Providing a constructive budget and eco-friendly tips as a part of sustainable thinking and acting should be an indispensable section of any educational system. As this is still not the case in many countries, including Serbia, this and similar posts aim to alleviate this deficiency by promoting at least a bit of environmentally friendly advice that can be useful both for improving life skills and our planet’s sustainability.
In addition, the important fact here is that the changing of bad, useless, and wasteful environmentally (and other) non-friendly habits can also contribute to budget growth by saving a respectful amount of money on a monthly and annual basis.
For example, my cousin Damir has developed a whole science concerning the creation of useful habits in cutting costs anywhere it’s possible in his everyday life. And I am his loyal fan.
There is no other way at the very beginning than to start with those small steps and adjustments in our daily routine. In that regard, the first set of tips concerning nice and healthy solutions related to environmental (and budget) issues belongs to a phenomenon called replaceability.
Replace any possible disposable items with reusable ones
As we already know, almost every type of waste is potentially harmful and most of them require a long period of decomposition. These eco-friendly tips below are just simple daily adaptations that we can apply if we want to decrease the volume of disposable items.
So, in this regard we should:
- carry our own water bottle, preferably glassy or made of “healthy” reusable plastic. (Tesco has recently joined this mission as well.);
- carry our own cup or container for liquids, again preferably made of glass or “healthy” reusable plastic;
- use resealable and hermetically containers instead of paper or plastic wraps for food;
- carry our utensils, cloth napkins, and other reusable items where it is applicable, and all that in a reusable bag. Personally, I carry a backpack with me all the time, so some friends call me “Commando”. It became a regular part of my body (backpack, not that “commando”;
- bring our own cloth bags or bags made of recycled plastic in the grocery store, where plastic bags are annoying and voracious. (I once saw an angry plastic bag eating a poor helpless child starting from the head);
- buy, anywhere it’s possible, big bottles or cans of favorite liquids (beverages),
- build a habit of refilling (those) reusable bottles, instead of buying small cans or bottles. If you ask me, I drink (almost) only water. Of course, we all have the right to stick to our preferable drinks at any time. This means that we can retain freedom of choice, with (also preferable) improving our eco-friendly mindsets;
- use rechargeable items (batteries, for example) everywhere it is possible.
Sustainability tips in everyday life that can help forest conservation
Yes, we still need paper, a lot, but there are some replacements, such are recyclable cloth papers, or usage of digital means everywhere it’s applicable. We are still within the field of item reusing and repurposing, so there is not much need for colossal investments.
- Unfortunately, I am no longer a member of our local library, but I continued reading books online instead of buying them.
- I would use the opportunity to apologize to all diligent writers (and readers) worldwide who prefer paper book publishing (and reading). I never experienced the publication of my book of poems, even though I really desperately wanted to. But, part of that collection, with the possibility of supplementing it with new poems, is available – online.
- Although we need printing for some justified purposes, we should opt for avoiding printing on paper as much as possible. And if it is inevitable we should print on both sides using smaller fonts.
- When it comes to wrapping gifts, good options are textile bags that the happy birthday gift-receiver could use afterward many times on other occasions. Or just consider some sorts of gifts that don’t require (usual) wrapping (poems, for example).
- Washable cloths can be used for many other purposes, like towels and napkins, instead of their paper counterparts.
But it’s not over:
- The oldest way to save the greenery of the planet is to grow our own garden plants and vegetables, as well as plant trees in every available place in accordance with the local ecological and spatial plan.
- There are products from an environmentally friendly zone, like FSC-certified wood and paper products. They are usually provided with proper labels.
- There are also possibilities of avoiding or reducing the use of products whose production causes deforestation (items with palm oil, for example).
- We should consider using alternative fuels for house heating instead of wood.
Constructive budget and eco-friendly tips in everyday life for reducing excessive water and electricity consumption
Many of us are not aware of our own bad habits, especially in the consumption of something that seems to be affordable forever. We take many things for granted, but someone (or something) has painstakingly created that.
- The main point here is to turn off the water devices and electrical appliances anywhere and anytime it is possible.
- As for me, for example, I don’t use any oil for cooking (only water). So, washing dishes with chemicals is one big problem I have got rid of. In this way, I also reduced the water consumption in the kitchen.
- Next, I turn off the tap while brushing my teeth. I only use water to rinse my mouth.
- Furthermore, I turn off the water while soaping the body during showering and the face during shaving.
- I don’t have a lawn, but there is advice that says that watering the lawn in the morning or evening is generally more efficient. As we already know: cooler air prevents over-evaporation, unnecessary time-consuming, and budget-devastating.
- Some housewives swear that baking soda and lemon (separated or mixed, it depends) are quite enough to clean the bathroom. Consequently, this approach reduces the use of harmful chemicals.
- We should also find all possible environmentally friendly substitutes for harmful chemicals in households.
And what about saving electricity?
- The easiest way we could start is to use LED lamps instead of conventional (incandescent) light bulbs. Long-lasting (less worry about frequent replacements), long-term beneficial for budget, much more efficient, and adaptable (available in a wide range of designs and solutions), they are a good option for any sort of space.
- Who has sufficient money for investment, should consider the possibility of installing solar panels on the roof, balcony, or other parts of the household. It is cost-effective for the household in the long run.
