Tips to Save the Environment – Kitchen habits, Baby care and Solar Panels

If you have seen Al Gore’s documentary film, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, then you are already aware that Mother Earth is in big trouble. Recently, pro-environment organisations have been encouraging the public to do their part. 

Indeed, increasing awareness proved to be effective in saving our natural resources. From planting trees to solar panel installation, more homes and business establishments are showing their support. 

Here are other ways to help nature, such as: 

1. Kitchen Habits. Foil, plastic wraps and other food wastes make up most of our everyday trash. Aside from segregating, you can help minimise kitchen garbage by using reusable food containers. Use machine-washable cloths instead of paper towels. One less paper towel a day can help save 571,230,000 pounds of paper in one year.

2. Grocery habits. Did you know that ink used on plastic bags is made from cadmium, which is highly toxic? Most supermarkets are now using paper bags for groceries. Nevertheless, there are still stores that continue using plastic bags. You can help nature by bringing your own cloth bag or string bag and reuse it every time you go grocery shopping.

3. Gardening. For those with ‘green thumbs’, you can transform food wastes into organic compost. Natural fertilisers can make your plants healthier and reduce your kitchen scraps. Instead of using sprinklers, you can install a drip irrigation system in your garden -- designed to irrigate your plants with minimal waste. 

4. Solar-power. If you are not open to investing in solarpanel companies, you can try solar-powered products instead. Affordable solar gadgets include pathway lights, cell phone chargers, motion lights and more. By adding solar-powered utilities to your everyday use, you can help minimise electricity consumption. Furthermore, you can reduce your electric bill.

5. Bathroom. Regular showers waste around 700 gallons of water a week. So, install a low-flow showerhead instead, which uses less energy and water. Some even have ‘pause’ and ‘timer’ features that can take $200 off your water bill. By using low-flow showerheads, you can save up to 15,000 gallons of water in a year.    

6. Baby care. Did you know that it takes 500 years for a single disposable diaper to decompose? Aside from that, these diapers consume over a million metric tons of wood pulp. There are cotton and cloth diapers made available in the market, which are reusable and environment-friendly. Cotton diapers can also provide more comfort. 

7. Solar panels. Due to the continuous efforts of environmentalists, solar panels can now be installed at home. There are varieties of solar panels for sale in the market. They can provide heat, power supply and light through a battery system. Solar-powered homes can operate in power outages. It can also save you a fortune on electricity.

8. Lighting. Installing large or double-paned windows is energy-efficient. You can minimise your energy consumption during the day. Moreover, using fluorescent light bulbs are proven cost-effective that incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent lights do not flicker or hum and they only use 1/4 amount of energy. 

9. Transportation. There are numerous options when it comes to transportation. You and your friends can carpool every now and then. Use bio-fuels for your car to reduce carbon emissions. If you have to go to a nearby store, make it a habit to walk or ride your bike. It is practical and provides cardiovascular benefits.

When it comes to helping the environment, there are a lot of ways and ideas. From changing your shower habits to installing the best solar panels -- implementing them may seem hard, but making the first move can make a big difference.