Easy Inexpensive Ways to Save the Planet

Today I want to talk about something that I think is very important, saving our planet. With climate change and all the garbage in the ocean these are just some of the major problems we need to fix. I’ll let you know about easy inexpensive ways to save the planet.

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click that link and  make a purchase I may receive a commission at no cost to you. However, all opinions are my own.

I thought to myself a while ago about how much I wanted to help save the planet. But what can one girl with student dept do about that? I can’t afford to have a solar powered house or get a windmill so if there really much I can do to help? The answer is absolutely yes! Anything you do to try and help the planet is always beneficial. I’ve compiled a list of a ton of easy and inexpensive ways for you to do your part in saving our planet.

Garbage

Let’s start with garbage. If you haven’t heard about the plastic straws I don’t know where you’ve been because it’s all over the place. Many restaurants are steering away from plastic straws in hopes that they don’t end up in the ocean. Now you may think that this doesn’t concern you because you don’t live by the ocean. However, wind can help that garbage travel and it can still end up in a lake or a river or be eaten by a wild animal. Now some people do need straws for medical reasons or like my friends just like straws.

One of the alternatives is paper straws. I’m not a huge fan of paper straws because they get moist when you use them and aren’t as nice to use. However, this is a great alternative for restaurants. If you looking for a type of straw for your home I would suggest a reusable straw that you can clean by hand or in your dishwasher and re-use. That way it won’t find it’s way to somewhere it should be.

It’s great that we are trying to save the planet with straws but they aren’t the only problem. There is tons of garbage in the oceans and in your city. Please do not EVER litter. It’s illegal for good reason. You can hold on to your garbage until you find a garbage can. Also, try to pick up garbage you see outside. You could be saving the life of an animal by picking up one piece of plastic on the side of the road.

For even more ideas on how to stop the spread of garbage my friend Sophia has a blog post about planet friendly items to include in your makeup bad so make sure to go give that a read as well.

Energy

Another way to save the planet is by using less energy. This can be done in a few ways; during the day keep your lights off because the sun can warm up your house for you. Also, in the evening only keep on the lights necessary. Turn off any lights you can to save that energy. Another thing you can do is unplug all your appliances not in use. Even if your appliances are not in use just being plugged in will still draw some energy.

Another great idea is to change your light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs. About a year ago we signed up to get them changed for free. Keep an eye out in your area to see if they have some sort of grant for the same idea. Another way to save the planet is by watching your water use. A good idea is to try to take shorter showers, use less, and turn the water off when its not in use.

Pollution

Pollution is a big problem but that means there are so many ways that we can try and prevent or fix it.

An easy way to start would be to try and drive less. There are so many ways to go about this. You can carpool, take the bus, transit, or train. You can also walk if your close enough.

A way we all need to try and save the planet is by eating less meat and dairy. Eating less meat and dairy will reduce the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere as well as the carbon in the air released from the animals. Along the same lines of this topic is try not to waste food. Making the food makes greenhouse gases so don’t buy more than you will eat.

Something else that creates greenhouse gases is making plastic. You can avoid using plastic my using reusable containers and water bottles. When you get groceries you also should be using reusable shopping bags instead of the plastic bags they give you.

“Most plastic is made from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas, which release toxic emissions when extracted from the earth. According to Earthworks, an organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the impacts of irresponsible mineral and energy development, oil and gas drilling releases a slew of toxic air contaminants, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds. Not to mention the methane gas that can leak and cause greater greenhouse effects than carbon dioxide. Sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde are among the chemicals pumped into the air from natural gas drilling sites.

Many people believe that plastic bags are made from petroleum, but in the United States, the majority of them are made from natural gas, which the plastics industry touts as green and clean. Not so clean when you consider the emissions from extraction.”

Source: https://www.momscleanairforce.org/whats-plastic-got-to-do-with-clean-air/

Some other quick things to always keep in mind is to recycle everything you can as well as only print paper when necessary. There are both very important so always keep them in mind.

And those are all my tips to help save our planet. Please try to keep these in mind at all times so we can all do our part.