- Renewable energy sources and installations are certainly future solutions for efficiently powering homes and whole facilities. The first step in that regard is to research all possibilities on a local level for that kind of investment.
- Also, when buying, we should opt for those energy-saving devices (this information is usually on the item’s label).
- And, of course, switch off and/or unplug devices that use electricity when not in use (chargers, lights, televisions, computers…).
Choosing local products instead of imported goods
Focusing on buying local products has a lot of good sides:
- Stimulating the local economic growth;
- Boosting agricultural environmentally friendly economy;
- Reduction of packaging (plastic and paper) waste;
- Generating of impact on reducing pollution from traffic;
- Creating a healthier social environment by supporting our neighbors and other residents;
- Supporting better use of space and spatial planning activities, especially farmland;
- Decreasing global usage of chemicals for growing and transportation.
Moreover, someone could organize a local home-delivery service. I had developed that idea before I started working as a teacher. In short: I would take the orders by phone call and deliver (by bicycle or, sometimes, car) the items to my fellow citizens. I could earn some money, they could save time and do some more useful things (like making love, for instance). It would also decrease fuel consumption, impulsive purchases, excessive waste generation, and constructively redirect ways of living in the local community. And everybody would have been happy.
I never put that into practice in my town, but not long after, companies in the delivery area started to spring up. I work in one of those now in Novi Sad (using a bike).
Other ways of creating environmentally friendly habits
What we can do else in order to contribute to the environmental protection of our planet?
- By calculating our environmental footprint, we can see the impact of one person on the planet’s resources and adjust our behavior in order to reduce the destructive impact. It should be a much clearer way of looking at a problem that hasn’t mattered to us so far.
- Walking and/or cycling are my favorite ways of moving around from point A to point B. I chose them frequently (as much as possible) instead of using a car or public transportation. It depends on the distances of course, but healthy habits create healthy benefits, both for the planet and us.
- Waste separation measures should be applied wherever possible. Yes, it depends on the organizational structure of waste management in any settlement. But even in this domain, things are changing for the better. Many countries, their entrepreneurs, and citizens have seen an opportunity to make a profit by recycling waste instead of polluting nature and humanity.
- Breathe a new life into old things! Extending the lifespan of products by repurposing those who seem to have reached the sad end of their lives – can be creative and fun. For instance, the old lamp could become a new masterpiece, old wooden parts someone skilled could transform into new furniture…
- Related to the previous tip – we could buy many items in second-hand shops. It’s been my favorite habit for the last few decades.
- There is always a possibility to maintain a small corner in the brain assigned to create a thoughtful action in which, before we decide to throw anything away, consider repairing it, instead of committing a crime against nature.
Hungry or not – food could be a problem a lot (It’s not funny at all)
- Another important advice would be: Do not waste food! For example, I buy and cook exactly as much food as I need in my daily routine. In this way, I am able to alleviate two significant problems – the problem of budget devastation and the problem of waste generation. Also, knowing the facts about widespread issues concerning world hunger, the least I can do at the moment is not to waste food. We may not be hungry now, but many people in the world certainly are.
- What’s more: we could eat less meat. Not only because “UN climate-change report calls for change to human diet”, or because “More Plants Helps the Environment”, but also because of our own health benefits and household savings. You can assume I have this incorporated into my mindset for decades (I am also a regular gym-goer), and I still live and work (more than) quite normally.
- But, if you still have food leftovers from the kitchen, meaty or veggie, there is an option for those who can apply solution such as compost. “Composting At Home” also has a lot of benefits. “The only” thing we need is to organize ourselves in this direction.
And there is a little bit more
- We should make a list of predicted steps and start embedding them in our daily routine. How? One at a time in order to tackle it successfully.
- We can, also, highlight our successes and share them with others. I have always had the opinion that people should talk about new ideas, new challenges, new successes, instead of wasting time with gossips and “small talks”.
- And, don’t forget to thank yourself and others who helped you, and enjoy the fruits of your work and success constantly. Because – only happy and satisfied people are productive people. And, as we heard before, every success is an incentive for the next success!
Analysis
As we can conclude, most of these constructive budget and eco-friendly tips are about reducing the generation of various types of waste, This is understandable since this group of problems also creates millennial harmful consequences.
As it seems that Algorithm here is simple, changing the habits isn’t. But we have to start from the very beginning – us!
By converting these environmentally friendly tips into useful actions we are, actually, solving much bigger planetary problems. Paraphrasing – it is simple using The Power of Numbers (TPN). The more of us involved in these actions – the stronger we are!
Not to mention saving money, and embracing habits that our budget will adore. Because, honestly, we don’t think about these issues as long as we consider everything that has the prefix “environment” a burden.
Those of you whose authorities together with your community (individuals, companies, schools…) have solved most of the local environmental problems, enjoying the nice healthy view that’s overwhelming your surroundings and your satisfaction, I would congratulate and say: Thank you! Also, I would invite you to help us, others, with your suggestions in order to create a better future for all of us on our planet.
Lastly, everyone who has read this post, and others akin in the same niche, has already done something – they started to form habits and change things for the benefit of all of us on this planet. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here.
