Keeping the environment clean is very important; we only have one life on this one planet, so we need to keep it healthy for us to remain alive after all. Everyone needs to do their part to help keep our world alive and beautiful. Unfournetly many people neglect the earth. We are slowly killing it just by living our daily lives; however, we can change that and still keep to our normal lives, but in an ecofriendly manner that will benefit us and most of all the planet we should be showing love too. I have compiled a simple list of easy yet effective changes you can make to help combat this issue we are causing with the world by adjusting your lifestyle little by little.

Grocery Bags This one is thankfully becoming much more common (yay!), and it is to start bringing your reusable canvas bags for grocery shopping instead of the plastic ones they give you (and in some places charge 5 cents for). Plastic bags do not break down easily over time; offten times, these bags get stuck in landfills and waterways and blown into the ocean, and turtles mistake them for jellyfish and consume them, resulting in death. The chemicals used in plastic bags can also get trapped under the soil of our earth and slowly kill the animals and us. It is unfortunate and can easily be avoided by simply switching from plastic bags to reusable canvas bags.

Less Meat Now you don’t necessarily need to go vegan or vegetarian (highly recommended, though!), but eating less meat and, more specifically, less red Meat will help reduce your carbon footprint! “More than 30 percent of the Earth’s surface is being used to raise and support livestock. According to a United Nations study, “the livestock sector accounts for 9 percent of CO2 deriving from human-related activities but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 65 percent of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2.” Cutting back on your meat consumption is an important step in reducing the overall emission of GWP gases. Less livestock also means more land we can enjoy and use for recreation“.

Bamboo Tooth Brushes Did you know a plastic toothbrush takes over 400 years to decompose? Imagine how badly that can impact mother earth! Supposedly we get a new toothbrush every 3-6 months if everyone on the planet did that, and it takes 400 years per toothbrush; we would never be rid of them. All of your nasty teeth bacteria and the plastic’s chemicals getting into our landfills is not good. A bamboo toothbrush only takes four months to three years to decompose, and it creates fewer bacteria on your bathroom counters, making it a healthier choice for your body and the planet.

Shop Locally From clothing to the farmer’s markets! This will also help support your community, and smaller businesses stay open; it also benefits the planet! So many large companies have factories that generate toxins into the air. In worse case scenarios, the oceans and the water we consume, fast fashion brands are also a significant issue as the fashion industry is the largest polluter. Cut down on shopping at larger stores, frequent local shops and support your community while keeping the world healthy and clean.

Reusable Water Bottles 80% of plastic water bottles end up in our landfills and can take up to one thousand years to even decompose. Imagine how bad that effects the environment, our health, and the animals. Healthy Human Life wrote a great article on the hazards of plastic bottles and ways you can reduce pollution. Invest in reusable water bottles, mugs, thermoses, etc. Most stores let you bring in your own, and they’re happy to make your drinks in them well you’re at it get some metal straws too.

Conserve Simply conserve the energy in your home. Turn off lights when you’re not home, or no one’s in the room, don’t leave the water running when brushing your teeth, have shorter showers, do laundry once a week and let stuff air dry if possible. All these little things add up, making the world a better place if everyone starts to be more aware of the issues we are causing in the world.

What are you waiting for? It’s time for us to make a difference in the world, little by little and day by day, we can help improve the life of our planet and future generations! Be sure to share what you have learned with the people around you, and if you’re interested in the environment, look around your local communities for groups that help support the cause.