Eco Friendly Tips for Beginners
You are awesome, you are important, and you can make a difference. It’s all about the small, collective eco friendly actions of those who are willing to try new things, and that’s what the world really needs!
If you’re willing to make more eco-conscious choices in your life and are not sure where or how to start, don’t worry!—I’ve got you covered. Here are 20 eco friendly lifestyle tips to live more sustainably.
1. Take shorter showers
Play a couple of your favorite 2-3 minute songs when you shower. At certain parts of the music you’ll know when to kick it in gear and wash off. This is a great way to time yourself, save water, and listen to your favorite tunes.
2. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth
This is water wasted that really has not benefit to you. It’s not a hot shower spraying on your back while you zone out, or pretty twinkle lights you keep on just for your comfy amusement. It’s literally just water pouring down the drain. Make it a daily reflex to shut the water off to save a little!
3. Try reusable cotton pads
I tried these for the first time a couple months ago, which I reviewed in a recent post. I absolutely love them. I realized that cotton pads really did help me remove makeup and oil from my face, but I hated tossing a pad or two in the trash each day. That’s when I tried reusable cotton pads by Skin Deep, and they’re great! You can pick out your own pair here.
4. Eat less meat
I’ve eaten less meat, more for financial reasons recently in my life. I’m a young professional starting out, and I’ve swapped burgers and chicken to lentils and avocado toast. My body has changed for the better: I have more energy, lost weight, and have better digestion. Not only is it good for your lifestyle, it saves a TON of water. Did you know that one burger costs 4,000 to 18,000 gallons of water to make? Eeek!
5. Make your own bath products
This is incredibly easy! All-natural products just have a few ingredients, and you may have them already in your cupboard. I made a DIY toxin-free bath scrub last week and I am loving it.
6. Go to the farmer’s market
Supporting local farmers reduces the carbon footprint of regularily imported fruits and vegetables. Farmer’s markets tend to have organic produce too, so there are less chemicals washed down the drain or absorbed by our bodies. I make it a Sunday routine to ride my bike to the farmer’s market, and it always makes for great day.
7. Buy secondhand
Need convincing? Speak no more. Here are my best thrift tips and why you should start a sustainable wardrobe.
8. Switch to LED light bulbs
This is an incredibly simple, mindless installment that will save you a lot of money. LED light bulbs use about a fifth of electricity that a regular incandescent light bulb uses.
9. Take the stairs
Instead of taking the elevator up a few flights, try taking the stairs! You will save energy for any solo elevator rides you may take. Plus, it may inspire others to follow in your footsteps, if you catch my drift.
10. Utilize reusable utensils
I like to keep a pair of silverware at my desk. It’s easy and mindless, and it will help you save a lot of plastic.
11. Ditch the straws and stirrers
I never drink my beverage with a straw at home, why would I need one at a restaurant? Skip the straw and use a spoon to stir. It’s a momentary device that will take 450 years to degrade. Something’s not right there…
12. Make your own repurposed gifts
Being creative is good for the soul. It offers self-worth and allows you to engage with your inner child and release some suppressed emotion. It helps you learn what you like, and what you don’t like. Do-it-yourself projects yield this effect. Each project is a little silly challenge for yourself, and it feels to good to make something that looks great. It gives you something to be proud of! When you utilized repurposed items to great gifts for others, that’s even better. Click here to gain some repurposed DIY inspiration.
13. Create your own wrapping paper
The purpose of wrapping paper is to conceal your gift and to make it pretty. It’s really easy to do that with repurposed materials! Try using the comics for your newspaper, colorful pictures in magazines, or old posters you’re tired of. Try even some plain butcher paper with a couple flowers of sprigs of leaves tied on.
14. Unplug when you go outside
There’s this thing called vampire energy, which is the energy exhausted from outlets that have an appliance plugged in, even when it’s not in use. To save that energy, place your plugs into a multi-faced extension cable, and flip the switch off when you leave the room. This makes it easy to be eco friendly .
15. Cancel old mail subscriptions
Keep getting junk mail that you immediately toss in the bin? Contact these businesses and tell them you’re not interested and to take them off their subscription list. There’s no negotiating and it happens immediately.
16. Pay bills online
Instead of receiving a tangible bill in the mail and mailing off a check, try using online banking. It’s incredibly easy, and takes (literally) seconds. Plus, your bill is always paid when you schedule it, and you decrease the possibility of your check getting lost in the mail.
17. Hang your clothes dry
After the wash, place your clothes on a clothesline to dry, if your apartment or home allows for it. You can save 4.4 kilowatts (and a little pocket money) every time you hang a load to dry.
18. Install a low-flow shower head
Save water without even thinking about it. I actually found one off Amazon for just eight dollars. Read about it here and start your days eco friendly !
19. Water your lawn at night
To reduce losing water via evaporation, water your lawn and plants at night. This allows the water to seep into the grownsoil before being sucked into the atmosphere on a sunny day.
20. Xeriscape with native plants
Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. An honestly, drought-tolerant is beautiful too! Drought tolerant plants come in all shapes and sizes, including scrubs, flowers, succulents, and fruit trees. Some cities even offer subsidies when you replace your lawn with a turf or gravel.
Great tips for beginners like me! I must agree with all of these given ideas, unplugging appliances which are not in use reduces energy consumption, replacing old bulbs with LEDs is very helpful, when I started to switch to LED, my electric consumption becomes lower. I am also a fan of Recycling, hope you can share some videos as reference. Thank you.
Totally agree– vampire energy, or the energy used from appliances that’re not in use but plugged in, is something I don’t think a lot of people are aware of! LEDs are probably one of the most simple eco-adjustments you can make and where instantly (whenever your electric bill comes though) you can see the positive financial effect from it. Thanks so much for stopping by!