10 Simple Things We Can Do to Help the Planet
Hopefully, we can all agree that we have a severe climate change crisis. If you don't agree then this post isn't for you, but read it anyway because these things have an impact on other things, like your wallet. We have maybe 10-15 to save this planet and it's obvious that we won't be getting any governmental help, at least not in the U.S. We live in a world where the money in your account means more then the air you breathe, but we can't buy nice houses, nice cars, and nice things if were dead. So I think it's about time we get our shit together. There are so many things that we as individuals can do. I've made a list of ten things, and I'll explain how to do them, and why they are important. I hope you enjoy and incorporate some of these in your everyday life.
1. Walk, Bike, Carpool, or Take the Bus. I feel like we've had this idea shoved in our face a lot, but somehow I feel like it hasn't had much of an effect. Is it the convenience of just hopping in our cars and getting from point A to point B quickly? Absolutely, yes, I think it is. Think about though, you can't go to your location if you're dead, or if it doesn't exist. That might sound completely radical to some, but like I said we don't have very much time. Cars and trucks emit things like; nitrogen oxide (forms smog and acid rain), non-methane organic gases (causes respiratory and cardiovascular problems), carbon monoxide (causes many health effects, and can cause death in high levels), and formaldehyde (Toxic to inhale for living creatures). There are "Eco-Friendly" cars on the market, however, I highly encourage you not to purchase these, but if you wish to please do it used. Eco-friendly cars use Lithium-ion batteries, the act of mining lithium is devastating to the planet. It creates water pollution, water depletion, air pollution through leaching, or emissions from cars, also extracting or disposing of them can pollute the soil. Therefore potentially harming nearby farms and communities. As far as I know, and I've done my research trust me, there is no evidence that having an Eco-friendly car is any better than having a fossil fuel one for the environment. Also, just don't support Tesla, Elon Musk doesn't need your money and quite frankly doesn't deserve it. The best advice I can give when it comes to having a car is to buy it used if you have to drive.
2. Recycle! We learned about recycling in elementary school, but what they don't teach us is that it really doesn't matter if we do or not. I mean it does for things like paper and glass, and metal because those things can get recycled over and over again. Plastic on the other hand can only be recycled so many times before it loses its properties. Make sure you know your recycling symbols too, maybe I'll do a post about that. As a whole though, we should just avoid plastic. It leaches chemicals into our food, I'm sure you've heard someone say not to drink from a water bottle that has been sitting in the car for too long, that's why. Plastics have been linked to health complications such as birth defects, developmental disruptions, and even cancers. Plus it's a waste of money, when you buy something packaged in plastic, 15% of the overall cost is just for the packaging. We should recycle, yes, but there are things that we should do first. There's a quote by Pete Seeger that says; "If it can't be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production." I can't agree more, recycling should be a last resort. We live in a single-use linear society, what that means is that things get produced, consumed, and then discarded into landfill. In the U.S. we have over 3,000 active landfills and over 10,000 municipal landfills. The biggest landfill is actually in the ocean, referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage patch, which kills thousands of birds and sea creatures, it also feeds the food chain. Small fish eat plastic, bigger fish eat those fish, and then we end up eating those fish. So next time you buy a single-use plastic pop bottle, consider where it ends up and maybe opt for the glass one, otherwise the next time you get sushi you might be eating your own garbage waste.
3. Compost. Most people throw away food scraps because they think that they will just compost in the landfill. Well, they don't. First of all, you put your trash in a plastic bag, don't you? How is it supposed to compost when it doesn't get the air that it needs to do so. Even if the bag is ripped open the food still won't get the air it needs in the middle of a large landfill pile. 20% of our landfills is food waste. 20%! There are a few different types of composting; Aerobic, Anaerobic, and vermicomposting. Aerobic composting means you have a compost pile that you add scraps too and you have to 'turn it' every few days, this process is pretty time-consuming. Anaerobic composting is easy, you just throw your scraps into a pile and leave them be. This can get smelly though, I recommend saving your scraps in a container in your freezer and then when it gets full to give to a farmer at the market. The last one Vermicomposting uses worms to break down food waste, this method doesn't seem to have a smell, you don't have to 'turn it', it's pretty simple if you don't mind worms.
