Our Environment is in trouble. From the threat of global warming to the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, signs of despair are everywhere. Most of us feel helpless, believing the decisions to save or devastate the planet are in the hands of those in power. But there are little changes we could -- and should -- all make on behalf of the world we claim to love.
Here are easy changes we can all make in our lives to give the environment a necessary boost.
1. Take shorter showers
We're all guilty of the ten-minute shower. Whether it's because we feel unclean, we need to jam out to every Sam Smith song on our playlist, or just need to emotionally cleanse ourselves, we waste a lot of water.
While we don't feel directly affected by it, there's a critical water shortage taking hold across the planet. Our world is interconnected -- taking shorter showers would help the environment across the globe.
2. Brush your teeth without the drip
It's a tough habit to get into. Depending on your dentist-recommended technique, you may begin the process of brushing your teeth by turning on the faucet. Then, you leave it on for the two minutes while you're actually brushing. Again, the amount of water being wasted here is overkill. To save the environment, we need to reduce our water waste. Leaving the faucet off while brushing our teeth is an easy way to save several minutes worth of water.
3. Turn off the lights
We were all afraid of the dark once. Some of us still are. But that's not an excuse to leave every light in the house or apartment on at all hours of the day. If you're leaving a house, maybe just leave an outdoor light on to greet you when you return. If you're in a house or apartment, only keep the lights on in the room you're using.
And if you need a night light to assuage your fear of darkness swallowing you whole, maybe invest in an eco-friendly option. It's an easy way to save our environment.
4. Reduce, reuse, recycle
The old maxim holds true. Reduce the amount of products you use, especially plastic. If you have to use plastic, see if there's a way to wash it out and reuse it for another project; used water bottles can make for great flower vases, for instance.
Lastly, if you can't avoid plastic use, make sure to deposit the product in the right recycling bin, rather than throwing it out in a haphazard manner.
Our environment is at risk. We each have a responsibility to protect it from ourselves.
