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10 Really Easy Ways You Can Help out the Environment

©Wikipedia

No matter who you are or where you live, there are always little things you can do to help out the environment. Even if they seem inconsequential to you, taking small steps adds up – especially when countless other people are out there doing the same thing.

So try to implement these habits into your daily lives, and we’ll all be better for it in the long run.

Cause we’ve got a crisis on our hands, and every little bit helps.

1. Turn down the brightness on your monitor.

Desk Upgrade

You can save up to 20% of your monitor’s energy just by adjusting your brightness from 100% to 70%. Go on and do it now…I’ll wait.

2. Think about your music streaming.

Headphones

A study says that today’s music streaming might produce up to double the greenhouse gas emissions as compared to music streaming in the early part of this century. Consider downloading music instead of streaming and do a little research about which streaming companies use cleaner energy.

3. Streaming devices are important, too.

RCS_7989 - IPad - Game Changer

A gaming console might use 30 to 45 times as much power to stream a movie than a regular media player.

4. Order more.

Package

If you buy things online, order more than one item at a time. This cuts down on delivery and packaging in the long run.

5. Search engines matter.

https://flickr.com/photos/77517370@N05/7118123003/in/photolist-4owGnH-9qJxaa-8NpL2c-ecoQnV-cQTM8J-24RYYy8-bR1eYF-dUrzWt-bEL5xz-h95EnU-4pHVke-9r8Tp6-9rbRbS-7RgUzA-WwEniu-cPA6Jy-gDPukf-T6gZeu-8TVWD9-fJYhgR-bxAJx1-25tL1VL-Srkn6w-9r8TrZ-SZ7rDC-9qJxb4-MNzFK7-9r8PG2-mvRquo-8vKa46-9r8PH8-gDQs6c-9r8Tsg-UqP7Xp-Srkn4h-26vCQ8W-4b5Aa7-bEL5Dt-rwqsdE-brRcJ5-2anPVWq-SWWdGH-SF7HBg-buHXVe-dMJxss-MHDcnr-9gzPsg

Different search engines give back to the environment in different ways. For instance, Ecosia donates ad revenue to plant trees and, according to their website, they run net carbon negative. Do some research and see which ones are doing green work.

6. Unplug it.

Apple...Unplugged

When you’re not using your charger, unplug it. Simple as that. Phone and laptop chargers draw electricity even if you’re not actively charging a device, so give those breakers…a break.

7. Or use a surge protector.

Surge protector

Surge protectors with an On/Off switch are a good option too for those hard-to-reach plugs.

8. Get on that bike.

Kamilah on a Bike

Biking may actually be faster than driving a car in some American cities, so hop on that bicycle of yours to get to where you’re headed.

9. Spam is bad.

email-spam

Roughly 62 TRILLION spam emails are sent each year. Something you may not think about often: sending email actually has a carbon footprint from servers working. Which means those spam emails equal about 20 tons of CO2 each year. So go ahead and hit the “Unsubscribe” button, please.

10. Buy used and vintage clothes.

Thrift Store

According to The Economist, “From the pesticides poured on cotton fields to the washes in which denim is dunked, making 1kg of fabric generates 23kg of greenhouse gases on average.” Seems like kind of a waste, doesn’t it? So consider heading to the thrift store instead of grabbing a new flannel.

Give us some of your tips as well in the comments!

We’re in this together, so let’s all do our part, okay?