Green Tips: An Eco-Friendly New Year

There’s a lot of talk about going green. Fortunately, governments, businesses and individuals around the world are taking action to support this initiative. From using alternative energy sources like wind, hydro or solar panels to switching to low-emission transportation options, if your daily actions are more eco-friendly, you will not only help protect the environment, but also benefit financially, physically and mentally.

If you’re in the beginning stages and need some inspiration for sustainable living, here are some suggestions to help you get started:

• Turn it off

Saving energy is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. Leaving electricity on when it’s not being used consumes unnecessary energy. Press the off switch and you will see significant improvements- most noticeable on your electric bill! 

• Eat less meat

Careful eating is at the heart of a greener approach, and cutting back on meat consumption can make a big difference. Cutting out red meat, even two or three days a week, can have a huge impact on reducing your carbon footprint.

According to The Science Report, if everyone in the country reduced their consumption of red meat by a quarter and replaced it with plant protein, we’d save about 82 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

• Stop wasting Food

The United States discards more food than any other country in the world. Nearly 30-40 percent of the entire US food supply is wasted each year. This equates to 219 pounds of waste per person. Americans often discard perfectly good food because they misunderstand expiration labels. Food waste can be reduced by mindful consumption, improving storage spaces, and educating yourself on true lifespans of different foods.

• Reduce-Reuse-Recycle 

You’ve heard this term a million times, but it is a very effective mantra to live by if you’re trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle. The first step is reducing the amount of products you buy in general, leading to lower emissions related to production, transportation, and eventually waste. Reusing your products for as long as you can will also prolong their lifespan, thus also lowering emissions related to producing and purchasing a new product. Finally, if you are able to, please recycle your waste. Recycling programs are specific to the area you live in, so check out your town’s recycling programs and policies to get started. 

• Cut down on Plastic 

Plastic seems to have made its way into every aspect of our lives. But giving it up isn’t as hard as you might think — take a reusable bag with you when you go grocery shopping, buy products in bulk when you can, and start using a reusable water bottle. According to this article, more than 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown away everyday in the US. 

• Fix it. Don’t throw it away

Fixing or repairing things is more eco-friendly than just throwing them away and buying a replacement. Repairing and reusing is also often a lot cheaper. With access to the Internet, it is extremely easy to find step-by-step guides to help you fix anything. 

Thank you for reading this week’s Green Tips! We hope these tips help you to start off your 2022 in a green way. See you next week!

By Miaojun Pang and Caroline Hahn