Help Yourself And The Planet Too

We depend on the environment and the well-being of our world as much as our world depends on us. But all is not lost as long as people can reduce their impact. Just like in everything you want to see happen, changes start at a personal level.

Here are a few steps to reduce your own impact on your immediate environment, and on the planet.

Turn off the light when you don’t need it. Same with electronic devices you don’t need to have plugged at all times. Line-dry your laundry whenever you can.

Don’t overdo hot. Take short, warm showers and encourage your family to do the same. Hot water dries your skin, especially in winter. Use warm or cold settings when doing laundry and extend soaking time if necessary.

Drive less. If you ever used ‘If there is a will, there is a way’ to get yourself out of a pickle, try to find a way to drive less during the week at least. Every little bit helps. Also, driving less encourages everyone in your family to move more.

Buy clean, local food. If you care about your health, try to picture the number of chemicals your body comes in contact with every day. Adding pesticides, food additives, excessively processed (hence dead) foods, will only add insult to injury. Opt for clean, local food. Think seasonal.

Eat less meat, and when you do, buy clean. Meat consumption increases the environmental footprint, but there are ways to find an acceptable middle ground. Find a source of good quality farm meat. That often means that animals are well taken care of, their meat is healthy and their waste is used on the farm as fertilizer. A win-win situation for everyone.

Stop using plastic unless you have no other option. Plastic is made from non-renewable resources and lots of what people use on a regular basis ends end up the garbage. Also, plastic takes hundreds of years to degrade if at all. Try using long-lasting, healthy-for-you-and-the-environment options such as glass, ceramic, bamboo, and stainless steel.

Stop buying bottled water unless you are in an area where you have to for health reasons. Buy stainless steel water containers for the entire family and fill up on tap water. Vancouver is one of the municipalities that offers great-tasting and clean tap water, take advantage of it!

Buy less, recycle, donate. Garbage is an increasingly problematic issue in today’s society. Recycle, donate and keep as much as you can out of trash. That will also make you more aware of the things you buy.