How Can I Become More Environmentally Friendly

If you’re like most Americans, you’re concerned about the creeping impact of global warming
and the near-certain implications it has for our future. While the situation might make you feel
hopeless, experts have stated that there are countless things ordinary citizens can do to reduce
their carbon footprint and make a tangible difference. Here are a few suggestions to get you
started:

Recycle

The United States is among the countries in the world that produce the most waste. You can
help fix that by recycling your glass, plastic, and metal materials so that they can be reused in
new products. And in case you think your efforts to recycle are all for nothing, you can be
reassured by a statistic from the Aluminum Association that manufacturing used recycled
aluminum is 92 percent more efficient than using unused raw materials.

Shop Sustainably

If your shopping habits end up with you not using a bunch of the stuff you just bought and
eventually just tossing it, you might want to consider making some changes. Avoiding impulse
buying and truly considering whether you need a new car, piece of furniture, or household
project can make a huge difference. Better yet, shop secondhand for durable goods (like
nursery furniture) that you won’t need for a long time.

Minimize Packaging

If you’re a fan of online shopping or use services like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron, you probably
accumulate a good amount of plastic in your packaging. This contributes to a large amount of
plastic waste in landfills all across the country. Try as hard as you can to avoid using large
amounts of packaging—reuse containers and other things like bubble wrap, and see if your
local shipping service can reuse these materials.