Nature Is Staging a Comeback. Here's What You Can Do to Help

People all over the world are starting to notice a strange side effect to the current global pandemic: a better environment. Los Angeles has begun experiencing record levels of air quality, residents of Punjab can see the Himalaya mountains for the first time in decades, and marauding herds of goats have begun to take over towns in the Welsh countryside.

All of these improvements don't make COVID-19 something to celebrate - it shouldn't take a worldwide tragedy to improve the environment - but they are making people reconsider just how much of an impact on the natural world they can have. If simply staying at home can make the world a more beautiful place, what else can consumers do to promote the wellbeing of their environment?

As it turns out, quite a bit. As nature starts to make a major comeback the world over, here are six things you can do to help it along: 

1. Buy local.

No matter where you live, you have local farmers, artisans, and craftspeople you can buy from. While buying local has long been a popular option for those looking to support their regional economy, the full picture is beginning to emerge on how it can also be a big plus for the environment.

Indoor farming startup Plenty reports that around 12.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from food trucking. By purchasing locally grown food, you're making sure that those transportation emissions are kept to an absolute minimum. Buying food locally also means supporting local agriculture, a great way to promote biodiversity and protect against the rise of invasive species.

2. Focus on reusables.

Reusing the goods and materials you already own can sometimes be the only way to prevent their ending up in a landfill. Research from Augsburg University found that as many as three quarters of all plastic bottles in the United States are never recycled, ensuring that they'll be a scourge on the environment for years to come. Gravitating towards products like reusable water bottles can help alleviate this.

Focusing on reusables doesn't just help the environment: it can help your pocketbook as well. Regular drinkers of bottled water can save an average of $260 annually by transitioning to reusable water bottles. It can be particularly difficult today to secure the products you regularly use, so spending a while figuring out how you can reuse what you already have on hand is a great way to benefit both yourself and your environment.

3. Make your home energy-efficient.

When people think about greenhouse gases and air pollution, pictures of oil wells and gas-guzzling Hummers are often the first things to appear in their mind. What is often ignored is that buildings account for around 38% of carbon dioxide emissions nationwide - a significant figure when compared to the 28% produced by vehicles.

More companies than ever are offering energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs for keeping your home running cleanly. Energy-efficient appliances don't ensure that your home is running on clean energy, but they do keep electricity consumption as low as possible. In addition to keeping your carbon footprint low, you'll also be driving down your electricity bill in the process.

4. Reduce food waste.

For those used to clearing plates and taking home leftovers, it can be shocking to learn just how much food waste is produced every year: between 30 and 40% of the entire food supply of the United States ends up in landfills annually. Wasting food at that scale means hundreds of thousands of acres are being used to produce food that never ends up being eaten - land that could be used to plant forests or restore natural environments.

While no one consumer can solve that problem, making sure you eat all of the food you purchase can go a long way in reducing your contribution. Quest Resource Management, a company that helps restaurants reduce food waste, recommends performing regular "food audits." Food audits allow you to get a sense of what you eat and what you let go to waste, letting you make your next trip to the grocery with additional information at hand.

5. Travel smart.

While people may be hunkered down today, travel is poised to make a big rebound once the current pandemic has subsided. When you're deciding how best to get to your destination of choice, keep in mind that not all forms of transportation are created equal: Reservations.com reports that travelling long distance in an SUV can produce nearly 25 times the emissions of travelling that same distance as a passenger on a coach bus.

In addition to choosing your vehicle appropriately, you could also consider focusing on more regional travel: vacationing in your immediate area can give you a greater appreciation of your environment than you ever had before. Keeping things local reduces carbon emissions, but it can also expand your horizons in new ways as well.

6. Be smart about water use.

Water usage likely has a greater impact on the environment than most people would imagine. Pumping, cleaning, and disposing of water takes a lot of energy to do - up to 20% of the state of California's electricity, for example - and the environmental impact of that energy can add up quickly.

There's no magic bullet for reducing personal water waste other than simply being smart about it. Taking eons-long showers or drowning your front lawn are likely doing significantly more harm than good. Try to limit your water consumption to just the necessary; not only will this reduce emissions, it can drive your water bill down in the process.

Ritch Wood, CEO of sustainable skincare company, Nu Skin, said, "Caring about the planet shouldn't just occur once a year on earth day. If we all commit to doing little things every day to be greener and more eco-friendly, we can have a considerable impact. We need to look outside ourselves and take individual action for the good of the planet."  

If there's one thing to learn from this list, it's that benefiting the environment often benefits you as well. If you're looking to clean your air and reduce your expenses at the same time, follow nature's lead on this one.