3 everyday habits that make a real environmental difference
With so many problems going on in the world, any action can feel almost pointless. Our efforts amount to a drop in a bucket the size of an ocean. What difference does it make? This is a question I often think about.
While it’s up to you to decide what you believe, I believe that every choice, no matter how small, makes a difference. Every time you choose to be kinder to the Earth, that kindness remains. Some things you can choose to do, can even help more than you might think. Here are 3 of my favorites.
Enjoying Fresh, Local Foods
When you stroll through a sun-kissed day at the farmer’s market, you’re choosing a bounty of eco-friendly options. Food that is fresh, local and in season is much easier on the planet than food that was grown in heated greenhouses or flown in from other countries.
When all your in-season tomatoes experienced was a pick from their vine and a 5 mile drive, it saves all the oil consumed in other methods of transportation or growing.
Even if a local farmer can’t afford the organic label, many locally farmed products are grown with organic practices. You’ll be able to ask them yourselves how the food was grown. Respectfully grown food, even if it’s not entirely organic, is much better than destructive monocultures.
Simply making fresh, seasonal choices wherever possible can make a huge difference in your environmental footprint.
Reducing Food Waste
Speaking of that basket of carefully chosen produce, how you use it can make a world of difference too. Inedible food scraps can make a gardener very happy after it has been composted. Eating leftovers before they go bad can both save your wallet and the planet.
It can be helpful to keep a whiteboard nearby with foods that need to be used up listed on it, so you don’t forget about it before it goes bad.
This may seem small, but according to the EPA, the average family throws out $2,688 worth of edible food each year. (Dare I ask what that value is now, post-inflation?) By only buying what we are going to eat, and making a point to eat it, we can avoid throwing our money (and the planet!) right in the trash.
Think Reusable
Not every single use product is easy to replace, but every time you find a reusable swap for a single-use item that works for you and your lifestyle, you’ve benefited the planet. One example is, of course, a reusable water bottle.
Every time you reuse the bottle, when you would have purchased a single-use one from the store, you’ve saved a bottle from going to landfill. Potentially, this could be thousands of uses over time.
The more single-use items you can safely and comfortably replace with reusable options, the greater your impact will be.
Just these three things can make a big difference in your personal impact. If you’ve been looking for a daily habit that might make your life a little bit greener, choosing one of these could be a great place to start.