pollution.
Now, while these actions will not necessarily change the world in a day, each can make quite a difference. When we work together as a whole, the people of the world can accomplish quite a bit. Start now and be the change you want to see.