Caring for the environment today is not just a fashion trend, but an objective necessity. This is an opportunity to extend the existence of life on our planet. How to live in a city so as not to harm nature?
Let’s talk about zero waste, the ecological rules and other concepts of an ecological lifestyle in the form of simple tips.
#1. Responsible consumption
The greenest thing is the one you don’t buy. Because there was no cost and no pollution to produce, transport, market and dispose of this thing. Think about it and try to minimize your personal consumption.
The concept of responsible consumption includes not only the minimization of purchases, but also a conscious choice. You need to pay attention to the composition of the product, what it is made of and what it is packaged in, in order to understand how safe the production was, how long it traveled before falling into our hands, and how difficult it will be to dispose of it later.
Another nuance: responsible consumption is the purchase of only necessary goods. Therefore, you need to avoid impulsive purchases, don’t succumb to marketing tricks, promotions and sales.
This rule applies to all types of purchases, even large ones such as household appliances or furniture. When buying, say, outdoor furniture, you should give preference to furniture made from durable materials, such as rattan or teak rather than plastic one on sale. A good example of great furniture is the PARASOL store.
#2. Refusal of disposable items
A disposable thing is, in fact, garbage that will soon need to be disposed of. Recycling requires resources and leads to environmental pollution. In Thailand, the production of disposable bags or plastic bags is already prohibited at the legislative level.
- Instead of disposable plastic utensils, you can always use reusable alternatives.
- Instead of packages – use textile reusable bags, string bags, textile bags.
- Instead of plastic straws for drinks – durum wheat straws, reusable metal straws.
- Instead of tea bags – loose leaf tea, and so on.
#3. Choose local products
Local brands don’t need to be transported, which means that resources are not wasted on this and the atmosphere is not polluted.
Another plus of local products is freshness and often natural ingredients. Buy food at the markets, supporting farmers and pensioners. They are pleased, and the planet is 1% more saved.
#4. Separate waste collection
A garbage recycling plant in Phuket receives more than 1,000 tons of garbage every day and can no longer cope with recycling. Therefore, the initiative should fall on the shoulders of the residents. With glass, plastic and paper, everything is generally clear, but with some other categories it can be more difficult. But it is pretty easy to study the question.
Ideally, every citizen who wants to lead an ecological lifestyle should strive for Zero Waste. This concept is to reduce the generation of garbage in order to reduce environmental pollution and improve the quality of life. The less garbage we produce, the less we need to dispose of or burn, and the less it will pollute our planet and atmosphere.
#5. Careful attitude to resources
Have you tried counting how much water you use in a year? Try it and you will be pleasantly surprised. To use less drinking water, you need to take a shower instead of a bath, monitor the serviceability of the taps and drain tank, and turn off the water while brushing your teeth or soaping.
The story is similar to electricity. To save on it, unplug chargers from outlets when not charging, use surge protectors and turn them off when you leave home, don’t forget to turn off the lights. Replace ordinary light bulbs with LED ones – this way you can reduce energy consumption by up to 7 times.
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Using all the tips of an ecological lifestyle at once is not easy. However, you can gradually develop good habits. This has some advantages for everyone:
- Better health from the use of natural products and physical activity.
- Improved air quality from less gas and carbon dioxide emissions.
- Improvement of the climate in general, minimization of the greenhouse effect.
- Improving the state of the economy due to the use of locally produced products.
