Going green: 5 benefits of eco-friendly living
Earth is facing a lot of environmental problems. Such issues like global warming, air pollution, ozone layer depletion, water pollution, climate change and many more affect every human and animal on this planet. Therefore, people have to adopt the principles of eco-friendly living. People who make these lifestyle changes become not only healthier. They limit the destruction of the natural environment and wildlife. Want to be healthier and happier as a result of your choices? Royal Craft Wood will show you that everything is possible.
Principles of Eco-friendly Living
Green living is based on minimizing waste, limiting the use of Earth’s natural resources and wise use of the environment. The following are the guiding principles which can help make green living a reality.
Sustainable Water Usage
The requirement for the efficient use of water in farms and manufacturing is part of eco-friendly living principles. The importance of this principle in the need to advance good water utilization practices. We can achieve that by designing water management systems. Such systems can deal with flooding, water wastage, and protection of water sources from pollution or destruction.
Organic Foods
Eating organic foods whenever possible is one of the main principles of green living. Choose healthy, local, organic, low impact and seasonal diets. Limit food waste. Therefore, people need to support local farming and organically grown products. It is not so hard to do. Just buy local and eat organic food.
Sustainable Materials
Sustainable materials refer to healthy, efficient, and durable products. Examples include materials that are locally sourced. For example, our products are made from eco-friendly bamboo.
Sustainable Transport
The use of low carbon transport mechanisms is a good principle of green living. It implies the need to increase green transport services. The best available options include electric trains and cars, walking or cycling. All these options are good alternatives to driving high emission vehicles.
No Waste and No Carbon
Focus on reducing the waste sent to the landfills. It is essential to buy and consume only products that you really need. The key is quality, not quantity. Finding the easiest ways of using efficient and renewable technology is also a goal.
Creating a Healthy Environment
Active and meaningful life activities help you achieve good health and well being. Fun, healthy, and less stressful living is a goal. Do more hiking, hiking, walking, sailing, and skiing. Doesn’t that sound like a good goal?
Cultural Values
Culture has easy and effective ways of preserving and enhancing the local environment. For instance, local cultures stress conservation, minimizing waste and the use of local materials and organic products. Thus, reviving and respecting the local culture, identity, and knowledge contributes to the progress of people’s involvement in environmentally friendly practices and creating a new culture of sustainability.
Benefits of Environmentally Friendly Living
Eco-friendly living can give you lots of benefits. You will limit your impact on the environment, change your lifestyle and choose a healthier life. But these advantages are not all. Here are the top advantages of going green.
Health Benefits
Leading an environmentally friendly lifestyle is a perfect way to improve health and become a better version of yourself. Great quality organic and local food will help you to achieve a healthy diet. You will notice not only improved well-being, but you will also become stronger, more energized, and fit. Moreover, biking, and walking instead of driving your car can help you stay fit too. You become a part of the community focused on saving the planet. Knowing that you are protecting the planet feels really awesome. Because sustainable living embraces natural lighting and the appreciation of nature, it can also enhance happiness and decrease depression. Consumption of quality and non-toxic food products promotes good health.
Better Planet for Future Generations
The most important reason for making a decision to live sustainably is to simply safeguard the environment. It means ensuring its stability and existence for future generations. Utilizing the sun’s energy, reducing your environmental footprint, use of non-toxic materials, and effectively using the planet’s resources will ensure the environment is stable and able to support the current generations as well as future generations. Statistics reported by the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2013 reveal that as sustainable movement advances, greenhouse gas emissions gradually decrease. This is an indication that sustainable living promises a more stable planet for future generations.
Cost Savings
More and more people are looking for simple ways to cut living costs. Well, sustainable living is the best way of cutting back on living costs. Why? Because it entails reducing the earth’s natural resource consumption. For instance, sustainable homes promise reduced costs of water consumption, heating and lighting through the implementation of water-saving techniques, use of green energy, and smart lighting solutions respectively.
Maximizing Energy and Water Efficiency
The use of passive ventilation systems, passive solar design, water recycling techniques, rainwater harvesting, and waste management will ensure the maximization of energy and water efficiency. This benefit guarantees comfortable homes with reduced utility bills and reduced waste of resources.
Sustainable and Durable Products
A sustainable lifestyle entails purchasing and using products that are green, durable, and efficient. Furniture products crafted from bamboo are good examples as they are long lasting and made from a renewable resource. Besides, unlike timber, bamboo doesn’t release stored CO2. Other sustainable, durable, and affordable materials are those crafted from recycled products or waste byproducts. Aside from their sufficiency and durability, reusing them also helps the environment.
8 Steps to Start Green Living
There are lots of actions we can take to live a sustainable lifestyle. Here are examples of eco-friendly ways of living to help you get started and boost your health too.
Fewer Plastics
Plastics are a growing menace in our environments and they take billions of years to decompose. Furthermore, they also contain hazardous chemicals and are associated with the deaths of thousands of marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and seals after they ingest the plastic or are trapped in them. Therefore, ditching the plastic, especially one-time-use plastic products is a great example of sustainable living.
Reducing Energy Use
Reducing the overall household energy use promotes a sustainable lifestyle. This can simply be done by turning off lights and appliances when not in use, installing energy-efficient appliances, use of a programmable thermostat that regulates the temperature, hanging clothes outside to dry as an alternative to using the dryer, and replacing incandescent light bulbs with led bulbs. The installation and use of solar or wind power is similarly a practical way of reducing energy costs and offsetting the overall carbon footprint.
Finding Ways of Reusing Everything
There are a thousand and one incredible ways of reusing almost everything. Reusing plastic packaging, bottles, and cups for other purposes is just one example. For instance, instead of simply recycling a used plastic water bottle, you can refill it with water and reuse it. The same applies to common household products such as mugs, jugs, magazines, shoes, clothes, and mats among others. Instead of throwing these items away, sell them or donate them to give them an extended lifespan.
CONSERVE WATER
This is another way to start eco-friendly living. How you can achieve this? You can try to use water-efficient washers or water-saving showerheads. All these can conserve water. Also, you can choose drought-tolerant plants. They require less water and are the best for such purposes.
Cooking Food at Home
Preparing food at home will ensure you enjoy your meals and above all, you’ll be eating healthier while at the same time cutting back on your spending. Eating locally is also a more impressive way of living sustainably. Instead of taking a trip to the supermarket, shop for vegetables, fruits, and other products in farmer’s markets as those in the supermarkets consume huge amounts of fossil fuel during transportation.
Drive Green
It is easier than you may think. So, you can start to use public transport or even the rail system. If you want you can buy a bike, or just walk. These options are the most efficient. Bike or walk instead of using the car. Plus, you become healthier :)
Your Own Garden
You can grow your own fruits, vegetables, and plants to be a part of green living. Grow plants and vegetables in the corner of your yard or in a window box. A lot of space is not necessary to grow fruit, herbs, or vegetables. It is necessary for the long term.
Recycle Items
Start to recycle everything. Do you have used glass or plastic products? Or obsolete electronics such as TVs, laptops, refrigerators, cell phones, or batteries? Find local responsible recycling companies for these items.
Be Green
There are a lot of myths about eco-friendly living. But the truth is simple. The green lifestyle can do as much for you and your family as it does for the earth and for future generations. It is easier to start than you think. Therefore, go green, choose a sustainable way and move forward with your eco-friendly lifestyle as soon as possible!