Happy New Year! Around this time of year, many people feel motivated to make changes in their lives to better themselves with new year’s resolutions. However, many people forget to consider planet earth and how badly the environment needs help! These tips can benefit a person’s personal overall health as well! Read this list of five ways to go green in 2016!
1. Reduce Driving – Although driving can be the only option for transportation at times, working on reducing the amount of driving you do each week is beneficial in reducing pollution. Therefore, if your destination is relatively close by, why not take a nice walk outside! There are a variety of reasons why walking outside benefits the brain (link to blog about this). Additionally, walking and biking are both great forms of exercise! Not only are you helping the environment by choosing to walk or bike, you are benefiting your body!
2. Eating GMO Free – There has been much debate on whether or not GMO’s have a negative impact on both the environment and personal health. GMO stands for genetically modified organisms. Although we do not definitively know the long term effects on the environment due to the short length of time GMO’s have existed, evidence suggests that making changes to the genetics of plants may produce further ecological shifts, putting biodiversity at risk as toxic residue is left in the soil by GMO foods. This leads to continued dependence on GMO’s because the soil becomes depleted of natural and important nutrients. In terms of physical health, GMO’s are linked to negative consequences, such organ damage, gastrointestinal disorders, and infertility to name a few. GMO-free food may be slightly more in cost, but eating healthily will save money in healthcare longterm.
3. Use Environment-Friendly Face Wash – Facewashes with plastic micro-beads have been all the rage over the past few years. However, these plastic micro-beads are bad for your skin and the environment. Although exfoliating your skin is important, these beads often tear the skin and make it more vulnerable to bacteria. After a person washes their face, the beads end up going down the drain and into the lakes and oceans where they are digested by fish, which has begun to disrupt the ecosystem. Additionally, some of the fish that digest the beads are caught and sold as food, where we end up digesting the plastic beads, which is detrimental to our health. Use eco-friendly face wash without the plastic micro-beads.
4. Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies – Many cleaning supplies people have become accustomed to using have toxic chemicals in them and even chemicals that may be unregulated by the EPA. Many household products with these toxins have been linked to problems involving the nervous system, liver, and kidneys. This can be dangerous to the health of those living in the house, especially children. After being used, often these cleaning agents go down the drains and back into our water system in lakes and oceans. Try using eco-friendly cleaning supplies!
5. Conserve Water – Did you know that every two minutes you save on your shower could conserve more than ten gallons of water? Simple steps can be taken to conserve a large amount of water, such as turning off the water or taking a shower as opposed to a bath. Additionally, roughly 90% of plastic bottles used for water are not recycled, creating a large amount of plastic waste. As for personal health, the EPA’s standards for keeping tap water healthy are way more strict than the FDA’s standards for bottled water. Try using a water filter, such as a Brita, and buying a reusable bottle to fill. Not only will you be more conscious of how much water you drink each day (recommended 8 cups a day), you will be helping the environment
First mage courtesy of Stuart Miles at freedigitalphotos.net.
