Humans are a pretty incredible species. Through evolution and over millions of years, we have reached the point where we are able to control the elements and to manipulate them to achieve incredible things. We have the ability to fly across the world in planes, we can visit space and we can control electricity and fire. We can meld metals and we can make vast amounts of fabrics, materials and products โ all very cheaply and very quickly. This is all very impressive when you consider that our closest relations are still living it up in the African jungle and munching on leaves, but itโs not quite as awesome a thing when you think about the cost of such large scale and rapid production. In order to create such incredible amounts of products, people are suffering, and our planet is suffering, in order to fill our insatiable appetites for things.
Heavy stuff, right?
Itโs not all doom and gloom though, as a huge environmental movement is taking place worldwide, which looks set to help to slow and eventually halt the process of environmental damage. We can also do plenty in our own homes to mitigate the costs to the environment. As the saying goes, โthink global, act local,โ and itโs a true adage which anyone can adopt. Letโs take a look at some of the ways in which we can adopt an eco friendly mindset in the home.
Step One โ Be energy efficient
Itโs vastly simple to be energy efficient as a lot of the major power and appliance companies are now providing energy efficient heaters and energy efficient labels on products which makes choosing the right products for your home very easy indeed. If you get stuck, you can simply check online and take a look at what the consumer watchdogs are saying. Simple!
Step Two โ Reduce, reuse and recycle
This is a pretty easy one to do and doesnโt require a huge amount of effort. In fact, it actually requires very little. You even get to save money as you reuse items that you might have otherwise thrown away. Think about investing in a recycling bin for your office and home, and keep a smaller bin than you otherwise would have. That will make you think more about what youโre throwing away and how much space you need for all of your items. Reusing things is very simple and you can economise on each purchase.
Step Three โ Switch off when youโre not at home
When youโre out of the house make sure you turn off power points and unused lights. This can even apply to your home when you are home โ for example if youโre not in the lounge room, turn off the lights in there. Keep energy efficient bulbs in your sockets too for an added bonus of awesome energy saving.
Step Four โ Go local, go small
Shopping locally means that the items that youโre buying have travelled less of a distance to get to you, and going small hopefully means that youโre supporting a locally owned business which is keeping money in your local community. This has a roll on effect too, in that it competes with the larger supermarkets to keep the costs down.
Step Five โ Donโt drive!
If you can help it, that is. If you can manage to walk places, then you should do it. Walking saves you petrol, saves the environment and also makes for some great incidental fitness.
Hopefully this short list of five items designed to help you to save the planet has helped you out. So remember to save the car and take a walk, shop locally where you can, switch off the lights and sockets when youโre not at home, use energy efficient items and reduce, reuse and recycle.
