Whether you’re looking to waste less, protect the environment or get some exercise, learning how to be eco-friendly can have many benefits! Climate change has had a huge effect on animals, natural ecosystems, Earth’s atmosphere, weather, and the overall health of the planet. The beautiful things we enjoy on Earth need some help to protect and conserve them! Utah is blessed to have some of the most majestic and colorful landscapes and views in the country! No matter where you live, learning to follow an eco-friendly lifestyle is beneficial for yourself and the world you live in. Follow some of these tips to learn eco-friendly ways of living in Utah!
Choose a Bike
It can be easy to grab your car keys and zoom off to your errands throughout the day. However, cars add pollution and fossil fuels to the environment that have negative effects. More pollution means dirty air that is hard to breathe in, corroding of land, water and earth and overall harming the natural ecosystem we need to survive. When there are less cars on the road, it also means safer roadways in general. Children can play in areas where there is minimal traffic and people overall feel safer.
Along with the benefits to the environment, biking is good for you physically and mentally. Try and bike to a few places around your city once or twice a week and forget the clunky car! There are many bike paths in Utah that are easy to follow and offer some scenic views! Utah has many outdoor trails and bike paths around the state if you’re looking to forgo the car and enjoy some fresh air!
Don’t Waste!
The average U.S. American household wastes about 32% of its food on average. You can imagine this by paying for a cartload of food at the store and then throwing away 1-3 of it! As it stands, America is the capital of food waste. The impact of our food demand and waste is taking a toll on the planet. When food is thrown out it ends up in a landfill. As food decomposes it releases methane gasses. The more methane that is released the more harmful it is to the planet.
This ultimately causes more greenhouse gasses, increased heat, and the overall extreme warming of the planet. So, be creative and learn how to use everything you buy! If a vegetable has started to expire, try planting it in the fertilizer to help the overall health of plants! Make sure you use all your toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and other bathroom items. Also, try and use smaller portions to stretch your money and to conserve what you have.
Shop Local
A convenient and easy eco-friendly way of living in Utah is to just shop local! We have all seen those big trucks with a brand name on the side traveling across the country. How much gasoline do you think those trucks require to ship your groceries to you? (Its a lot!) Along with trucks you have boats and airplanes that also use gasoline to travel. Choosing to shop local is a very good eco-friendly way to have less impact on the environment. Try shopping at a local farmers market where the food is grown right where you live! Not only does this help the environment, but it supports local businesses that are important for the overall health of a city. Salt Lake City has a local farmers market downtown on Saturdays you can find local produce, art, clothes, and goods from people who live there as well!
Reusable Bags
Did you know that in the United States alone, people use over 380 billion plastic bags a year? These bags end up in landfills, blocking streams and currents and hurting animals in the ocean. Not to mention, plastic bags aren’t biodegradable and most people do not reuse them or recycle them. Opting for a reusable tote bag is a great choice and is actually a more sturdy way to carry in groceries.
If you don’t want to pay for a reusable bag, try and at least clean and reuse plastic bags. If everyone reused their bags a few times in the United States, imagine how many fewer bags we would use! Also, the factories and shipping used to make and deliver bags would be reduced and overall would have an impact on the planet.
Pick up Litter
It’s always a real eye-sore to see a beautiful stretch of land that is littered with plastic bottles, bags, and wrappers scattered along the side. Although its easy to drive past these sights and not do anything, keeping our community clean is very important. Animals can become caught and tangled up in litter and sometimes hurt themselves trying to get out. Many animals in the ocean develop health defects and illnesses from having litter tied tightly around their neck for too long. Mothers have trouble giving birth when their abdomen is restricted or their overall health is affected. Millions of pounds of litter get put into landfills and ultimately ruin the makeup of our Earth. Not to mention, plants and wildlife have trouble growing when the ground is covered with litter.
Another easy eco-friendly way of living in Utah could just be to take a day and clean up the litter on a stretch of highway near you. You might be surprised just how much trash is out there. Take the proper steps to dispose of and recycle the items that can be recycled. Recycled paper products can be turned into binders, notebooks, plates, and paper and reused again! Clothes and cloth materials can also be made from old recycled clothes and this helps the planet as well because it uses less manpower and overall production.
Glass over Plastic
Overall, glass products are much better for the environment than plastic. Products made from plastic usually contain chemicals that can actually leak into your food if they are melted. Plastic products can also have high levels of BPA and are also more difficult to recycle than a glass product. Plastic products are in general cheaper than glass ones, but they normally don’t last as long. Even just opting for a reusable glass bottle or reusable water bottle is much better than buying plastic water bottles you end up throwing away after opening.
For more easy eco-friendly ways of living in Utah or to look at environmental changes, you can make in your apartment check out this page! If you are looking to move to the Utah area or just browsing for apartment listings, check out Market Apartments.