10 Ultimate Tips Everyone Should Follow to Lead an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Making a change towards an environmentally-friendly lifestyle can improve your health and life overall. It does not require much effort to unfollow the routine of eating unhealthy foods, stopping the use of chemicals, and not to waste food.

There's a lot that you can do live an eco-friendly lifestyle. Once you make changes in your routine, you will notice that it is easy to live an eco-friendly life. But before you jump on the tips to follow a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle, first understand what being environmentally-friendly means.

What is Being Environmentally-Friendly?

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Most people understand that going eco-friendly means only to plant more trees and not to harm the environment. But it can also be living a life or having a lifestyle that makes a better environment. Be it combating air pollution, buying recycled products, or creating less waste: all these steps, when followed, plays a crucial role in making the world a better place for generations to come.

A couple planted 2.7 million trees in 20 years and restored a destroyed forest. In this way, they helped in giving a home to endangered species. Do you also want to contribute to the environment? If so, find out how can you turn eco-friendly.

How to Turn Eco-Friendly?

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Anyone can start living an eco-friendly lifestyle by becoming aware of the choices that can affect the environment. But here are the three stages that should be followed to become eco-friendly.

1. Know about the resources and items that cause minimal environmental harm.

2. Support others or join groups that work to produce eco-friendly equipment and make people aware of these resources. 

3. Consider upgrading your heating equipment to cut the energy bill.

Just like you, many people also want to protect and conserve our natural resources, but they do not know where to begin. While some people have tried their best in saving the planet, others are still looking for ways to minimize the bad effects on the environment.

Below are some ideas on how you can change your lifestyle for a better environment.

1. Eat Less Meat

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If you consume meat every day, cut your consumption up to the half, and make a difference in the environment. According to a United Nations study,

“The livestock sector accounts for 9 percent of CO2 deriving from human-related activities, but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 65 percent of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2.”

Though eating a vegan diet is not easy for everyone, eating meat once a week can be an option. If you also eat fish, try to eat rod and line-caught kinds.

Why not select some alternatives to meat? Heavy meals, vegetables, or seafood are also beneficial to the body.

2. Go Paperless

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The use of computers and the internet has made a great impact on the world of technology. Now papers are used less, and people are going digital.

Another great option that you can do to go paperless or to reduce the use of paper is to unsubscribe from the unnecessary catalogs and to opt for digital billing. The benefit of going digital is that you can also check your bill anytime, anywhere.

Don’t print the documents unless it is very important. You can also help the environment by recycling papers that you no longer needed.

3. Say No to Plastics

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Plastic is a non-biodegradable product and harms the environment in several ways. When you shop, do not take plastic bags, instead take a canvas or paper bags. Canvas bags might cost you a small amount, but they are very useful and can hold more goods.

If you have a school going kid, buy him/her a canvas bag. If not canvas bags, reusing plastic bags is also an excellent way to live more eco-friendly.

It is reported that nearly 100 billion plastic shopping bags are used in America every year, but only 3-4% of them are recycled.

4. Create or Join Environmental Groups

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If you think you can't contribute to making the environment clean alone, then look for the environmental groups that work to complete this mission. This man alone started #TrashtagChallenge and made people aware of the environmental cleanliness.

Even a small step that is taken to go eco-friendly matters a lot. So what is your next step?

5. Choose Borrowing Over Buying

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You waste a lot of money on buying clothes, cars, books, and other things. But have you ever wondered how much money can you save from the things you buy that can be easily borrowed? For instance, books, musical instruments, and more can be easily borrowed.

Going eco-friendly doesn't mean you are settling for less, but there are several things that you can find in good condition at less money.

6. Use Eco-Friendly Transportation

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Depending on the work you do and the location where you live, this concept might seem difficult for you. But using public transportation less is also a contribution to the environment. The aim is to produce less pollution, and this can also be done by using or buying a smart bike.

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They are getting popular and also give an enjoyable experience. If you have no plans of selling your old bikes and cars, it is not a problem. But keep in mind that you don't use them frequently and use eco-friendly transportation when you go to work.

7. Replace Light Bulbs with LED Bulbs

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Being careful with energy usage also means helping the environment. Turn off the lights when not needed or replace the light bulbs with LED. Remove frost from the fridge, and thus help it run more smoothly.

You can also save energy by putting the lids on pans to save heat. Also, make sure to turn the appliance ON only when you are ready with the ingredients and are prepared to make the dish.

LED bulbs last longer and are more efficient than regular bulbs. Using LED bulbs means you are using less power and saving energy. Nowadays, there is a range of designs available so you can easily buy one that suits your room.

8. Make Your Home Eco-Friendly

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Invest more in eco-friendly technologies. It is recommended to buy things that conserve energy. Change your suppliers to the one that is renewable and releases zero carbon. Create a low-water garden. Grow plants like aloe-vera and cacti that can live on limited water.

Use a water butt to collect water and then use it or for the garden. Stop wasting food and prepare a new dish from the leftovers. Avoid buying things that are cheap and could break easily; instead,  invest in the things that will last more time. Install low-flow plumbing, take short showers, boil only as much water as you require and fix leakages. In this way, you can save thousands of liters of water every year.

Also, make sure that you buy only recycling household items. For instance, use empty jam jars to store other food and turn empty wine bottles to the beautiful vase. You can also talk to sustainability consultants to improve your home according to the environment. Consultants would analyze the property and would give you the ideas to make changes in your home.

Do you know waste materials like left-over from vehicles or building supplies that you throw in the dustbin badly affect the environment? So how about using them differently? Here are some best uses of scrap metals to get cheaper products.

9. Use Fewer Chemicals

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Chemicals that are applied directly to the grass can pollute the water supply and cause problems for wildlife and humans. Look for the chemicals that can be replaced to avoid the washing toxins down the drain. Do not use cleaning solutions, instead use baking soda to clean bathroom and kitchen. Replace shampoo and conditioners with natural products.

10. Start a Compost Pile

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Composting improves your backyard at home and also reduces the trash in landfills. Starting a compost pile has become a huge trend in the last few years. It not only reduces waste by making the best use of the things that you would normally throw but also saves money and helps plants grow better.

You can add almost anything from your garden and kitchen including eggshells and coffee grounds and even toothpicks.

Tip: Take an equal amount of brown and green waste to keep it healthy.

Final Words

Your small step taken to protect the mother earth can inspire many individuals. It is good news that people across the world are becoming aware of environmental problems and taking effective measures to make it better.

The next time you see anyone littering, using plastics, or doing unnecessary things that can harm the environment, stop him/her immediately, and advise to follow eco-friendly alternatives.

Do you know other ideas on how you can lead an eco-friendly lifestyle? Share your views below.