How to be eco friendly...
Many of us would have
heard about eco, eco friendly, global warming etc. What is it all about? Have we ever thought of it? Many of us just quote Kyoto Protocol was
signed by US but declined ratification.
We all talk about it but have we ever thought about what we can do? Again every one of us will think if only I
change what difference it’s going to make.
You know if each one of us think and act we can change the world.
Each and every individual
of us can contribute to reduce carbon emission considerably. Here are several steps to do that.
Easy Tips for Going Green!
1. Ditch the Bottles
Bottled water is pricey and uses a lot of fuel to transport, as well as to make and store all those bottles. Use what comes out of your tap instead. Get a good filter to boost its purity.
2. Buy Local
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, most produce in the world travels an average of 1,500 miles before being sold. Reduce all that shipping by rediscovering the fresh bounty of your surrounding area. Find farmers' markets, co-ops and CSAs (community-supported agriculture projects).
3. Dispose of Disposables
Instead of relying on single-use containers, get real dishes, and wash them! The resources saved will really add up. Use metal spoons wash and re-use them. If at all you have to use plastic spoon still think before throwing it. You can wash and use them again.
4. Banish Excess Packaging
Buy things in larger sizes if you know you'll use them. Try to select items that have less plastic and extra filler stuffed with them.
5. Bring Your Own Bags
It's so simple and plastic and paper bags both take resources to produce and distribute, and end up as litter.
6. Get a Green Thumb
Growing plants not only helps soak up excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but it can help clean toxins from the air and provide habitat (and food, though you may not want to hear that) for wildlife. And it reconnects you with nature!
7. Eat Less Meat
Modern meat is energy- and resource-intensive, and factory farms are huge polluters. Eating lower on the food chain reduces those problems.
8. Use Your Appliances Wisely
Get energy audit (doing one yourself is easy), unplug unused devices and pick Energy Star when it's time to replace.
9. Cook!
Plan meals ahead of time, so you aren't scrambling to pick up something convenient, which is likely to be less healthy and wrapped in more packaging. Don’t attend phone or watch TV while cooking. You will appreciate the difference. While you are speaking on phone or watching TV when cooking your attention will be on that rather than cooking hence fuel will be wasted.
10. Become Educated
Learn to save money and time by reducing waste and unneeded consumption, whether that's water, energy, paper, food, travel and more.
11. Say No to Paper or Plastic
You don't have to wait till grocery bags are banned: Say no to plastic or paper ones now. Instead, bring your own reusable shopping bags. Consider an entire set of reusable, double-handled hemp bags that work great for a large order, and reusable organic cotton mesh bags for your fruits and vegetables.
For trips to the mall, opt for one of the new, eco-chic bags from sources such as reusable bags. These funky, graphically inspired totes and messenger bags are crafted from unlikely materials such as rice and sewn by hand in small batches in Cambodia. EcoBags, another source, carries totes made from recycled cotton, as well as a recycled cotton lunch sack to replace the brown bag or Ziploc.
Or better yet, buy a FEED bag and support a project started by Lauren Bush, an honorary spokesperson for the UN World Food Program. Proceeds from the sale go to feed a child for a school year. The goal: Reduce the billions of plastic and paper bags headed for a landfill near you with a smarter answer.
12. Fill the Fridge
Keeping your refrigerator full, but not to the point of overstuffing, will allow it to run at max capacity. To help retain cold temperatures when the fridge and freezer are less full, place glass or ceramic pitchers of water in their compartments. Like using ice in a picnic cooler, this will insulate the interior and keep it cold.
Refrigerators and freezers account for about a sixth of all electricity use in a typical American home, and they use more electricity than any other single household appliance.
Over- or under-crowding makes the fridge work harder to maintain its optimal internal temp (37 degrees F).
13. Banish heaters
During winter avoid using heaters; keep yourselves warm by wearing warm clothing. Use heating blankets which consumes less power. If at all you have to use heater keep 2 degree C less than what you normally do. In general 26 - 27 degree C is enough for us to keep warm.
14. Save water
Showers are better than using tub, but bucket is better than using shower. You know the usage of water clearly, especially during winter.
15. Battery Recycling
Laptops, MP3 players, toys, cell phones - these are just some of the reasons that we need batteries in our daily lives.
Batteries are a unique product comprised of heavy metals which include nickel cadmium, alkaline, mercury, nickel metal hydride and lead acid, which can threaten our environment if not properly discarded or handled.
There are many ways to properly dispose of batteries, most of which depends on the type of battery you have. You can also reduce waste with prevention. Starting with prevention creates less or no leftover waste to become potentially hazardous. There are a few easy ways to reduce household battery waste.
• Check to see if you already have the batteries on hand before buying more
• When suited to the task buy hand operated items that function without batteries
• Look for the batteries that have less mercury and heavy metals
• Consider rechargeable batteries for some needs, but remember that they also contain heavy metals such as nickel-cadmium.
Battery recycling and reuse, through rechargeable batteries and long lasting batteries, can make a positive impact towards our reduction of battery waste and pollution.
These are a few steps to save energy and contribute to reduce CO2 emission. Let’s try to follow at least 5 of the above and contribute for the green world. This is the better gift we give for our next generation.
