Guest post by Rosana Beechum

Due to the ongoing discussion about global warming and climate change, more people are starting to change their day-to-day behavior to help protect the planet. If you want to contribute to this, you’ll need to start making some adjustments that will help you do your part for the environment. The following tips can not only help you make a difference, they’ll also enable you to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Change your diet

Top 4 ways to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle

If you're a meat eater, you may not realise the effect the meat industry has on the environment. In fact, the consumption of meat is actually one of the most significant contributors to climate change. Raising animals for food, including feeding, housing, and slaughtering them, contributes to deforestation, agricultural pollution and water shortages, all of which are detrimental to the health of the planet.

To reduce the effects of meat production, you should consider eating less meat, which can help reduce your carbon footprint by 73%. This may be hard for meat lovers; however, you can start by eating a vegetarian diet just one day of the week; this small difference adds up to a lot, especially as more people jump on the bandwagon with once-weekly “meatless” meals. You may actually surprise yourself and enjoy eating vegetarian food, and you could even take it one step further by growing your own vegetables and fruit, which will save you a significant amount on your food shopping bills.

Separate your rubbish

Another major environmental issue is waste distribution, which causes a significant amount of pollution and carbon emission. By recycling, we can help massively cut down the amount of waste produced by the manufacture of brand-new products and also save energy that would otherwise be spent creating new materials used in those products.

There are numerous ways you can recycle, but you should start by grouping your rubbish. For example, items like paper, plastic, glass and hazardous waste should be recycled separately if possible. You can use buckets or small rubbish bins to separate them properly, which is not only great for the environment but will also avoid putting a dent in your bank account. Better yet, be mindful of the packaging used to wrap the products you buy: single-use plastics are often non-recyclable and end up in landfills or get exported to other countries such as China.

Smarten up your home

One of the best ways to combat environmental issues is by implementing smart technology in your home. This includes devices like smart thermostats, which can help you monitor your heating and lower your energy bills. A smart thermostat is also convenient and efficient, as you can operate your heating from your smartphone, which is a perfect way to save money and energy when you’re away from home.

Property companies like RW Invest utilise smart technology throughout their buy-to-let properties. Their luxury apartments feature automated smart lighting, which only turn on when you enter the room, helping tenants to make massive savings as well as assisting them to become more environmentally aware.

Leave the car at home

If your main form of transport is by car, you may not realise it, but you are actually contributing harmful emissions to the atmosphere, even if you’re just driving a short distance. To reduce your carbon footprint, you should consider giving up your car for a day or two and instead use alternate modes of transport.

If you live in the city centre, it is much easier to get the bus or a train, as you will save yourself a massive amount on parking, petrol and time, especially when travelling at peak hours. Instead of driving to the gym, you should take a healthier option like cycling or walking, which will allow you to achieve your fitness goals faster and also help the environment at the same time.

These are just a few simple ways you can ease into an eco-friendly lifestyle. While ultimately, the solution to climate change lies in a majority of the world’s population making drastic changes in the ways they consume, discard, and travel, many people don’t know where to start. Making simple changes to your lifestyle now isn’t hard, but it is important to get started as soon as possible.

Rosana Beechum is a business and marketing undergraduate from Nottingham Trent University in the UK. As an writer and environmental enthusiast, Rosana loves to share information with others about how to be more environmentally friendly.

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