Major Lockdowns due to COVID-19 in 2020 resulted in decreased carbon emissions but had a small impact on global concentrations. Due to relief in restriction of pandemic in 2021, carbon emissions are expected to increase. The world is already facing climate crisis and global warming and these continuous emission will worsen the situation. Thus, there is a need to make some meaningful changes in your lifestyle and minimize your environmental footprint in order to protect the environment. Below mentioned are some tips to go green in 2021. 

1. Opt for Reusable Water Bottles 

Using plastic water bottles is a common practice. These bottles are thrown into garbage after single use which mostly goes into oceans and landfills resulting in ocean and land pollution. According to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 27 million tons of plastic entered into landfills in 2018. Human health and marine life both are at stake due to such single use plastic waste. Thus, switching to reusable water bottles is an eco-friendly option. Reusable bottles are easy to use, long lasting and money savers as they aren’t frequently purchased. Moreover, they help you keep the single use waste out of oceans and landfills along with reducing your carbon footprint.

 2. Drive Less Walk More 

Energy consumption is one of the major cause of pollution as large amount of fossil fuels are burnt for its production. It takes plenty of fuel even when you go for a small ride. To cut your overall footprint, walking or cycling is a greener alternative for shorter rides. Try to minimize your travel and opt for carpooling and ridesharing if going to a similar place with your friends instead of using separate vehicle and single rides. Buying eco-friendly electric cars is another option to reduce your fuel usage along with keeping the environment clean and green.

 3. Choose Sustainable Fashion 

Over the past few decades, consumerism has increased especially when it comes to clothing. We all want to buy new dresses every time we visit a store online or offline. Mostly, people opt for fast fashion brands as they are low-priced and discard them after minimal use as they are not durable. These clothes usually end up in landfills or get burned causing harm to the environment. According to EPA, 11. 3 million tons of municipal solid waste textiles ended up in landfills in 2018. Thus, to ensure a sustainable future, you must consider what you are wearing and start buying from sustainable brands. Some brands offer organic clothing which not only preserves natural resources during production but is also easy to recycle and reuse. Although, buying eco-friendly clothing is a bit costly, it will help you save on other environmental costs. So, in 2021 purchase less and support environmental sustainability. 

4. Eat more of a Plant Based diet 

It takes less resources such as land and water in the production of plant based diet as compared to a meat based diet. Moreover, meat source food production releases a large amount of greenhouse gases which continuously deplete the environment. Thus, when you transform your diet to plant based one, you can eliminate the risk of global warming and climate change. In 2021, make a resolution to promote a greener environment by changing your lifestyle in terms of diet, travelling, buying sustainable clothes and reusable items.

 Switching to an eco-friendly lifestyle is not as easy as it seems. You have to put in extra effort to make things right which starts with minor transformations. Anyone can begin to alter habits in order to preserve the natural resources that go to waste because of unnecessary consumption, but it takes commitment. In our homes, generally the bathroom is the place where most of the waste is generated. Start with making sustainable changes in your bathroom that will not only create a positive environmental impact, but will also save you money. In order to reduce your bathroom waste and contribute to the common good, we have made you a list of sustainable tips to follow. 

1. Buy Eco-friendly Shower Heads and Avoid Using Bath Tubs

 Opt for water efficient shower heads for your bathroom. Traditional shower heads lead to loss of water even in a 5 minute shower. Eco-friendly shower heads reduces your water consumption by inserting air along with water to increase pressure. Moreover, minimize your shower time to make less use of water. Avoid using bath tubs as they take much more water relative to shower. According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), almost 70 gallons of water is needed in a full bath tub as compared to a five minute shower which takes about 10-25 gallons of water. In this way, you will minimize your individual environmental footprint. 

2. Replace Your Traditional Toilet

 Another way to reduce water wastage is by switching to low flow toilets with further dual flusher for better results. It flushes the waste with pressure using less water compared to the ordinary historical ones of the past. 

3. Install Motion Sensor Faucets 

Plenty of water goes to waste when we wash our hands or brush teeth as we often don’t realize the amount of water that keeps running unnecessarily. To avoid such situations, motion sensor faucets are the best option for bathroom sinks. These faucets sense your motion when you move your hands away from the faucet and stops water flow when not needed, thus a fixing motion sensor in your sinks allows you to save sufficient water. 

4. Buy Bathroom Products in Bulk 

Most bathroom products are packaged in single-use plastic bottles. These bottles usually enter into landfills after you discard them and release harmful emissions. To minimize such waste try to avoid small packaged products and buy your beauty and cleaning products in bulk. Bulk purchase is not just economical but also minimize plastic pollution.

 5. Make Your Own Bathroom Cleaning Products 

Utilize natural and safe ingredients such as lemon juice, baking soda and vinegar that are easily available at your home to create your own cleaning liquids. These are not just cost effective, but also reduce health risks as cleaning products that we buy from the market many times contain unsafe elements. Moreover, you will reduce your plastic waste by cutting back on un-ecofriendly cleaning products as you can make fresh products for single use while avoiding plastic containers in storage. 

6. Make your Shampoo at home

 You can easily make shampoo with natural ingredients that are typically available and found in your home. Homemade organic shampoo reduces the risk of harmful chemicals present in ordinary shampoos from getting also into the water supply through bathroom drains. Moreover, natural and nontoxic ingredients are harmless for your hair and can be customized as per your hair needs. You can store the shampoo in reusable containers to avoid plastic packaging making your bathroom clean and green.

While being at home, we don’t realize how many resources we are going to waste because of our carelessness. Wasting these resources such as water and energy cause harm not just to the environment but also to the economy at large. To ensure environmental sustainability, we have to start taking small steps towards a greener future. Practicing eco-friendly habits at home is the first step you can take in this regard. Here are some easy tips you can follow to go green at home.

1.     Use High Efficient Washing Machines

In order to reduce your water consumption, you can buy high efficient washing machines. According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a high efficient washing machine takes about 13 gallons less water per load as compared to regular ones. Moreover, you can use cold water for washing clothes which will reduce your energy consumption by 80% along with minimizing your carbon footprint. Though, it seems a bit costly to buy a high efficient washing machine but it will help you save money in the long run.

2.     Turn Off Your Taps and Lights

You can save plenty of water by just turning the water tap off when brushing your teeth, putting soap on your hands or while taking shower. Fix water pipe leaks as quickly as possible to avoid any wastage. In order to reduce energy usage, make most use of daylight and try to dry up your washed clothes in natural sunlight to avoid dryers. Moreover, switch off the lights when you leave the room empty and replace your traditional lights with LED bulbs for saving energy.

3.     Opt for Cloth instead of Paper

In order to reduce single use paper consumption, you can reuse your old clothes for cleaning purposes. Old clothes or cleaning towels are an economical and greener alternative to paper towels as they are durable, reliable and long-lasting. Along with saving you money, shifting to cloth towels will reduce your waste as you will not have to throw it in the dustbin after single use.

4.     Make Your Own Green Cleaning Products

Cleaning products that we often use at home contain toxic chemicals such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which have an adverse effect on health and the environment. To avoid these harmful effects, you can make your own products at home from natural and safe ingredients. You can use baking soda, lemon and vinegar to clean your kitchen and bathroom.

5.     Create your own Organic Garden

Another way of going green at home is planting your own garden. When you grow your own organic vegetables and fruits, you can avoid usage of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. In this way, you can eat healthy along with minimizing your overall environmental footprint.

Over time, global issues such as pollution and climate change will ever be increasing. To alleviate these issues, you have to shift to green living and make small changes starting from your home. Choosing a green lifestyle will allow you to preserve the environment along with minimizing health risks.