Ways or Tips to Be More Eco-Friendly

Humans are destroying the planet and we need to come to terms with the undeniable fact that our actions negatively impact the planet, especially with growing concerns regarding global warming. Global warming has increased exponentially over recent years and we need to do our part to help save the planet. Everyone can make a difference and we can all take small steps to help. Many people think their small efforts will not make a difference but that is not true. We can all make a difference and there are some easy and simple steps we can take to be more eco-friendly and also reduce our carbon footprint.

We can start by taking small steps such as turning off the lights when we leave a room. Leaving lights on when they are not in use only wastes energy. You can reduce your carbon footprint by turning them off when not in use. Also, we can reduce our energy consumption by changing the light bulbs in our homes to more energy efficient compact fluorescent ones.

This may seem pointless to say but another thing is not to waste food. We sometimes do this without thinking, for example we may go shopping and buy groceries or food that we plan to use but don’t get around to. This is a habit we should break, not only because there are people around the world who are starving, but also because it adds to the amount of CO2 being created in landfills.

Another good and obvious way to be eco-friendly is by practicing the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We should reduce our consumption of products that are harmful to the environment, for instance plastics. We use a lot of plastic bags and bottles and they do nothing but harm the environment. Instead of buying bottled water, we can buy reusable water bottles and refill them with filtered water at home, thereby reducing our use of plastic. If we must buy plastic, we can reuse it for storage. Another thing we can do is reuse bags from the supermarket as garbage bags.

We can also buy recycled products. You can buy recycled products such as toilet paper, and bags. We can buy recycled shopping bags instead of taking plastic bags from the supermarket. A lot of things can be reduced, reused and recycled. The 3Rs are very important when it comes to being eco-friendly.

Another simple act is to turn off the constant flow of water when washing dishes, our face or showering and so on. We tend to leave the tap running while doing these things but turning it off while you lather the dishes, face or body is a good habit to adopt. By doing this you conserve water and save on your bill as well as the environment.

When it’s very hot or cold and you want to turn your air conditioner or heating on, make sure to check that windows and doors are closed. This saves on energy and reduces waste. This is a very simple but eco-friendly habit to start as well.

On a final note, when you go shopping, you should look for products with labels that show the products were made without causing harm to the environment. For instance the Certified Sustainable Seafood MSC label shows the fishing was done in a way that ensures sustainability for the fish population or The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which promotes environmentally friendly, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

These are just a few of the plethora of eco-friendly activities we can all engage in so as to ensure continuity of life on our beautiful planet. Let’s each make a small difference and create a big change.

Keneisha

Vocabulary

come to terms with (phrase) come to accept a difficult or unwanted situation
exponentially (adv.) ? rising or increasing at a very fast rate
carbon footprint (n) ? the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) added to the atmosphere because of a person’s activities
get around to (phr. v) ? to do something that you planned or have been planning to do
landfill (n) ? an area of land used to dispose of a lot of rubbish/garbage
lather (v) ? to make foam or bubbles by mixing water with soap
plethora (n) ? an overabundance of or a lot of something