Top 11 Tips To Become An Eco-Friendly Consumer

Becoming an eco-friendly consumer means consuming goods and services that don’t harm the environment. That is essentially leading a lifestyle that doesn’t waste resources available to you. And responsibly utilizing the natural resources available.

With rising global temperature and some effects of climate change becoming irreversible. The need of the hour is for all of us to become conscious effects of our consumption on the environment.

By changing your lifestyle and day-to-day consumption you can make a big impact on reducing carbon emissions.

Many of you want to become an eco-friendly consumer but don’t understand where to start and how to become an eco-friendly consumer.

Here you can find out 11 easy-to-implement tips to become an eco-friendly consumer.

Tips To Become An Eco-Friendly Consumer

#1. Saving Electricity

Using electricity conservatively can be your first step to becoming an eco-friendly consumer. Reducing the unnecessary use of electricity will also reduce your electricity bills while helping you reduce carbon emissions.   

With climate change, summers are getting hotter and winters are getting colder, which has resulted in increased consumption of electricity. Most of the electricity worldwide is produced using polluting energy sources like coal. This is further resulting in increased carbon emissions and increasing global temperatures.

You can do your bit in all this by consuming electricity efficiently and in an eco-friendly manner. To become an eco-friendly electricity consumer, you should:

• Develop the habit of turning off lights and other electric appliances when not in use.
• Design your houses to take maximum benefits from natural lighting and ventilation.
• Replace the normal light bulbs with energy efficient LED bulbs.
• solar powered outdoor lights in your gardens or gate pillars.
• solar water heaters to meet the water heating needs.

Using electricity sustainably will help in reducing your carbon footprint as you take the first step towards becoming an eco-friendly consumer. 

#2. Water Conservation

Sustainable water consumption is another way to become an eco-friendly consumer. The Indian government’s central groundwater board report published in 2017 reported critical or over-exploited groundwater in 256 of 700 districts. That is a significant drop in groundwater levels because of over-exploitation.

India has about 16% of the world’s population but has access to only 4% of freshwater resources.

With limited water resources that are depleting fast, the need for water conservation has become the need of the hour. And we need more and more energy to pump water out from deep groundwater reserves that are also depleting fast.

You can do your bit by consuming water in an eco-friendly manner. To become an eco-friendly water consumer, you should:

• Use water-efficient plumbing fixtures and appliances in your kitchen and bathrooms.
• Turnoff taps tightly and get the leaking taps fixed as soon as possible before you waste litres of water.
• Use dish washers and washing machines only with full load.
• Reuse the grey water to water plants or to flush toilets.
• Frequently check for leaks in taps and toilet flushing systems.
• Visit here to read more about water conservation methods.

Using the water sustainably can help you become an eco-friendly consumer.

#3. Travel Sustainably

Tourism and travel account for 8% of the total carbon emissions worldwide as per the 2018 research article. That makes travel and tourism major contributors to climate change.

Whenever you travel, make a conscious choice of selecting the most sustainable mode of travel. Whether you are traveling on office or personal expense choose a most eco-friendly mode of transportation. Public transportation systems are among the most economical and eco-friendly modes of transportation.

To become an eco-friendly traveler, you should:

• Make sustainable travel choices means choosing public transport over private.
• Avoid taking flights for short distances and choosing non-stop flights whenever you need to travel.
• Use a car in its full capacity to reduce per person carbon emissions.
• Try using eco-friendly electric vehicles or CNG vehicles that are economical and pollute less.
• If you travel for leisure, visit here to know more about travelling sustainably.

By making conscious choices regarding your travel, you will be moving another step ahead to become an eco-friendly consumer.

#4. Reduce Food Waste

Food waste makes up the major part of the waste generated by every household. Not only the food waste, but the food packaging is also amongst the top food-related waste.

The food waste and its packaging mostly end up in landfills or are burned. In both cases, it is damaging the environment and surroundings. You can reduce your food and food-related waste by consciously planning the food item purchases and their preparations.

To become an eco-friendly food consumer, you should:

• Start carrying your own reusable coffee cups instead of using plastic disposable cups.
• Carry your own containers to get food packed for home.
• Plan your meals to avoid food wastage.
• Try making new meals from leftover food instead of throwing it away.
• Try growing own vegetables at home.

Developing a mindset to avoid any food wastage will give you many ideas to reduce your food wastage. By simply reducing your food wastage and related packaging waste, you will take another step to become an eco-friendly consumer.