4. Say No to Things Like Straws, To-Go Ware, and Plastic Water Bottles. This ties into my recycling point, as said in the quite we need to reduce the amount of trash we create. Do you really need a straw for your drink at a restaurant? Is it worth dangering animals? Is it worth adding an item that you used for 15 minutes to a landfill where it will be for longer than you will live? Simply put, no, it's not. If you desperately need a straw, get a bamboo one, a metal one, a glass one. One that you can reuse for years and when it's finished its life it can be recycled or composted. They even made fold-up straws that you can carry on your keychain so you have it everywhere you go! The same goes for plastic to-go ware. You don't even have to invest in a fancy bamboo cutlery set, you can use what you have at home. Take one fork, one spoon, one knife, and wrap it in a handtowel. Boom! No need for single-use plastic ware or even disposable napkins for that matter. When it comes to plastic water bottles, please, please, please do not buy them. I will beg you. Unless you are in a situation where you need water and it is not available in any other form than a plastic bottle, don't buy it. It's a waste of money. Water bottle companies don't make water, they make plastic bottles. I'm going to say that again. Water bottle companies don't make water, they make plastic bottles. The FDA controls regulations on bottled water, but they fail to explain that the plastic the bottles are made of leach chemicals into the water and that can be carcinogenic. Some places have banned this already, but the tiny town I live in doesn't seem to care, styrofoam. Avoid it. It never biodegrades, and if its food packaging then birds will eat the remains. Bring your own container out with you for your leftovers at restaurants.
5. Don't Litter, and If You See Trash on the Ground Pick It Up, Please. It might not be your trash, but this is your planet and we are all responsible for how we take care of it. The earth deserves better than that. It nourishes us by producing a vast amount of food, it sprouts trees so we can have oxygen to breathe, it hydrates us with natural water sources, it provides us with trails and views and sights to see for our enjoyment. The earth does so much for us that we take for granted. We need to start cherishing it the way it cherishes us. So before you throw that wrapper on the ground think about how it could be blown into the ocean. Before you spit your gum out, think about the bird who will choke on it. Before you dump out your half-finished pop can or beer can, think about how hard the Earth works to keep that soil healthy for our benefit. Then dispose of those items the right way. If you see litter think the same way and pick it up, it might be gross but you can always wash your hands.
6. Shop Local, Farmers' Markets are Great! Learn about the seasonality of the food your eating, that way you get the best taste and also avoid harmful preservatives. Not to mention supporting local farmers and businesses, who definitely need our support these days. Also how great is it to know where your food comes from, and to know the person who grows it, and how they grow it. I have no idea how my avocados from Mexico are grown or my bananas and coffee from South America. What are their regulations on how food is grown? What are the farmers paid, are they fair wages?
7. Become a Thrift Store King/Queen. Before you join the next 15-minute fashion trend, think about if you even like it. I mean really think about it. If it's something you're only going to wear until the trend is over, don't buy it. Fast-fashion is an incredibly wasteful industry. Not to mention how horribly the workers are treated in the countries that produce this clothing. New clothing actually contains micro-plastics. Such materials include polyester, nylon, and acrylics, these can be composed of up to 64% microplastics. Then when we buy them and we wash them these microplastics end up in our water and our oceans and thus entering the food chain. New clothing also contains many harmful chemicals, like formaldehyde, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (Industrial toxic flame retardants, also banned from production in the U.S. but if they don't make the clothes in the U.S. then it's fair game). These chemicals are used to produce things labeled as "Wrinkle Resistant". The thing about buying used is the products your buying have already leached out these chemicals, they've already completed their harmful cycle. Or, they were created before these chemicals were used. So you don't have to worry about them being harmful or killing any more ocean critters, if you buy new then you do. So why create more harm if you don't have to? Plus it's pretty cool to have clothes that don't look like everyone else's. Thrifting works for things beyond your wardrobe as well. Anything you could ever need and ever want already exists you just have to look a little harder for it. Try buying used online too, you can find just about anything on eBay!
