by Serena H.
“Going ghost!” How about ‘going green’? With climate change becoming more evident, and the ocean and air being polluted more and more everyday, there have to be some ways that each of us can help the environment, but also help ourselves.
James Smith (2016) wrote an article highlighting all of the benefits of choosing an eco-friendly life. The two most obvious being cutting back on negative environmental impact and pollution, but there are also benefits to the everyday person. Many health and financial factors are impacted by an individual's ecological impact, including and over all greater health and quality of life, and lower cost. Keeping that in mind, what changes can we make to see this positive impact?
As cliche as it may seem, recycling or cutting out plastic use and waste is a great start. It was seem inconvenient but the impact of each human’s waster on our planet is astonishing. Making a conscious effort to change our waste habits can help out the planet quite a bit. This can look like not using styrofoam (FYI it's not recyclable), using reusable bags, straws, etc., and taking the extra step to recycle everything you can.
Shopping locally, especially at farmer’s markets helps to not only reduce waste but improve health by eating less processed foods. When you shop at big chain stores, most products that are convenient are often packaged heavily and processed in some way. Making this simple change can not only improve your health but also your wallet. When shopping at a market, prices are more often than not better for the quality and you aren't paying for all that processing and labor. Starting out with buying fresh fruits and vegetables is a good step and then moving to buying farm fresh eggs, milk, etc. will be an excellent change.
Changing your driving habits is a difficult but valuable change. We are a very busy country, that is so large, it's hard not to spend hours in the car. A few small changes can help you be there less and help out the environment a little more. Carpooling and using public transportation are small ways to reduce your pollution contribution. Minimizing trips out with a vehicle is a more conscious effort, but manageable. Going out less can look like only making 1 trip to the grocery store that week or choosing to walk places instead of drive. All of these choices can not only help the environment, but your wallet and personal health.
Making eco-friendly choices is work, but that work will positively impact the environment and the individual. So when your out, ditch the straws and the plastic bags, try to carpool and makes some effort to save our planet. Go green.