People tend to think that superheroes are found only in comic books and have capes on to signify that they're doing a bit of good for the world. Well, while those characters are fictional, the real superheroes are seen every day walking amongst each other... You might even be one too! Who are these superheroes we're speaking of? Why, they're the ones making conscious acts every day to save our planet from climate change and green house gases.
Greenhouse gas emissions are a natural occurrence in the atmosphere to warm the planet, but our (human) actions increase these emissions, which contribute to the issues of climate change. The burning of fossil fuels, landfills, not recycling, and wasting food and water are all things we do that negatively impact the environment in more ways than one, but people don't realize just how big of an impact we have on the world.
Lots of people feel like they're just one person, so how can their efforts make a difference... Well, everybody else is just one person too, and look how much we've negatively impacted the environment collectively as a whole. Imagine the amount of good we can all do if we took the same amount of time to do good for the environment as we take to do bad for the environment...
If you're someone who does indeed want to do your part to help better the planet, here are some lifestyle changes you can make to do so.
How You Can Change the World One Person at a Time
Switch to Alternative Electricity
If you're like most people, you're probably powering your home with traditional electricity, which comes from the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil. The burning of these fuels emit sulfur dioxide into the air, which then contributes to the formation of acid rain, a very harmful air pollutant.
By switching to electricity generated by renewable resources, you're not harming the environment in any way because the electricity is generated from things like the sun, water, and wind. Plus, this lowers your electric bill every month as well, so it's a win-win!
Drive an Electric Car
There are so many myths surrounding electric cars, like if it's not sunny out that your car won't work or that there aren't enough car charging stations around to make these cars sustainable... Well, that couldn't be any further from the truth. If it were true, why are there so many electric cars for sale in several different states? And why are they continuously being made?
By driving these cars, you're not burning any fossil fuels with gas, which also means you're not harming the environment as well. These cars are powered by electricity, and that electricity is stored in a battery pack. When the electricity is depleted, you simply recharge the battery using grid electricity from a wall socket or your own charging unit.
Ditch the Plastics
Plastics are one of the top elements filling landfills today. Everything from water and soda bottles to plastic grocery bags and straws, we could all do a little better on our use of plastics, and it's an easy fix too. Things like buying reusable water bottles, drinking from glass cups, and buying metal straws are all ways to reduce plastic getting into landfills.
Shop Locally
Recently, there's been this surge of shopping locally and supporting small businesses due to the pandemic, when really, this is something that should have been happening... Unfortunately, it took a pandemic to hit for people to realize this, even if it's for different reasons.
Shopping locally not only helps small business owners and puts money back into your communty, but shopping locally is also way more environmentally friendly. How? Because most businesses that sell local usually source their materials and supplies locally too, so there's no gas emissions from transport. It may seem like a small stake in lowering climate change but it's a huge step in the grand scheme of things.