6 More Easy Things to Do to Help Save the Planet

There’s no shortage of reasons to worry about the health of our planet. From climate change to pollution to deforestation, it’s easy to feel disheartened. That said, each person has the ability to do something, however small, to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and shrink their carbon footprint. Let’s explore six actions.

Buy groceries locally

Depending on where they’re grown, the fruits and vegetables you buy might be traveling a long distance before they arrive at your grocery store. This means more greenhouse gases and air pollution being released by planes, trains, and trucks on the way to your local store.

Sourcing local produce at your grocery store—or shopping at a farmers’ market—is great for a few reasons. Less greenhouse gases are emitted as the food makes its way to your plate, and you’ll also receive fresher products and be supporting farmers closer to home. Eating what’s in season in your area is another way to reduce the environmental impact of your food. For example, if you see blueberries at the supermarket in December, they’ve probably been flown in from somewhere like Peru, a major international exporter of this fruit. Stick to seasonal produce, which has likely traveled a shorter distance.

Change your kitchen habits

Think about how you use energy in the kitchen. If your go-to appliance for cooking is the oven, be aware that it draws a lot of power to perform. You might invest in a smaller countertop appliance that will do the trick for some meals. In addition, using your oven strategically to cook several things at once is another idea.

Americans love their coffee but may not realize that popular pod coffee makers create more waste for landfills, since the plastic pods are usually not recyclable. Switching to a drip coffee maker is an easy option that will reduce waste in this regard.

Repurpose old clothes

Here’s some not-so-novel advice that older generations followed. Before so many convenience items filled stores shelves, repurposing whatever was on hand in the home was both necessary and common. People would cut up old clothes to make cleaning rags, for example.

Adopting this one suggestion can save a considerable amount of garbage. Old clothes frequently end up in landfills—even those that are donated to second-hand stores—so repurposing worn-out items can reduce textile waste. Using rags in place of paper towels also saves trees. Rags can be washed, sanitized, and re-used again and again.

Travel differently

If you use a car for daily commuting, chauffeuring the family around, and doing your shopping, you’re probably driving a lot of miles. This translates into a lot of carbon dioxide emitted by your vehicle. It’s estimated the average driver adds roughly 4.6 metric tons of this greenhouse gas to the air we breathe each year.

Rather than contributing to air pollution and climate change, look for different options to get around. You might try carpooling to work, for instance, or taking public transit. For any solo travel, consider if your destination is within walking distance, or if you can ride your bike there. Always jumping in the car is convenient, but you’ll feel better knowing you’re doing something positive for the Earth.

Try a few meatless meals

You may be unaware, but dairy and meat production are major sources of the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. Cattle and other ruminants like sheep emit methane, a greenhouse gas that is around 30 times as potent as carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. Meat and dairy farming also produce greenhouse gases because a lot of resources—land, water, and fertilizer—are required to grow feed for the animals. Forests in tropical regions like the Amazon are cleared to grow grain for cattle feed and to create grazing land for the cattle themselves.

So, it follows that limiting your beef and other meat consumption is an effective way to reduce the emission of these gases. In fact, one study suggests that if everyone in the United States consumed plant-based meals half the time, we could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35%. However, even if you simply swap a meat-based dinner with a vegetarian recipe once or twice a week, you’ll be doing something good for the planet. 

Unplug appliances

Would you believe that leaving appliances and electronic devices plugged in when you’re not using them draws energy? This is also true for the range of chargers needed for smartphones, tablets, and the like. If your home is not powered by renewable energy, this extra consumption of energy results in greenhouse gas emissions.

While it may seem like an inconsequential decision, look around for what you can unplug when you don’t need it. Start with the small appliances on your kitchen counter and any charging cords that you typically leave in the socket when you’re away at work or school. After a while these small moves in the right direction will become second nature.

Small actions yield surprising results

With any of the small actions listed above, you can do your part to save resources, use energy more efficiently, and reduce the climate impact of your daily habits. Combined with the actions of others, you can do an enormous amount of good for the Earth without much inconvenience.