30 Mar 5 Ways to Save the Environment while Social Distancing
At a time when vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 are not yet available, social distancing seems to be the only effective way to fight this pandemic. A worldwide call has been made to urge everyone to stay indoors to prevent the contagious disease from spreading further.
Staying home does not mean you cannot continue fighting for the planet, though.
Here are our top tips on how you can still contribute positively to the Earth in the comfort of your home.
1. Opt for Organic Options
Online delivery has become a popular option these days. Be it buying groceries, shopping for clothes or ordering food, it is definitely safer and smarter to get them all delivered to you rather than risking contact with persons that may carry the disease.
Take this opportunity to support your community’s organic and local markets by ordering from them online. Don’t forget to make your orders eco-friendly and ensure your purchases are delivered without unnecessary packaging.
2. Learn More About Sustainability
Action must first start with research. Take this time to familiarize yourself with everything there is to know about sustainability. Be it ways to live a zero-waste life, the right way to recycle, why we need to fight climate change, how our oceans are dying, or simply how sea turtles survived the events that led to the extinction of dinosaurs – you can come out of the pandemic more educated, enlightened and equipped with the knowledge needed to educate others.
With apps like Libby by Overdrive and online learning platforms such as Coursera, EDX and Udemy, you can easily access verified information regarding topics of your choice. So go on – sit back, read, and learn away.
3. Keep Electricity Consumption Low
You are spending more time than ever at home, which means you are probably consuming more electricity than ever.
Reducing your energy consumption can help benefit the environment. Simple acts such as turning off appliances on stand-by mode, switching off power sockets, and enjoying the low power life can help conserve our energy reserves.
When practiced by all, these small acts make a huge difference.
4. Start Segregating
How do you best dispose of trash in order to have less impact on the environment?
Waste that is not segregated properly ends up in a landfill that only takes up unnecessary space and pollutes the Earth.
Invest this time in mastering the proper separation system. Keep wet and dry waste separate, plastic and paper waste separate, and throw out wet waste every day.
5. Grow Your Own Vegetable Garden
The act of cultivating veggies for the dinner table or flowers for your balconies is not only good for the environment, it’s good for your health too.
Plants also help with reducing stress and making one feel happier, which we could all benefit from during these uncertain times.
Take this time to get a hold of those vegetable seeds, plant them, nurture them, and watch them grow.
Did you know: Research indicates that regular gardeners are less likely to suffer from heart attacks or come down with Alzheimer’s disease.
Let’s cultivate good habits in our daily routine which we could continue practicing until after everything goes back to normal.
Always remember that we are the last generation that can save the Earth from the negative impact of our own actions. Although small actions do make a difference, and they can help save the generations to come.
Reem is the content executive at plasticfreeuae and the go-to source for everything sustainable in the UAE who strongly believes that mindsets can be changed through words.
