It has become increasingly more important to be environmentally friendly and to think about your impact on the environment you live in. From what you eat and wear to how you brush your teeth, everything you do has an impact on the atmosphere.
At Attitude Organic our aim is to encourage others to be more aware of their effect on the environment and to provide alternatives to products that may be damaging our world.
It can be challenging to break bad habits, but we have devised a list that details how to become eco-friendly without sacrificing too much. This list is great for beginners to start adapting their lifestyle to better the environment.
How To Become Eco-Friendly
?Reusable Shopping Bags
There is currently around 12.7 million tonnes of plastic floating around in our beautiful oceans, and one of the main sources of this plastic comes from plastic bags- Greenpeace, 2018.
The easy and cheap alternative to this is to take a reusable canvas or bamboo bag with you on your shopping trips. We understand that at times you may not know how much you are going to buy but keep a few in your bag or in your car and you’ll automatically reduce the number of plastic bags being consumed.
You can buy a reusable bag in any supermarket, and most high street stores. If they are unable to offer one and you have forgotten your bag; simply ask for a paper bag and recycle it when you’re done.
Reusable Straws
Whenever I go out I ask for a straw, some of us don’t like ice on our teeth or are conscious of coffee stains. However, straws are also damaging our oceans and killing many animals when they are mistakenly eaten. Instead of asking for a plastic straw, you can purchase packs of metal or bamboo straws online.
These are sustainable, strong and easy to clean meaning you can always have a straw handy without damaging the environment and our wildlife.
Eco-Friendly Water
Overusing water in your household will mean that there is less fresh water for agricultural use and less resources for underdeveloped countries. This will also affect you economically because your water bill will always be higher then it needs to be.
One simple way to reduce the amount of water that you are wasting is to simply turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth. This can save up to 4 gallons of water a day. A simple but effective way to make your water eco-friendly and to also benefit those without fresh clean water.
Reusable Cups and Water Bottles
As well as floating in our oceans, plastic bottles also have other damaging effects on the environment. Plastic bottles are made up of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics. These plastics do not biodegrade and absorb toxins that are not eco-friendly to our water, soil and animals.
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It really is unnecessary to buy a bottle of water every time you’re out. Same goes to new coffee cups every time you place your order at Starbucks. Most companies will be happy to fill your water bottle up or prepare your favourite coffee in your own mug.
A great alternative to plastic bottles and single use coffee cups are stainless steel bottles or keep cups.
Cutting Down on Animal Produce
Meat production has a very negative impact on the environment. Indeed, we already mentioned pollution through fossil fuel usage, animal methane and unnecessary water consumption.
The most effective way to start your eco-friendly life, is to cut down on animal products. For example, buying faux leather instead of real leather, the same goes for faux fur.
These alternatives are normally always cheaper, and you’re not hurting anything in the process. Another way to kick start your eco-friendly journey would be to shop for alternatives in your food. Such as introducing soya or almond milk into your diet instead of dairy milk. Since veganism is a lot more popular today, you can easily find alternatives to nearly everything you eat.
This article only details a few small changes you can make to positively impact the environment, Attitude Organic regularly publish articles on how to become more eco-friendly.
