3 Ways To Be More Eco-Friendly

One of the biggest concerns of the 21st century is making things as eco-friendly possible. From industries to individual people, it seems people everywhere are making an effort to be more conscious of the environment. With more eco-friendly terms being created all the time, it can be daunting to know where to start. The following tips are some of the easiest ways to start being greener.

1. Watch Your Use of Utilities

Changing how you use water and electricity not only can help the environment, but it will also save you money. Water usage can be reduced by installing low flow toilets and putting flow restrictors on faucets and shower heads.

You should also remember to turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth or when you aren’t specifically needing to have the water flowing when using sinks and showers. These changes will drastically reduce the amount of water that you use.

While switching to reusable energy sources like solar power panels or wind turbines will require spending money at first, they will save money in the long run in addition to cutting down on using traditional sources of electricity.

Installing energy saving appliances also will make a big difference, and many utility companies offer rebates to customers who switch to these types of energy saving devices.

2. Switch to Green Cleaning Products

Many cleaning products contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Fortunately, the increased awareness of the environmental impact of these chemicals has inspired many companies to create biodegradable cleaning products. There are green options for most every type of cleaning product, and they cost about the same amount of money as the harmful products.

Switching to green cleaning products is more important than most people realize. Not only does it prevent harmful chemicals from contaminating important resources like water, but it also will prevent other issues such as algae blooms, which kill off large numbers of fish and other aquatic life.

3. Reduce Paper Consumption

Paper products have been an environmental concern for decades. There are several solutions to this problem like using recycled paper products and switching to products made from renewable sources like plates made from palm leaves.

While these are good practices, there are options that don’t require the use of any trees at all. Using napkins made of fabric that you can wash is always a good idea as is using plates that you can wash and reuse as much as possible.

One of the more positive things to happen recently has been the changing attitudes towards the use of hemp and cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes. Thanks to the legalization of growing hemp in the USA and Canada, two of the largest countries in the world can now begin growing hemp in quantities similar to the ones used in colonial times.

Hemp is much more effective for making paper. It also grows much faster, with some strains of this crop maturing so fast that it is ready for harvest in as little as four months. It is estimated that switching to hemp paper products in the United States could reduce the need for cutting down trees by almost half. That would make a huge difference to the environment.

It is important that humans take care of the environment. By making a real effort to become more eco-friendly, people can help the Earth recover from much of the damage we have caused it over the centuries. It isn’t an overnight fix and will take time, but Mother Nature will thank us in the end.