"You have two homes, Earth and your body. Take care of them."
This quote hits deep. It's easy to feel like you can't make a difference in protecting our Earth. You're one person. But if everyone has that mindset, then nothing will change. Collectively, we can do small things that will all add up massively to preserve our plant.
WALK. Not everyone lives in a place where it's possible to walk or bike to work, the store, or the gym, but there are other ways you can be mindful. Even if you do one of these things just once a month, you're making a difference.
Carpool
Avoid multiple trips by planning all errands at once
Walk between stores that are close instead of driving
Take the bus
STOP USING PLASTIC BAGS. These create so much waste! The small plastic bags you put your fresh produce into are not necessary. Either buy reusable ones, or don't use any at all - you should be washing your produce anyway, so what's the difference? Choose paper over plastic. And use the paper bags as a bin for your recyclables. If you do use plastic bags, make use of them instead of just throwing them away. For example, I use them as garbage bags themselves when I inevitably accumulate them.
LEARN ABOUT RECYCLING. Make it a priority to learn about the unique recycling rules in your city. You may be surprised to know that rules differ from city to city. There is still so much to learn about what is and is not recyclable. It's truly a complex thing, but it's important to educate yourself so you're not contaminating bags of recyclable material by attempting to discard something that isn't recyclable.
MINIMIZE YOUR WASTE. Keep reusable eating utensils in your bag to use instead of disposable ones. Always say no to a straw. Bring your reusable water bottle with you wherever you go. Reuse things whenever you can - things like aluminum foil for cooking and disposable coffee cups, these things have more than one life in them. Buy things in bulk instead of convenient, single-serving packages. Instead of using small bags for your packed lunch, use glass containers,
PICK UP TRASH. Get your steps in and clean up your community. How people can sleep at night knowing they're a litterer ruining habitats from living creatures is beyond me, but nonetheless, it's not uncommon. Imagine if once a month we just went for a walk to pick up trash, how clean our communities would be.
Ask yourself when you're out grocery shopping or at a café, "How can I leave as small of a footprint as possible and produce minimal waste?" Be mindful of your actions and implement more and more green habits over time. If we all do this, we will preserve this beautiful place we are lucky enough to call home.
What a paradise we walk in.