Are you wanting to go green but don’t know where to begin? These ideas will get you on your way to living a more sustainable and healthier life!
Summary
Buy Local
Buying locally can reduce your footprint drastically by reducing the amount of petroleum used to grow and ship your food. Purchasing your food locally will also force you to eat in season and get to know your local merchants, farmers, and businesses.
When you support the local economy, everyone wins. It not only strengthens your community, but you will feel good knowing that you are doing your part to save resources.
Eat Organic
Eating organic should be a priority in this day and age of genetically modified foods. You will be doing yourself and the planet a favor by choosing healthy organic foods. Pesticides are cancer-causing, but they are killing off important species vital to the ecosystems of our world. You may feel like organic is too expensive, but by eating in season, shopping locally, and growing your food, you can save a lot of money. Organic food is safer to eat and more comfortable for the body to process; it is much tastier than conventional. Getting the most bang for your buck taste-wise will amaze you if you have been settling for traditional fare.
Replace Chemical Household Cleaners
Most mainstream household cleaners contain chemicals. The scary part is they are not tested for safety. Baking soda, vinegar, and a little liquid soap can clean everything in your house, from cat litter boxes to countertops.
Learn to make your cleaners and dump the dangerous chemicals. There is also a plethora of safe and natural cleaners on the market that you can find in most health food stores. Even some of the mainstream companies are catching on and offering less harsh and dangerous chemical cleaners. Be sure to read the labels and educate yourself.
Walk
Walking to your destination is not only healthy for your body, but it saves gas. If you are lucky enough to live in a city where your local spots are within walking (or biking) distance, by all means, do take advantage of this disappearing commodity in our nation of highways.
Not only will you reduce your gas consumption, but you will be saving the air quality and boosting your health at the same time. There is nothing like multi-tasking!
Use Reusable Bags
Using reusable bags at the grocery store helps save resources—energy in production, recycling, and fuel. Not to mention the wildlife that mistakenly eats plastic bag litter. It also helps keep plastic out of landfills. Every year tons of plastic are just thrown into landfills without thinking about how long it takes to break down.
Some cities and stores have gone plastic-free and encourage customers to use reusable bags. You can find cloth bags everywhere nowadays. Some stores even offer a small discount to those that bring their bag!
Thank you for reading!