Climate change: How can we be more eco-friendly in our everyday lives?

Climate change is a global problem that we need to take action on today. If we don't, then we could be looking at catastrophic events like floods and wildfires and the accompanying deaths and destruction. Climate change happens when greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere and trap heat from the sun, leading to extreme weather changes all over the world. The best way for us to combat climate change is by taking steps in our everyday lives like using eco-friendly bags in Sri Lanka, that will reduce our carbon footprint so less greenhouse gas accumulates in our atmosphere.

Recycle as much as possible

Recycling is an important step in reducing your carbon footprint. Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to run a 100-watt lightbulb for four hours, and recycling just six cans could power the television set you watched last night for three hours. Recycle as much as possible, especially plastics which are being used. However, it is not only plastics, but paper, glass, and even food scraps, can all be recycled, hence reducing landfills and at the same time, saving energy.

Use reusable products

Reusable items such as eco-friendly home items in Sri Lanka like cloth shopping bags, water bottles, and silverware are a simple way to reduce your carbon footprint. Many cities have banned plastic grocery bags out of environmental concerns, you can even get fined for using them in some places.

Paper or plastic? Choose paper instead of single-use plastic shopping bags whenever possible. If you do forget, ask the store manager if they will let you stuff reusable cloth ones into their bagging area rather than taking yet another disposable one from the rack by the door.

There is no need for straws when we go out to eat. There is also less chance that drinks will spill with lids on top of cups. Drinking fountains can be found just about anywhere nowadays so there is no reason not to drink tap water either. There are also reusable straws made from bamboo and stainless steel which many restaurants are now using in order to be more environmentally friendly.

After purchasing reusable water bottles, many people are now taking them with them everywhere they go, including to concerts and other events where bottled water will be sold for inflated prices. Using handmade items in Sri Lanka not only saves money, but also contribute towards reducing plastic waste too.

Turn off the lights when you leave a room

Electricity consumption is one of the biggest contributors towards climate change. Every time you turn on the lights when leaving a room, it wastes energy and contributes to climate change. So next time you are leaving work at night remember to turn off the light before walking out of that office or else you are contributing towards global warming.

Switch off appliances when not in use, so that they don't draw power from the grid. This is another example of how even small changes in our daily lives can have a big impact on climate change.

Walk, bike, or take public transportation to work instead of driving your car

Emissions from vehicles is another contributor to climate change. The best way to reduce emissions from vehicles is to use public transportation or walk to work instead of driving your car. Many people these days are opting for electric and hybrid vehicles, however there is also some debate as to how eco-friendly these options are, especially when considering how old used batteries will be discarded.

Plant trees in your yard for shade and beauty

One of the easiest ways in which to help prevent climate change is by planting more trees. Everyone can help with this, by planting trees in their yard, or in public parks. Not only are trees very attractive and offer shade for you to enjoy when it is hot outside, but they also help improve the overall health of our environment by absorbing CO² from the air.

Tree planting has an amazing domino effect on climate change; not only does your tree absorb carbon dioxide as it grows, thus reducing greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere during its lifetime, but once that tree dies and falls to the ground, soil bacteria begin breaking down fallen leaves into nutrients which then become available again to other plants nearby. So, this means that even after a single tree's death, there will still be benefits occurring within your local ecosystem. If everyone planted just one more tree each year? The result would be that the amount of CO² being absorbed from the atmosphere would be doubled.

Don't forget that being eco-friendly is not restricted to just these few examples, there is a lot you can do in order to help reduce global warming and climate.