8. DRIVE LESS According to Sciencing magazine, car pollution contributes to one- fifth of total US global warming pollution. By riding bikes, walking, taking public transit, and carpooling, we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other pollutants emitted. CE WATER USAGE horter, cooler showers is better for the skin er for curbing water usage. Additionally, lawns at night is a great way to save water ures that the soil absorbs the water rather aporating in the sun. Lastly, remember to ap off while brushing your teeth. 10. SOLID TOILETRIES Give naked shamp eur) conditioner a try. These. concentrated pucks of shampoo and conditioner can outlast two to three bottles of the liquid stuff— one bar will last up to 80 washes! Solid conditioner bars also double as shaving cream. My personal favourites are Godiva shampoo bar and Big conditioner bar from LUSH Cosmetics; they're packed full of essential oils and fresh ingredients for super soft hair without the chemicals and plastic bottles. 11. PLANT TREES Join a tree planting community or plant trees in your yard. A single tree absorbs 13 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. 12. BAMBOO ' Bamboo for a house plant is a great idea since = itis alow-maintenance plant that grows quickly and sucks up four times as much carbon dioxide as a regular plant. Betcha didn't see that one coming. 13. SWITCH TO LEDS Switching to LEDs can ireduce carbonadioxideemissions significantly and each bulb lasts for around. 10 years. According iro= Ws c=) 9f0) 919) A OM Vilas | 2017 using LEDs instead:of incandescent or fluorescent bulbs cut down on global CO2 emissions by 570 million tons. Consider also purchasing a dimmer switch to control the amount of light and energy at any given time. _ 14. BRING YOUR Oe se ! "TAKEOUT CONTAINERS | When eating out, bring your se takeout containers for leftov A 15. SHOP AT FARMERS MARKETS Shopping locally at farmers markets is a great way to support your community and find more economical alternatives to the produce in chain grocery stores. Such alternatives include glass- bottled milk, paper-bagged bread, and organic veggies and fruits in reusable containers. Also, by shopping locally, you're supporting the sale of produce that has had less travel time to get to yo in turn lowers the carbon fo 16. MULTITASK IN THE SHOWER A personal favourite of mine! Try doing the laundry while having your shower, which will save time and water. Additionally, if you're using organic shampoos and soaps, consider collecting bath and shower water to water the lawn. 17. SAY NO TO FROZEN FOODS Packaging for frozen foods is all plastic earlier? If you stop buying ‘em, they'll s frozen dinners are not good for you. C' 18. DON'T BAG YOUR PRODUCE IN PLASTIC You gotta wash it at home before you eat it anyway, so with those plastic little exfoliating what's a little dirt and cooties . —_ beads that don't biodegrade, try honey. Honey is an excellent face wash alternative as it is all-natural and antibacterial, and safer for the environment, your wallet, and your skin. 20. BRING A BAG WHEN HIKING OR AT THE BEACH Using a white or clear biodegradable garbage bag, collect trash and scraps you find on your 21. REUSE EXISTING PLASTIC CONTAINERS TO STORE PRODUCE This will help food to last longer . ; and repurposes something that next hike or trip to the beach. You're going anyways, so you might as well do something nice for the Earth would've just been tossed into a landfill. while you're at it. 22. BUY USED CLOTHING Thrift shopping isn’t just good for your bank account—it’s great for the world! Fast fashion is terrible for the environment and tends to exploit underpaid workers in other countries. People often donate perfectly good clothing just because they don’t fit or aren't in style anymore, so you can build amazing, high-quality outfits for a very low cost. So now you know what you can do to reduce your ecological footprint, why should you care? Why not? Like being good to a friend, being good to the environment is also good for one's self too, and it really isn't hard—it's simply a matter of not relying on convenience but rather putting in that extra effort. The Earth belongs to all of us, and we all need it and its natural resources like clean water and fresh air to live. We are connected to nature and to the world. Our highest responsibility must be to take care of the systems that take care of us. Each time you remember to bring reusable shopping bags with you to the grocery store, or when you water the lawn at night to ensure that it soaks into the soil rather than evaporates, or when you take a white garbage bag with you on your next hike and clean up the area, or even when you make a commitment to swap some of your everyday household products at the end of their life cycles for those made from more renewable and organic materials, you're doing your part to make a difference. If everyone encourages and holds their neighbours, friends, and family accountable for maintaining this new lifestyle, we can work together as communities to encourage the rest of the world to follow. Next thing you know, we might just save our home.