Going Green was started as a way to provide helpful information to the general public about living a more environmentally friendly and sustainable life. After talking to hundreds of experts, scientists, and Clean Tech CEOS, we wanted to take all of the information and provide you with ten ways to start living more environmentally friendly.
We realized there are many ways to get involved. Some are simple, others are huge, life changing asks. So we broke it down into the easiest and most cost effective way to get started, and from there you can build.
Small Changes
Vote
Voting is free, and accessible to everyone. Research leaders in your community as well as your city, state, and country, and vote for people who are taking environmentally friendly initiatives.
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
Around the world, every single day, 1.5 billion plastic bottles of water are purchased, and every single one of them ends up in a landfill. Purchase a reusable water bottle and it will make a huge difference in your life when it comes to eliminating single use plastics.
Get Reusable shopping bags
Rather than getting a plastic shopping bag every time you go to the grocery store, purchase reusable shopping bags and bring them with you each time. They are easily available for purchase at most grocery stores, and you can also buy them online.
Eliminate Single Use Plastics
Unfortunately, plastic is a huge part of our lives. Just being mindful of every time you make a purchase, and notice when you are buying plastic, makes a big difference. When you can, try to acknowledge the purchases you make, and the next time you have to buy something, see if you can do it without using plastic.
Walk/Bike/Carpool
Not only is biking and walking good for your health, it saves you money by not having to purchase gas, and also helps the environment. It’s a win win situation all around. Of course, there are times when you have to drive, so if you can, try to carpool with other people going to the same area.
Medium Changes
Shop Local
When you are making purchases, whether it is clothes or food, try to support local farms and businesses. This eliminates supply chains that create waste due to transportation of goods.
Invest In Clean Tech Companies
Investing your savings is always a good idea, you want your money to be working for you and providing a Return On Investment rather than sitting in your savings account. There are a variety of financial companies that help you invest in cleantech and sustainable companies. We recently had Paul Herman, the founder and CEO of HIP Investor, on the podcast to talk about how to start investing in clean technology for as little as $100.
Large Changes
Buy an Electric Vehicle
We have talked extensively about the switch to Electric Vehicles and their positive effect on the environment on Going Green. Buying an electric car can be a big purchase, depending on which brand and style you go with, but if you can afford it is a great way to live more environmentally friendly.
Install Solar Panels
With technology getting better every year, solar panels have become both more efficient as well as more affordable. Installing Solar Panels is an upfront cost, which can be divided up into monthly payments, but is also proven to save money in the long run.
Start a Business
We have had some of the most successful business owners and entrepreneurs on Going Green, and these people are the ones that often have some of the biggest impacts on people’s day to day lives. It is possible to create a sizable impact as well as income when you start a business.
Wrap Up
There are many different things you can do to start living a more environmentally friendly and successful sustainable life. You can do things for free that have a big impact, as well as spend your money and invest in ways to help the environment and also grow your net worth. No matter what your goals are, there are different ways for you to get involved and get started. Hopefully this information helped you and taught you how to start living more environmentally friendly.
We interview leading experts in cleantech, sustainability, media, finance, and real estate on the Going Green podcast. Tune in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple or Spotify to listen to interviews with leading cleantech and sustainable experts. If you would like to to be featured on Going Green, fill out the interview form Here. If you are interested in writing for Going Green, click Here.
Dylan Welch is the CEO and Host of Going Green, a podcast, website, and social media brand that highlights renewable energy, cleantech, and sustainable news.