*This is a collaborative post*
Since my three nephews came along I've become much more aware of the environment and the impact that our actions are having both on the planet and mankind. After all, it's their generation and those that will come after them that will no doubt be dealing with the consequences of our actions. It's a scary prospect when you think about it. We're so dependent on the use of fossil fuels for energy to heat our homes, for electricity and to run our vehicles. Yet inevitably, oil, coal and gas will run out at some point. Pollution is another huge issue. If you've watched Blue Planet lately you'll have seen just how devastating plastic pollution is to marine wildlife. The good news is, that as we have become more well educated, many of us are now taking steps to change our lifestyles so that we can live in a more sustainable manner. By doing this we're doing our bit to reduce the use of the planet's natural resources and to slow down climate change.
By simply driving around in our cars we're releasing harmful emissions into the atmosphere every day. Most of us know this and yet what can we do? According to Mashable, many big names in the auto industry are now focusing on electric vehicle development. If we were to switch to using electric cars, we'd produce fewer greenhouse gases. Some people are naturally put off by the frequent need to recharge these types of vehicles when in actual fact there are many public charge points across the UK. In fact, NewMotion are the largest charge network in Europe and their customers alone have saved the planet over 2000 tonnes of carbon each year. If you're considering investing in an electric car and want to find a NewMotion chargepoint, there's an app you can download which will help you to locate one of over 50,000 public charge points.
Whether we are aware of it or not, our lifestyles do impact the environment in several ways and it's time we faced up to our responsibilities if we're not already doing so. How many of us leave lights on in the house? How many of us throw away plastic rather than recycle it? Perhaps you buy and wear fast fashion? Or maybe it's that we're leaving the tap on when brushing our teeth, therefore wasting water? If we all look at our daily routines, we'll see that we all carry out minor tasks that unfortunately have a negative impact on the planet, even if it's simply flushing the toilet. Of course it would be impossible to change everything over night, but maybe if we look at what little adjustments we can make, these will eventually all add up to have a major positive impact on our planet. We can only hope...
Small Changes You Can Make
Here are just a few suggestions:
Be more aware!
Recycle if you don't already.
Re-use items for other purposes where you can.
Turn off the tap when not in use.
Take shorter showers.
Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
Switch to energy efficient light bulbs.
Don't use plastic bags, switch to a 'bag for life' or a canvas shopper.
Switch to an electric car or car share.
Go vegan.
Don't buy into fast fashion, do your research.
Invest in energy efficient appliances.
Don't waste paper - switch to paperless bank statements.
Educate yourself and others!
What are your thoughts on this? Have you already made changes to your lifestyle?
I feel like living a 'greener' lifestyle is becoming more and more important to me. I used to do things without a second thought but now I'm much more aware of what I buy/use and where it comes from. There's a lot of work for us all to do but these tips are a great start, thank you!
ReplyDeleteBeth x Adventure & Anxiety