#5. Avoid Using Single-use Plastics

Plastic was once known as a miracle invention, has become the most polluting thing that humans have ever produced. Plastic waste can be found everywhere be it inland or the sea. There are giant garbage dumps in the sea, that are mostly filled with plastic waste. Read here about the North Atlantic Garbage Patch and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The plastic never decomposes. That is why it ends up in landfills and sea damaging our environment including marine life. You can find many reports across the internet about the damage caused by plastic waste. Check here the video of a plastic straw being stuck in a tortoise nose, or here for large amounts of plastics being found inside a dead whale. Plastic waste is not the only problem caused by plastic. Lots of greenhouse gases are emitted for the production of plastic materials.

You need to do your bit to stop this plastic menace. 

Avoid using any sorts of single-use plastics that could include:

• Getting rid of plastic straws or plastic packaging.
• Carrying your own reusable water bottles while travelling.
• Start carrying your own reusable coffee cups instead of using plastic disposable cups.
• Using reusable shopping bags instead of plastic one time use bags.
• Promoting the recycling and repurposing of the plastic material.

You can get started by stopping the use of single-use plastic in your daily routine to become an eco-friendly consumer.

#6. Use Eco-friendly Products

Replacing certain products that you use in your day-to-day life with eco-friendly products can make a big difference in making you an eco-friendly consumer. You can start small by switching over to bamboo brush on your next purchase or start carrying your own water bottle whenever you travel. You can also buy products of your regular use in bulk to reduce the packaging and transport costs involved.

If you want to become an eco-friendly consumer, you can switch over to eco-friendly products. Here are a few tips for doing the same.

• Buy eco-friendly gifts for your loved ones.
• Switch over to biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes.
• Women can start using reusable sanitary pads or reusable menstrual cups.
• Using solar powered outdoor lights in your gardens or gate pillars.
• Use solar water heaters to meet the water heating needs.
• For more ideas for eco-friendly products, check this growing list of eco-friendly products.

Switching over to eco-friendly products will go a long way in making you an eco-friendly consumer.

#7. Support Eco-friendly Businesses

Look for the practices of the businesses you are buying your stuff from. Do they follow eco-friendly must-dos contribute to reducing their carbon footprints?

Ask the right questions regarding their practices towards the environment. Businesses do listen to the questions of their consumers and act accordingly. Your one inquiry can become the trigger for much-needed change.

You can also become an eco-friendly consumer by:

• Supporting the businesses that work on reducing their carbon footprint.
• Supporting businesses that sell eco-friendly products.
• Asking right questions to trigger much needed changes in businesses.

You can always spread the word about eco-friendly businesses to help them do better.

If you are a business owner and want to make your business eco-friendly, here are 10 tips to make your business eco-friendly.

#8. Buy Local Products

Support your local farmers and manufacturers by buying from them. Buying local means reduced carbon emissions in way of transportation and storage costs. Food and goods imported from faraway places often have a bigger carbon footprint. Above that, local food products are healthier and fresh. By buying local, you also support your local community and economy.

By supporting farmers and manufacturers in your own community, you will do your bit by cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions of transportation.

#9. Composting

Even after you try hard to reduce the food waste you generate, you are going to end up with some. This is where the good old technique of composting comes into the picture.

You can use all your food waste to make compost instead of sending it into landfills. This way you reduce the amount of waste being generated. The compost thus produced can be reused to grow plants and vegetables for your own consumption.

By creating your own compost from food waste and using it for growing your own vegetables, you will reduce a lot of carbon emissions.

To learn more about kitchen waste composting you can visit here or to buy compost bins you can visit here.

#10. Grow Your Own Vegetables

As mentioned above, you can use your kitchen waste to create compost that can be further used for growing your own vegetables and fruits.

Growing your own vegetables means reducing all the fuel that is burnt by you to travel to the market to buy vegetables. Also, the home-grown vegetables are 100% organic and healthy to eat.

You might not meet all your vegetable needs at the start, but a small start can have a big impact in the long run. Do your bit for the environment by starting growing your own vegetables and fruits.

#11. Educate Others

After you take steps towards becoming an eco-friendly consumer. You need to spread the word and tell all your friends and family about eco-friendly options available out there.

If you find an eco-friendly product that you find useful. Don’t just keep it to yourself. Tell your friends about it. As more consumers like you consume such eco-friendly products. It will send a message to other companies to change and come up with more green products.

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