Top 10 Small Changes With Big Environmental Impacts

There is growing pressure for every person to pull up their sleeves and do our bit to help the environment. However, when you start trying to do your bit you quickly realize that pretty much every activity you do can be made a little more ‘green’.

However, there is simply no way you can address every issue you are presented with in the greenest possible way. We would all like too, but the realities of most people’s daily lives mean it simply isn’t possible to make the big changes like spend three hours walking to work instead of driving!

Small Changes, Big Impact!

We have tried to outline ten small changes, which can really help make a big difference to the environment:

1. Drink filtered water

Not only do countries spend millions every year on bottled water, but the sheer amount of plastic needed to hold the liquid reached 1.5 million tonnes in 2005. By using a refillable water bottle and filtering your water it will save you a lot of money and greatly reduce your waste.

2. Turn off electronic equipment

There is simply no need for your electric equipment to be on standby. You may think that your impact is tiny in the whole scheme of things, which is exactly what the rest of the nation thinks too – and why the US wastes $100 million worth of energy each year.

3. Insulate your home

Homes which have insulated walls and ceilings save an estimated 2000lbs of CO2 every year, that equates to roughly 25% of an average family’s monthly bills.

4. Keep your car tires properly inflated

It really is worth checking your tire pressure every day. The average person who drives 12,000 miles annually on under-inflated tires uses roughly 144 extra gallons of fuel ($300-$500 a year). This equates to 1.5 extra tons of greenhouse gas.

5. Use organic fertilizers

Most of us use fertilizers on our gardens. Making a conscious switch to organic fertilizers will notably improve the taste of your fruit and veggies. It will also have a positive impact on your contribution to the water table.

6. Use 100% post consumer recycled printer paper

According to friends of the earth in the UK over 6 million tonnes of paper and board is used only once despite the capacity for recycling. Using 100% post consumer recycled printer paper will save you 5lbs of CO2 per ream.

7. Ride or walk

There are obviously situations when these won’t be an option. But if you can, put that little extra effort in and make sure you do. You will be saving energy, reducing air pollutants and hopefully getting fit at the same time.

8. Use rechargeable batteries

It seems pretty obvious, but non-rechargeable batteries are expensive and very wasteful.  Rechargeable batteries have up to 23 times less impact on non-renewable natural resources. Putting this into perspective; if you used rechargeable batteries to produce 1kWh of energy the impact on non-renewable natural resources is comparable to extracting 1kg of petroleum. Using disposable batteries is comparable to extracting 19kg of petroleum.

9. Buy unbleached coffee filters

I might be going mad, but aren’t they going to turn brown anyway?

10. Donate

There are plenty of charities which dedicate 100% of their efforts to the pursuit of creating a greener environment. Why not invest in one; it does not have to break the bank.