1. Conserve Resources

We don’t even realize how many resources we waste every day. It’s not that hard to save energy and water, though. It’s enough to turn off appliances and lights when you don’t need them. Don’t leave chargers plugged in – they draw power even when they’re not being used. And when buying appliances, choose energy-efficient models-they’re labeled A, A+, or A++.

As for water, you can save on utilities and at the same time help nature by installing an apartment water meter. In addition, you can install economical shower heads with a flow rate of less than 10 liters per minute. And when washing, try to load the washing machine completely and set a lower temperature for washing – this will help to reduce energy consumption by 80%. Heating water is the second most energy-consuming after heating air.

2. Collect garbage separately.

People have learned to deal with garbage in three ways: in landfills, by burning it, or by recycling. All methods except recycling ruin the environment and are dangerous to people’s health. That is why separate garbage collection is so important – so that everything that can be recycled can be used to make new things and materials. For example, unwanted waste paper can be used to make new notebooks and paper for the office. And old plastic bottles can be turned into colorful children’s slides.

Try to collect waste separately. You can do this by using recycling bins that are stacked on top of each other. Or even just make do with two bins: one for recyclables, and one for the rest of the garbage. Separate the plastic, glass and paper already before handing over the trash. And do not be afraid that the recyclables will take up a lot of space. You can always reduce its volume: bundle newspapers into bales or flatten plastic bottles and cardboard packaging.

Batteries. Household batteries should not be thrown out with the rest of the garbage. Just one battery can contaminate a square meter of soil with heavy metals. In Moscow alone over 15 million batteries a year end up in landfills.

3. Recycling

Separate collection of waste leads to the next point in the plan to save nature – recycling. Every year, 70 million tons of household waste is thrown away around the world. According to Greenpeace, only 3 to 5 percent of municipal solid waste is recycled. The recycling companies are so underutilized that they have to buy wastes from abroad. But there are recycling points for glass bottles, aluminum cans and paper in almost every city.

Almost all garbage in our country is sent to landfills. Environmentalists believe that if you do not introduce recycling, in 10 years the area of landfills in the world will be equal to two areas of the Azov Sea. At the same time more than 70% of waste buried in landfills could be recycled. Therefore, if you start to take waste for recycling yourself – this will already be a big step towards saving nature.

4. Choose eco-driving

The most useful ways of transport are walking and cycling. And it is useful not only for nature, but also for your health. In addition, not much damage to the planet and public transport. But if you can’t do without a car, we suggest that you use the advice of ecologists to reduce fuel consumption and your environmental footprint.

Take care of your car: get it serviced on time, change air filters, engine oil and spark plugs. Keep to a constant speed and do not exceed the permitted limit. For example, driving at 100 km/h instead of 120 km/h will save 20% of fuel. If you stop for more than a minute, turn off the engine. And maintain the necessary pressure in the wheels. Wheels that are not fully inflated produce more drag and consequently increase fuel consumption.

5. Use reusable.

Reducing waste is just as important as recycling it properly. Try not to use things with a short life cycle. Especially since today, there are reusable alternatives to almost everything disposable. Buy less of what will almost immediately go in the trash: disposable dishes, over-packaged food, disposable towels and napkins. Choose foods in packaging made of environmentally friendly materials: paper, glass, cloth.

The lifetime of a plastic bag is about 12 minutes. But such bags do not degrade, and their effect on the ecosystem is growing every day. As for biodegradable paper bags, during their production more harmful substances are emitted into the atmosphere: the carbon footprint of a paper bag is 3 times higher than that of a plastic bag. And as a result using 1000 paper bags is equal to burning 8 liters of gasoline. If you want to help the planet – get some reusable cotton bags or a thermal bag for shopping.

6. Instill ecological habits in the workplace

You can teach respect for nature by example. Become an environmental steward for the whole office. Abandon the elevator in favor of the stairs and remember to turn off your computer at the end of the day. If you buy lunch at a cafe, bring reusable containers and thermocaps. And suggest that your bosses organize separate garbage collection in the office in three categories: paper, plastic and glass.

If there is nothing to breathe in the office, then take care of its landscaping. It is enough to put a few extra pots with plants. After all, even on NASA space ships they breed plants to improve air quality. And in good weather, you can even move the meeting to nature. Take a large blanket and a thermos of tea and hold a meeting in the nearest park. A change of work environment will not only make you feel better, but also increase productivity.

7. Watch your diet

Making the right food choices will also help reduce your personal ecological footprint. Buy seasonal produce and locally produced goods. They require less fuel to deliver and produce fewer harmful emissions. Also, the more processed a product is, the heavier its ecological footprint. Semi-finished and canned foods are considered the “heaviest”.

Another problem with products is their packaging. Every year, 561 million tons of food packaging is thrown away around the world. So give preference to foods in paper packaging and take a thermal bag with you to the store. Not only will you keep your food fresh and save money on bags, but you’ll cut down on garbage.

8. Give up plastic.

Giving up plastic is unlikely to work completely – too many things around you are created from this cheap material. But you can reduce your consumption of plastic as much as possible and contribute to saving nature. For example, stop buying water in plastic bottles and use reusable bottles made of stainless steel or other reusable material instead.

If you can’t imagine your morning without a coffee to go – come to coffee shops with your own thermal mug. Some coffee shops are even willing to give you a discount on coffee. If you’re in a hurry and forgot your thermocup, at least give up the plastic lid and spoon when you buy a coffee to go.