Easy Ways to Live More Sustainably

Simple Ways to Live More Sustainably After Going Paperless

About Interesting Posts

Interesting documents about a variety of subjects from around the world. Posted on edocr.

Energy consumption Reduce make Sustainably choose eco friendly eco friendly brands environmental impact high quality good Prioritize high quality consume

Simple Ways to Live More Sustainably After Going Paperless

Handmade leather loafers

About Interesting Posts

Interesting documents about a variety of subjects from around the world. Posted on edocr.

Energy consumption Reduce make Sustainably choose eco friendly eco friendly brands environmental impact high quality good Prioritize high quality consume

Beyond Paperless: Easy Ways to Live More Sustainably 
Going paperless is one of the 
most important transitions you 
can make to live a more 
sustainable life, and in today's 
digital environment, it's relatively 
easy to do. 
But what other steps can the 
average person take to live a 
more sustainable life without 
making any major sacrifices? 
Shop Intelligently 
First, commit to shopping in an intelligent and sustainable way. These 
are some of the strategies that can help you do this: 
·       Reduce consumption. Everything you consume has an impact 
on the environment, since every available consumer good must be 
produced, distributed, and taken home from the store. If you reduce 
your consumption, you'll naturally reduce your own environmental 
impact. You don't have to completely overhaul your lifestyle, but if 
you scale back your consumer spending even slightly, you can 
improve your environmental impact. 
·       Prioritize high-quality goods. When you do make new 
purchases, prioritize high-quality goods that are likely to last for a 
long time. Handmade leather loafers, for example, can last many 
years if you take good care of them – and because they can go with 
almost any outfit, they're incredibly versatile. If you're forced to buy 
shoes every year because yours keep falling apart, you'll produce 
more waste and support industries that are responsible for 
disproportionate volumes of pollution. 
·       Shop locally when possible. Whenever you can, shop locally. 
Buying food from a local farmer’s market and purchasing crafts from 
local art fairs is much better than getting everything from a national 
chain of supermarkets. As an added bonus, you'll probably end up 
with better purchases as well. 
·       Review labels and choose eco-friendly brands. Read labels 
carefully when buying new products, including foods. Whenever 
possible, choose eco-friendly brands over their less sustainable 
counterparts; most major brands now publish annual sustainability 
reports and make a concentrated effort to promote their 
environmental endeavors. 
·       Fix instead of replacing. If something breaks in your house, 
your first instinct may be to immediately replace it, but this increases 
your consumption level and your environmental impact. Whenever 
possible, it's better to fix the broken item. 
Reuse and Recycle Whatever You Can 
Environmental responsibility also includes waste management, so 
reuse or recycle whatever you can. Instead of throwing away your 
grocery store bags, use them around the house. Instead of tossing 
the empty jelly jar into the garbage, use it as a glass or recycle it. 
Since most cities in the United States now offer some kind of 
recycling program, there's no excuse not to get involved. 
Travel Sustainably 
A traditional passenger vehicle produces 4.6 metric tons of carbon 
dioxide every year. Even if you're only driving it to work and the 
store, that's still a significant volume of pollution. 
There are several transportation alternatives that can help you reduce 
this pollution: 
·       Walk. For anything within a mile or two of your home, consider 
walking. In addition to minimizing your use of a car, you'll get some 
excellent exercise. 
·       Bike. For destinations that are slightly farther away, you can 
bike. In most areas, bikes are entitled to use the road the same way 
a car would; just make sure you wear a helmet. 
·       Take public transportation. If it's too far to walk or bike to a 
location, consider taking public transportation, such as the subway or 
a bus. 
·       Carpool. Failing that, you may be able to carpool; one car on 
the road is much better than four. 
 
Grow Your Own Food 
Even if you don't think of yourself as having a green thumb, you're 
probably capable of growing at least some of your own foods. If you 
have even a small plot of land, or access to a community garden, 
consider growing some fruits and vegetables to minimize your 
reliance on produce you find in the store. 
Minimize Your Energy Consumption at Home 
The less energy you consume, the less of a burden you're placing on 
the environment. These are some of the easiest ways that you can 
minimize your energy consumption at home without making any 
major sacrifices: 
·       Thermostat adjustments. The biggest source of energy 
consumption in a typical home is the combination of heating and 
cooling. But if you adjust your thermostat even slightly, you can 
dramatically reduce your energy expenditures here. For example, 
setting your thermostat just a few degrees higher in summer and a 
few degrees lower in winter can make a huge difference over time – 
and save you money as well. 
·       Off lights and appliances. Always make sure to turn off your 
lights and appliances when you're done using them. Even though 
modern LEDs are incredibly energy efficient, there's still no reason to 
keep them on if you're not using them. 
·       Creative workarounds. A dryer can use between 1,800 and 
5,000 watts of energy, which is 1.8 to 5 kWh of electricity – so why 
not hang your clothes out to dry instead? Little creative workarounds 
like this can significantly reduce your energy consumption. 
By going paperless, you'll reduce demand for paper and live more 
sustainably, while simultaneously avoiding the need to store mass 
quantities of paper. But going paperless is only the beginning. With 
these strategies, you'll be able to reduce your energy consumption, 
reduce demand for consumer products, minimize pollution, and 
ultimately better protect the environment. Best of all, these lifestyle 
changes don’t require much of a sacrifice – and some of them can 
even save you money.