Climate change is occurring due to the thoughtless actions of humans, so there has never been a more important moment than right now to do something about it. Each of us can do our bit to protect the planet from catastrophic damage – and it is much easier to achieve than you may believe. This can be accomplished by making minor changes within our everyday lives and major lifestyle changes, but one of the main aspects that is holding people back from being sustainable is knowing where to begin. If you’re in this predicament and would like to know what you can do to make a difference, this guide provides a path through the thicket:
Eat less meat
One of the simplest yet effective ways to live a more sustainable life would be to eat less meat or go on a meat-free diet. Doing so could lower your carbon footprint by two-thirds, which is significant if you’re hoping to make a major difference in society. Meat production is one of the leading factors in climate change due to substantial methane emissions, therefore, you could consider becoming a vegan or vegetarian.
Go paperless
If you’re looking to become more sustainable, you should consider reducing your paper usage as much as possible – especially if you own and run a business. This simple decision could dramatically reduce carbon emissions. A single tree that is cut down to create paper is believed to distribute 110lbs of carbon dioxide (CO2), while trees are also needed to absorb CO2 to prevent the earth from overheating. In your everyday life, you could go paperless by signing up for online bank statements, sending emails instead of letters and even storing documents in ‘The Cloud’ as opposed to physically printing and filing.
Buy handmade items
If you’re looking for a gift for a relative or friend, why not purchase a handmade item? Instead of items being created in factories using heavy machinery and being shipped abroad, gifts such as handmade jewellery Australia have been created using local, organic elements with ethical manufacturing processes. Not only that, but you can take pride in knowing that you have supported a small business as opposed to a global chain and have re-invested in the local community.
Think about transport
In the USA alone, transportation is one of the greatest sources of CO2 emittance, so you may wish to re-think how you get from A to B. You likely use your car at any opportunity, however, is there the potential to use either the bus, metro or train to get around? If everyone had the same idea, it would dramatically cut down the number of cars on the road and of course, harmful CO2 emissions. Another alternative would be to purchase an eco-friendly electric car or even consider walking or biking it to work.
Being sustainable is much easier than you may have believed and the above pointers provide you with the know-how to get started.