The recent release of the Red Alert status by environmental scientists has left the world in shock. With the onslaught of forest fires, floods, and melting glaciers worldwide, this was to be expected. But the situation is much worse than many anticipated. The red alert indicated that there is no time left to handle the global warming crisis. This means that sustainable efforts now will only delay the crisis, not prevent it. Let’s see to sustainable practices to include in everyday life.
 For years environmentalists’ claims have been dismissed as ramblings of paranoid scientists. They have been called foreign conspiracies to stop industrial development in the United States. This was Donald Trump’s justification when he pulled out of the Paris Agreement. Ask yourselves, even now, are you really doing everything in your power to go green? Probably not, right? We have compiled a list of steps you can take to ensure you are doing your part.
Table of Contents
Install Solar Panels For Your Homes
This one is for all the proud homeowners. If you are building your own home, or already have one, solar panels are an amazing investment. Not to mention, they are extremely sustainable sources of electricity. Solars panels not only reduce your electricity bill drastically, but they can also help you sell electricity to your power supplier. This means your bill will actually be negative!
 Of course, electricity generation techniques like dams, wave energy, geothermal energy, and windmills are all environment-friendly and extremely sustainable. However, solar energy is the one technique you can easily integrate into your own homes.
Switch to an Electric Vehicles
Transportation happens to be the leading cause of air pollution and global warming worldwide. On top of this, it can potentially cause severe health problems to humans and animals. Diseases like bronchitis, asthma, and lung cancer are aggravated or caused by smoke inhalation from automobile exhaust pipes.
Electric cars make use of batteries or fuel cells to run the car. Unless the model is a hybrid, there is absolutely no need for petrol or diesel. Buying an electric car instead of a petrol or diesel-powered one can actually save someone’s life! This includes people prone to lung diseases or individuals suffering from COVID-19 symptoms.Â
Using electric cars have been made easier than ever now Manufacturers have produced products like Beny EV Chargers that allow you to charge your electric vehicle from even your home. They come in convenient wall-connector forms. Some office buildings have even taken the excellent step to install electric vehicle chargers. This helps apartment owners and people who rent their homes to make the conscious decision to buy an EV, even if they can not install a charger.
Practices like these should be adopted by everyone. Governments should make an active effort to popularize electric cars in their countries. Import taxation should be exempted on sustainable products like electric vehicles. Holding campaigns to plant trees simply is not enough anymore!
Opt For Eco-Friendly Brands
Wasteful and non- practices are commonplace in all industries. But thankfully, as awareness levels have risen, more and more brands have adopted sustainable practices over the years. You should make the conscious decision to buy products from companies that are transparent about their practices and make an active effort to contribute to the environment.
 Whether it is your clothes, food, or furniture, make sure the brands are sustainable. Otherwise, you are passively contributing and endorsing pollution. Large companies like Apple, Amazon, Lush Cosmetics and Walmart have changed their practices to become more environmentally friendly, even if their profit margins are decreased in the process. Be aware of details about the products you consume and make a responsible and sustainable decision.
Use Reusable and Recyclable Items
In this day and age, it is absolutely criminal to be wasteful. Billions of waste products are produced simply in terms of plastic bags, cups, and straws. To you, it is just one plastic bag or cup you are throwing away right? But this daily waste adds up to millions of tonnes of garbage. This garbage usually ends up in the ocean where it poisons the habitats of marine animals.
 Or it ends up in landfills in third world countries where it is burned. This not only contributes to air pollution, but the poisonous gases produced cause deadly diseases to the locals. By switching plastic bags to paper bags or reusable cloth bags and plastic straws and cups to reusable cups and metal straws, you can actively contribute to decreasing the amount of waste produced.
Limit Your Use of Water
On a daily basis, simply by keeping your tap running while washing your hands and brushing your teach, you waste several gallons of water per year. Worldwide, this wastage amounts to unbelievable amounts of water. No cities suffer from yearly droughts. Even something as small as a leaking pipe is unacceptable!Â
In countries like China, every home has systems installed that reuse water in order to minimize wastage. Basically, all the water we use when bathing or washing hands is collected and used in activities like flushing the toilet or watering plants. Pretty logical, right? But most of the world still has not adopted these innovative and sustainable practices.
Conclusion
Other systems you can install in your homes are things like rainwater collection. You can collect rainwater that falls on your roof and store it for activities like watering your plants. This ensures minimum wastage of water and reduces your water bill.
You should also plant as many trees as you can, and avoid products that are produced by deforestation. The main thing is to be conscious of the consequences of your choices and spread awareness. At this point in time, every small step counts!
