Everyone keeps talking about going green, but is it that easy? No, it’s not that easy and I completely understand that it can be quite challenging, especially if you are living a life where you are always in a hurry or might not have the budget to take the time and apply the going green lifestyle. Sometimes you do not have the luxury of applying go-green mechanisms in your life, but even the smallest of actions can go a long way. We don’t have to completely change our lives to accommodate being eco-friendly, and we don’t need to purchase expensive equipment – we just need to be a little bit more mindful than usual. Going green is a lifestyle, it’s a change, and you have to work gradually towards achieving it. Do not feel pressured, everyone is at different stages in their lives and are focusing on so many other things and might not see the importance in going green yet, so just look at it this way, try to train your mind to be mindful of the way your live your life and make the smallest of changes first. Look for those opportunities for change and then start applying them, mindfully and gradually. For example:
1- Research going green and how you can achieve it in accordance to your personal situation. Raise the awareness by teaching what you learn to others.
2- Whenever you can, purchase products made from recycled materials.
3- Whenever you can, purchase products and services from eco-friendly providers.
3- Support “green” initiatives by purchasing or raising awareness.
4- If your situation permits it, start composting at home.
5- Use less energy, including water, food and electricity when possible.
6- Use less paper and plastic when possible.
7- Use natural products instead of chemical products.
8- Recycle at home, at the office and with others.
9- Plant plants and trees wherever you can.
10- Adopt reusable or recycled bags for shopping.
11- Reduce your usage of plastic bottles, especially bottled water.
12- Use energy efficient light bulbs.
13- Support sustainable shops and food organisations.
One area people forget to focus on is their water and electricity usage. Think about it. Do you leave the tap running as you wash the dishes? As you brush your teeth? Do you take really long showers? Do you keep lights on all the time? Do you keep all your sockets used and on all the time? Do you have the TV on in the background as you entertain guests or as you sleep? These simple actions cause us to waste so much energy that is more valuable than our comfort. Another area where people forget to be mindful is food wastage. People waste so much food by over-ordering or over-buying. Food waste is one of the biggest components in our landfills. Do you use and eat all the food items you purchase? Do you throw away lots of food on a daily basis? Think about the way you use food in your life and where it ends up. These are the questions we have to be asking ourselves and making our minds conscious of as we effectively add to our own carbon footprints on a daily basis. So let’s all look deep within ourselves and agree, Going Green isn’t as simple as 1,2,3, we need to be aware of our ourselves first, but we can easily Go Green by just being more mindful of our actions and taking advantage of what we have and using it all effectively, so who’s with me?
The author is a wellness advocate and influencer @keys2balance.
Reem Abdulrahman Jassim al-Muftah
