As most of us already know, the Earth's environment is suffering from the effects of human advancement and carbon footprint: the amount of greenhouse gasses derived from our actions. This has had negative consequences on the world that we once knew: hotter temperatures, storms, drought, rising oceans, lack of food, poverty and displacement, loss of species (e.g. the Polar bear, Golden toad, Adelie penguin, etc.) and many more.
In this article you will read how you can become more sustainable and help the major issue of global warming with small changes in your daily routine.
1. Say no to single-use products
Disposable materials are gradually getting banned in the UK (e.g. plastic cutlery, cotton buds, straws, etc.) for the right reasons: the big impact they have in the environment. In fact, there are many substitutes:
1. Switch to shampoo bars
Shampoo bars are becoming more popular, as their packaging doesn't contain plastic; in fact, it's only a cardboard box! Very eco-friendly and manageable.
2. Avoid wrapped fruit and vegetables
In most supermarkets, when shopping fruit and vegetables, you will find two options: plastic-wrapped products and loose products. Why not going for the latter?
3. Aluminium baking trays: no!
These disposable trays and kitchen supplies generate a huge amount of waste; a good substitute is ceramic or metal trays.
4. Bring your own bags, cups and bottles
Plastic bags have a price almost everywhere nowadays, which, most of the times, is around 30p! If you know in advance that you will be doing some shopping bring your own bags from home; and if it's not planned, there is reusable, foldable bags that fit in every purse and pocket - which is an amazing solution for everyone!
Same thing applies to coffee cups and water bottles: some coffee shops, such as Starbucks, might even give you a discount if you bring your own cup from home.
2. Transportation
In today's society travelling long distances is very common: here are some tips.
1. Use public transport
This can be a really good solution for people with a routine and people in urban areas. Depending on the city, there could be buses, trams, scooters, and many more options available.
2. Share vehicles
On the way to work, university, or whatever your destination might be, you could find a person to share the trip with: not only this is a sustainable action, but petrol would also be cheaper for the both of you.
3. Food waste is avoidable
When talking about sustainability, food waste is one of the most common issues related to it. Having everything we need in supermarkets open every day makes it easy for us to prefer new meals over recycling the old ones.
1. Leftovers are cool!
Leftovers, if kept in the refrigerator, can last quite long; at least 3-4 days. They might not seem very attractive while being cold, but warm it up a little bit and it will still taste amazing.
2. Bringing it home is even cooler
The amount of leftover food in restaurants is enormous. Instead of letting the waiters throw it away, you could ask for a box and bring it home: you don't lose money spent on your food and you have a delicious ready meal at home waiting for you.
3. Plan your weekly meals
Especially when living alone, managing meals before their expiry date can be difficult. Planning weekly meals can be useful to know exactly what to buy and how many ingredients you will need. This way, throwing away food because of its expiry date won't happen as often.
4. Roommates are there to share!
If you have roommates, draw a table of things you can buy width alternated turns and share. For example, it's really difficult for one person to end a pack of bread before its expiration date; this is why the more people the better!
5. Start separating your compost
When compost is not separated properly, its consequence is extremely polluting. If it ends up going to landfill, it will grow plants in its soil and expel methane, which a very dangerous, irreversible green gas. This is why the separation of food waste is fundamental.
Helping is easy
Being sustainable is becoming a trend in most countries, and our favourite one so far! Helping out is easy and fun, as you might discover new products and habits that you didn't know before. Especially young people are doing their best to make a change and involve other people. Even though the word is spreading and companies are adapting to the new sustainable demands, the world needs to move faster, as global warming is still advancing.