8. Make Zero-Waste Swaps. Finding more sustainable options for disposables items should be a no brainer. There's no need to have harmful plastic disposable options when the earth-friendly options have existed long before even the creation of plastics. Did our ancestors use plastic sandwich baggies? Did they use paper towels? Did they use tampons? Plastic floss? Foaming soap from a plastic bottle only to discard it? No, because none of that existed! So adopting a zero-waste lifestyle isn't the way of the future it's bringing back the past. We don't need the new fancy Zero waste alternatives, we can use what we have already and learn from our elders. You don't have to be extreme and have only a mason jar of your trash, but even adopting a low-waste lifestyle is beneficial. I have a blog describing the swaps that I've made and the companies I use for my items. I'm obviously not zero-waste yet, or even low-waste, but I'm creating less waste then I used to and I plan to keep going. One less paper towel you use, one less plastic toothbrush, one less empty plastic bottle is one less in the landfill. Here is my Zero-waste link, feel free to check it out.
9. Adopt a Meat-less Monday Mentality. I'm not asking you to go vegan or even vegetarian for that matter because that's a personal choice. Your personal choice, not the choice of the animal you're eating. I will, however, encourage you to incorporate a few meatless meals per week. Animal agriculture is the leading cause of climate change, it far outweighs the impact of fast fashion, and car emissions. However, no one wants to admit that because it's bad for the $2.4 trillion farming industry, but hey, that's just another paycheck for an already rich person. In reality, we don't need to eat meat, we do it because it's habitual. There is no nutrient that meat gives us that we can't find in plants and this way we don't cause any suffering on our behalf. An estimated 37% of land on earth is devoted to raising livestock and another 11% is used for growing the food to feed them, to fatten them up so they have meat to sell. Cows can live to be 22 years old and most of them don't even make it to 4 just so we can eat food that we don't even have to eat. Try to base your meals around the veggies on your plate, or the fruit, or the legumes, instead of the steak or meatloaf. Just a couple days a week, by not buying the one package of ground beef, by not buying that one grilled chicken, that one pork loin, that's one less animal that has to die. That's fewer emissions and less deforestation to make room for animal agriculture. You can find recipes for meatless meals online, Pinterest is my go-to. Little differences like that can have a far greater impact then you would think.
10. Vote With Your Dollars! We live in a supply and demand world, what we buy is what we choose to have made. If we buy meat, we are telling companies to produce more meat. If we buy food in plastic packaging then were telling them to produce more food in plastic packaging. So on and so forth. We vote with our dollars, so if we buy things that are zero waste and eco-friendly companies will then produce more of those things to stock the shelves. Those things will replace the more wasteful alternatives, and eventually, we see only eco-friendly products. By then companies will hopefully open their eyes and see that this is what the people want and this is how they are going to make money and benefit from it (Money seems to control many decisions that rich people make). That would eventually lead to larger companies actually going green and then supporting government officials who will implement greener policies. Of course, this is wishful thinking, but I imagine rich folk wants to stay rich, and if no one is buying the wasteful things that they produce then they will be forced to change with the people. Fingers crossed.
Those are my top 10 ideas on how we as people can help our planet, I hope that you choose to incorporate even just one of these things into your life. If not then I hope you at least learned something. We really do need to take care of this planet. Whether or not you'll be alive when climate change becomes an irreversible problem, think about your kids, and your grandkids. You might die from old age, but we could die from climate change if we don't get our act together soon.
Thanks for reading!
-Courtney.
