10 Ways To Go Green – Sustainable Lifestyle Changes

Making the commitment to go green is an important step in protecting the environment, but the question is where do you start? Here are some simple ways to go green and maybe you can start following them from today.

Let’s just be honest and accept the fact that there’s no PLANET B, and the Earth is the only place which we can call ‘home’.

In spite of that, we tend to be extremely reluctant and (mostly) ignorant when it comes to protecting the environment and our surroundings.

Every year on June 5, everyone comes together to celebrate World Environment Day.

Started back 1972, this is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment.

According to the United Nations, biodiversity involves 8 million plant and animal species. In the last 150 years, the live coral reef cover has been reduced by half.

Within the next 10 years, one out of every four known species may have been wiped off the planet.

That sounds dangerous – doesn’t it?

To add to that, the coronavirus has created havoc across the globe, showing us how terrible things can become when we reach a stage where nature takes control over things, pushing us a step back.

I had once read a very beautiful quote which said – ‘It’s just a straw, said one million people!’

How true – we all think that our little mistake won’t cause any harm to the environment, but we mostly forget that millions like us are doing the same thing, and thinking alike.

Sad, isn’t it?

Nearly one-third of the plastic packaging we use escapes collection systems, which means that it ends up clogging our city streets and polluting our natural environment.

Every year, up to 13 million tons of plastic leaks into our oceans, where it smothers coral reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife.

The plastic that ends up in the oceans can circle the Earth four times in a single year, and it can persist for up to 1,000 years before it fully disintegrates.

In case you’re wondering what you can do to save the environment, here are some simple ways to start with and go green!

10 Simple Ways to Go Green:

1. Organize a cleaning drive:

That’s something you can easily do! You have organized parties before, this time, organize a cleaning drive.

Call your friends, friends of friends, office colleagues, acquaintances, and family members to be a part of this act.

Gather in your neighborhood or a popular market area and clean the surroundings.

Pick up the plastic bags and bottles and throw them in trash bins, tell people not to use non-biodegradable products and not to waste paper as they are made by chopping trees.

Be a responsible citizen and inspire others to be aware.

2. Celebrate the little joys of life by planting trees:

It might sound odd to celebrate birthdays by planting trees, but Bhutan, a little Asian country nestled in the Himalayan lap, actually does so!

When a child is born, the parents plant trees in order to celebrate his/her birth. Plants help us breathe and therefore, it’s our duty to save them.

Next time you are in a mood for celebrations, plant a couple of trees, and influence your peers to do that as well.

A greener surrounding will make you feel good and provide you with more freshness.

You can also plan for events collaborating with your neighborhood school where you can tell the kids about the impacts of nature in our lives and together, plant trees in the area.

3. Start optimum usage of the available resources:

Just because you have it, doesn’t mean you’ll waste it!

Know that your future generations will also have similar requirements as you do, and it’s your responsibility to save for them.

Try taking public vehicles on your way to work, or maybe you can take a cycle. This will reduce the wastage of fuel and also prevent air pollution to an extent.

Don’t waste food – there are certain organizations like ThinkEatSave, that collects extra food from events and other places, in order to feed the hungry ones.

Close the taps when you don’t need water – then might come a time when the world will face a dearth of freshwater! (Hope you don’t want that time to come soon!)

Put off all the switches of electronics when not in use. Save paper and don’t litter here and there.

4. Switch off your lights:

One of the most important steps to reduce carbon emission is by controlling electricity usage.

When you leave a room, turn off the lights. Assign your children the role of “switch supervisor,” and give them the task to regularly check, in order to make sure lights have been turned out.

You can offer them some incentives to encourage them and later, the accumulated funds can be put toward something else – such as a pizza treat for the family!

And to add to that, you’ll have to pay a reduced electricity bill – what good news!

5. Make ‘Reduce – Reuse – Recycle’ the mantra of your life:

While it might sound a bit difficult to imply this in our daily lives, let me tell you that it’s supremely easy and the more you practice, the more you’ll be comfortable with it.

Chances are that if you’re thinking about taking on a more eco-friendly lifestyle then you’ll already be recycling your old stuff, giving them a new shape & utility value.

But could you improve your recycling-ability and find innovative ways to recycle almost everything, from batteries to newspapers to bottles & cartons, etc.

Before you throw something away, take a minute to find out if you could recycle it instead, and reuse it effectively.

6. Plan for a hike or picnic amidst nature:

Tourism and biodiversity are intrinsically connected and travelers across the world have immense potential to protect the environment.

The best way to understand the importance of nature is to be in the wilderness. For most people living an urban life, the bliss of being amidst nature is something very rare.

Plan for a hike through a forest trail or a picnic at a nature park, where you can spend some quality time with the trees and the birds, away from the cars and the honking!

Feel the goodness, do some yoga, eat your food sitting under the sky and fill your lungs with freshness.

This trip will surely make you aware and encourage you to have a better natural environment around you.

7. Join a coastal or marine conservation project:

The oceans and seas are as much affected as the land. It may surprise you, but the Great Barrier Reef is dying due to global warming, and there’s a huge decrease in the life of marine animals since the water is getting polluted.

Tourism has been flourishing around the beach destinations, ruining the conditions of the beaches.

If you are an animal lover who equally enjoys being at the beach, then you can choose marine conservation or turtle conservation projects at the beachside and contribute towards saving lives dwelling in the marine world.

There are several incredible wildlife conservation programs taking place across different countries and you can choose to be a volunteer there.

8. Indulge in buying local products:

I know we all love to have those imported cheese & wine, and of course those chocolates and exotic fruits – but it’s high time that we start making some conscious choice and indulge in buying local goods.

From clothes to food, the closer to home these products are made and bought, the less carbon is created with their transportation.

Not only that, but it’s the best means by which we can support the local economy (which is the need of the hour, thanks to the economic debacle caused by the pandemic) and it also means that in some time, we’d likely have even more local items to choose from.

9. Try to reduce the consumption of meat:

Trust me when I say this (being a die-hard non-vegetarian) – the last quarantine situation over the last couple of months and the non-availability of meat & meat products have taught me an important lesson – that we eat more to satiate our desires than to fulfill our hunger!

No, I’m not asking you to become a vegetarian or a vegan – but all that I’m saying is – try and reduce your consumption of meat.

Cutting down on the amount of meat you eat can have a huge impact. Not having red meat – even if it’s just for two or three days a week – can have quite a significant impact on reducing your carbon footprint.

While I used to consume meat/fish on all 7 days a week, I’ve now brought it down to 3 times a week and it’s actually not troubling me much – so you can try it too.

10. A bunch of other things that you can follow in your daily lives:

Other than all that’s mentioned and discussed above, I’d like to list out a few things that you can start doing at the earliest, on a daily basis.

• Carry your own bag while going to the market. Preferably, use a cloth/jute bag rather than a plastic bag.
• Avoid buying soft drinks/ water etc that comes in plastic bottles. Instead, buy drinks that are available in tetra packs or glass bottles.
• Keep the taps turned off while brushing, applying soap/shampoo, washing dishes, etc.
• Use public transportation when possible. One less car on the road saves gas and cuts back on air pollution.
• Pay your bills online. When you don’t use paper, you save trees.
• Try to grow your own food (kitchen gardening is an amazing thing!). Start with chilies and curry leaves, maybe. Then slowly upgrade to tomatoes, coriander, mint, parsley, etc.
• Don’t wash your clothes on a daily basis. Accumulate them and wash them when you have a heap!

Remember that every little step counts!

To quote from the famous song written by Michael Jackson:

“Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race.”

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