1- You have to try it.
You already took the first step by clicking in this page. So kudos for you! By showing you little things here and there, you’ll find out how simple the steps are and how big of a difference it makes in the end.
2- You must WANT it.
First and foremost, you need to want it. As Gandhi wisely said “Be the change you want to see in the world”. And a burning desire for change may only come after you’ve done a couple of things and realize that it’s not that hard to make a difference.
3- Find your comfort level.
By finding your comfort level and being honest with yourself, you won’t get overwhelmed. You may want to start to do one thing a week, and increase from there. Then see which area you feel most comfortable contributing to. For example, we may recommend that you take 5 minute showers, but if long showers are the only thing that makes you relax, it’s an unrealistic task for you. It may be easier for you to eat less meat, or rather than eating meat twice daily, you drop it down to once a day (farming cattle accounts for 18% of global warming – almost 1/5 of green house gases are caused by the meat you eat!). You may also want to volunteer at events, or if you’re a good public speaker, get the word out at your community or Toastmasters club.
4- Take a look at what you’re doing now.
And see the little things you could change. You reusable coffee cup may want to start by getting a natural shampoo or a chemical-free window cleaner. With time you’ll become more aware of the things you purchase and begin to look at alternatives.
5- Let’s begin!
The smaller things you can change and the ones that will make the most impact are the following:
- If you don’t already, start recycling your papers, bottles, and cans. You’d be amazed at the amount of people that don’t recycle. And not only should you recycle at home, you should recycle at work.
- Turn off unnecessary lights at your home, not only will your electricity bill be lower, you’re helping the environment as well
- Turn off the water when you brush your teeth. It’s unbelievable how many gallons of water are wasted by leaving the water running.
- Take a reusable coffee cup to work (and the coffee shop), you may not see the difference with your own eyes, but by using foam or paper cups every day, you’re filling a landfill with paper cups that would take to fill up someone’s cube within a year!
- Take a reusable water bottle with you, same amount apply, if not more, since we drink water more often than coffee.
- Compost your food scraps, not only will you be able to make your own fertilizer (or give to your neighbor if you don’t have any plants), you’re making a big impact in the landfills.
- Buy local fruits and veggies (at your farmer’s market). It’s one of my favorite things to do, wake up on a Sunday morning, get a cup of coffee from the local coffee shop, and off we are to buy our weekly fruits and veggies. Not only are they cheaper than the supermarkets, most of them are organic (less chemicals going in your body and the Earth), they travel less (therefore polluting less), they’re much tastier, AND you support your local farmers!!! Couldn’t be better!