Earth Day passed recently, and it looked a bit different than it has in the past. We couldn’t head out to clean the parks together or join together to sign petitions—instead, we all stayed home. As we continue to live at home instead of following our typical routines, we can still protect the planet as we wanted to on Earth Day. If you want some ideas for ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle, we’ve listed out some easy ideas that you can follow through with—self-isolation or not!
Start Composting
As you’re spending more time at home, you’ve probably noticed that the garbage is filling up faster than before. Do your part to limit what’s going into landfills and ensure that you’re recycling properly and composting. Now is one of the best times to start composting, and it’s one of the simplest ways you can protect the Earth. You can order a compost bin—it won’t smell—or make a compost pile in your backyard. It’s better for nature and puts way less pressure on landfills.
Reduce Your Energy Use
Your home is an excellent spot to start living more sustainably—especially since you’re spending most of your time at home. Do what you can now to switch over to a green household: Switch out all your lightbulbs for LEDs, put time limits on showers, fix dripping faucets, and line dry your clothes instead of using the power-sucking dryer. All the little things you change in the home now will carry over until you can make bigger adjustments!
Get a Garden Going
Now is also a wonderful time to get a garden started. Pull up some dirt in the backyard, use your compost when it’s ready, and see how wonderful it is to use fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs in your cooking! Of course, you’ll have to wait a while, but it’s an actionable way to live a more sustainable lifestyle that will stick with you even after the pandemic.
Find Ways to Reuse
Recycle is often the most remembered “R” in “reduce, reuse, recycle.” However, reusing can make a major impact on your efforts to live sustainably. For example, take your clothes—instead of trashing them, you could donate them so someone else might be able to reuse them. You can take leftover food and reuse it in the composting bin. You can save rainwater and reuse it to water plants inside—the options are pretty endless when you think about it.
Educate Yourself on Green Initiatives
Lastly, if you want to continue striving for sustainability, you need to educate yourself on different green initiatives. If you don’t know why it’s important to lessen our impact on landfills, then read into it. If you don’t know that it’s important to conserve water as we’re running low on clean water, then you need to read into it. Once you feel educated on different topics, you can follow through on green initiatives that need your continued awareness.
