5 Things You Can Do To ACTUALLY Help The Planet
Embrace some of these habits to give the Earth a break.
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Being environmentally friendly seems to be a trend these days, and all for good reasons. However, sustainability isn’t something we should practice just because it’s cool but something to instil as a part of our lifestyle to take care of our planet.
With Earth Day coming up at the end of this week, here are some fun and practical things to do that leaves a positive impact on the environment:
Plant something
We all know planting trees is obviously gonna benefit the planet. They not only cool down the Earth but provide oxygen and filter the air among a myriad of other things. But what if you don’t have green fingers and can’t plant anything to save a life (or its life)? Fret not, here are some plants that you can easily propagate and require little to no maintenance to ensure that what you plant on Earth Day stays alive for a reasonable amount of time.
Go paperless
One of the easiest ways to do this is to adopt e-billing. Sifting through paper bills every month does not spark joy, and neither does it do any good for the Earth. Almost all utility providers in Malaysia have apps that you can download on your phone to track your usage and pay your bills with ease. It not only saves the planet but saves your time of having to stand in queues just to settle your bills. You also reduce fuel emissions by not having to transport them from one place to another. Yay!
Reduce, reuse and recycle (your clothes)
Fast fashion has a huge impact on the environment than most of us realise. The fashion industry contributes to at least 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. The amount of unused and unwanted clothes that go into mountains of landfills proves the unsustainability of this way of life. Thrifting allows us to repurpose old clothes and also ethically dispose of pieces that we no longer want to keep your closet and the world a cleaner place. Check out these popular thrift stores the next time you want to go thrift shopping with your friends.
Give up chewing gum
Chew this – almost 80-90% of chewing gum is never disposed properly and it is the second most common form of litter after cigarette butts. Chewing gum is made out of non-biodegradable synthetic plastics and it can take up to 50 years before it starts to break down, and 500 years before it decomposes. This pretty much means that the gum stuck on our pavements stays there forever until it is taken away – just to end up in the oceans or eaten by animals. These gum alternatives are a better option for those who need to chew on something while keeping the environment clean.
Declutter your inbox
While going paperless is a great way to help reduce the amount of waste we produce, it might come as a surprise to you to know that the undeleted emails accumulated in your inbox also leave a carbon footprint on the environment. Most emails are stored in the cloud and cloud storage runs on a lot of electricity, which in most parts of the world is still generated by fossil fuels. The result of this is a rise in global carbon emissions (CO2e) or greenhouse gas emissions. The small act of taking the time out to delete unwanted emails, unsubscribing to email notifications from social media or unnecessary newsletters will help conserve energy, and in turn, reduce greenhouse gas emissions for a healthier planet.
If you don’t already do most of the things on this list, then Earth Day is a perfect time to start adopting some new habits that positively impact the planet. Small steps really do the most when it’s done collectively.
It’s not the hardest thing in the world to save the world.
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