Climate Change Prevention: Eco-Friendly Changes You Can Make to Fight Global Warming

Photo courtesy of Pexels

The following article was written by Neil Stawski…

As much as the skeptics and critics might try to deny climate change, the signs that it’s a critical issue are all around us. The evidence of global warming can be found in the death of our coral reefs due to the increased temperatures of our ocean waters. One only has to look to the Earth’s poles to see evidence of receding glaciers and rising waters. Entire rivers are changing direction, the oceans are changing their chemistry, our bee populations are dying, and the scariest part is that this is entirely uncharted territory for humans. Even the experts aren’t completely sure what to expect.

While the warming of our planet is grim news, it’s important not to give up. Rather than losing hope, make an effort to do your part to help our planet. Luckily, there are still many environmentally-friendly changes we can make to our homes and within our communities to do our parts to help stop climate change.

Here are a few to consider:

Shop Local
Purchasing produce from your local farmer’s market is an easy way to help the environment by reducing your food miles. Buying local not only reduces your carbon footprint, but enables you to support local farmers, thereby protecting the land their farm sits on and the wildlife that call it home.

Low-flow Appliances
Energy- and water-efficient appliances can be a great way to reduce your intake, and hopefully, do your part to help curb the trend of climate change. You can invest in the installation of low-flow sinks, showers, toilets and other appliances that use water. This will help reduce the amount of water you use in your household — and could possibly even increase the value of your home. Not only does this save you money in the long term on your monthly water bill, it also helps save our planet’s water supply.

LED or CFL Lights
Rather than using traditional light bulbs, consider making the switch to LED or CFL Sure, they might cost a little extra up front, but they’ll likely pay for themselves over the long term thanks to the savings on your utility bill. Plus, they’ll last longer and outshine traditional bulbs.

Go Minimalist
Experts say that we humans currently consume our planet’s resources at a faster rate than the planet can produce new ones. As you can probably guess, our society’s current culture of consumerism is unsustainable. We’re devouring the planet’s resources, using more energy than it can provide and producing more waste than Mother Earth can handle. One thing we can do to stop this vicious cycle is to reduce the number of items we own so that we each have a smaller global carbon footprint. Try to use public transport whenever possible. If you must have a car, invest in a smaller, more energy-efficient model. Save money and energy expenses by moving into a smaller home. Donate or sell any unused or unneeded belongings. When it comes to saving the planet, less is more.

Help NASA Collect Data
One additional (and unconventional) way you might help fight climate change is by directly working with NASA — yes, really! Shoot for the stars and apply for one of NASA’s newly announced “citizen science” projects, which allow everyday people to contribute by helping collect Earth science data. NASA completely funds these projects, during which you’ll have the opportunity to collect “scientific data on air quality, bird populations, snowpack and other areas of NASA Earth science research.” It’s an exciting and important project.

Whatever you decide to do, remember that you’re playing an important role in helping reverse the dangerous trend of climate change. Sure, the methods listed above will help reduce your monthly utility bills and put more money in your pocket, but it’s more than that. The future of our planet depends upon us finding a way to reverse global warming.

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