These small changes can go a long way:
As we all know, humans are the biggest threat to our environment. We use up so many resources and create so much waste. I have believed in global climate change my whole life, and I have always understood it was a serious problem, but I never really tried to change things in my personal life to help the effort. I thought, "Oh I'm just one person, what I do isn't really going to make any difference." It is not really until this past year that I actually started making conscious efforts to be less wasteful, despite having the phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle" engrained into my brain since kindergarten. I may not be the most environmentally friendly person in the world, but I certainly am trying. Here is a list of six easy changes I made in my daily life that you can make in yours too.
1. Avoid using plastic bags while shopping
When you go to the corner store to pick up a couple items and the cashier asks you if you want a bag, just say "no." Unless your hands are completely full or you bought far too many items to hold, you have no excuse for not carrying it on your own. You don't need a plastic bag to hep you carry a bag of chips or a bottle of gummy vitamins. Similarly, if you know you are going to go out shopping, plan to bring some reusable totes along. Or, if you happened upon a more unexpected trip to the grocery store, just request paper bags instead of plastic ones.
2. Use public transportation when possible
If you live in an urban area, try taking the bus places rather than driving. It can save you a lot of gas and cause less air pollution. Trains and buses can actually be very convenient. If you take public transportation, you don't have to worry about finding a parking spot or, even worse, paying for parking. If you live in an area where public transportation isn't an option, consider finding a few people to carpool with.
3. Shower less
Showering less was a big change for me. I used to religiously shower every single day, and they'd usually be pretty long showers as well. Sometimes I would even take a bath and a shower both within the same day. After I cut my extremely long hair down to my shoulders, my shower time decreased immensely. I didn't have to spend as much time washing my hair and trying to brush it out as I used to. Now, since I've moved out of my parents' house and started college, I don't shower every day. I try to shower every other day, and sometimes I will even go two or three days without a shower. The truth is, humans just don't need to bathe every day to stay hygienically clean. In fact, over-washing can even be bad for our skin and hair.
4. Pee in the shower
Yeah sure, it may sound nasty. But get over it. The stigma around peeing in the shower has got to go. Peeing in the shower is no more disgusting than peeing in a toilet is; the main difference is just that the water in the shower was going to be used anyways. When you pee in the toilet and flush it, then jump in the shower, you are actually wasting gallons of water. Also, it really isn't gross at all. You are in the shower to get clean anyways, aren't you? There is even an entire program dedicated to peeing in the shower called Go With The Flow. This campaign rose to fame after two university students estimated that peeing in the shower could potentially save 187 million gallons of water per year.
5. Avoid flushing tampons down the toilet
This is another one I used to be super guilty of, and it is actually my New Year's resolution to quit doing it. Something about wrapping up a used tampon in toilet paper and throwing it in the garbage is just nasty to me, but the toll that flushing them takes on our environment is even nastier. Tampons do NOT break down, even if they say they are flushable on the box. Don't let the advertising fool you. Similarly, you shouldn't flush condoms or "flushable" wipes down the toilet either. Anything that isn't human waste or toilet paper doesn't belong in our sewers.
6. Do not litter!
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Just don't throw your trash on the ground! This includes cigarette butts (to all my friends who smoke). Animals often ingest cigarettes, thinking they are food. After the cigarettes are ingested, they can choke animals or poison them with toxins.
I know it isn't always convenient to carry your non-biodegradable garbage with you while you wait to find a trash can, but please just shove it in your pocket or purse for a little while. I promise some wrappers or a napkin won't kill you.
