Whenever I hear someone talk about pollution and the doom of planet Earth, I always roll my eyes. Pollution, recycling, global warming – I think “these big issues don’t apply to me or affect my daily life.” However, every big topic starts small. In the spirit of Earth Day, I have compiled a list of easy ways to help reduce energy waste and use. If more people followed these five simple, no-effort suggestions, our entire quality of life could improve significantly.
1. Empty the lint out of your dryer
Dryers use up more energy with more lint. Removing the lint not only saves your machine energy and makes the whole process safer, but it also makes your clothes look pretty and smell nicer.
2. Use a Brita filter (or something similar)
Bottled water isn’t proven to be better for you than tap water, so why not just use the water you are already paying for? Transportation of bottled water contributes to pollution via vehicle emissions, and not everybody puts their empty bottles in the recycling bin
3. Throw a party and cook for friends
Large portions of food have less packaging than something individually wrapped or sold in the grocery store. Buying in bulk is a win-win for the environment as well as for you and your friends!
4. Drink coffee out of a mug or thermos, not a polystyrene cup
Mugs and thermoses are easily reusable (and transportable) compared to the mass amount of foam cups at your workplace/school that aren’t recyclable
5. Walk through a revolving door if available
Revolving doors aren’t just for little kids to play around in; they also help cut heating and cooling costs for a building. This means less energy is used to heat/cool the building, which over time (and across many buildings) makes a big difference on energy expended.