Going Green During Quarantine—Here's Everything You Need to Know

Being stuck inside during quarantine is tough on us humans, though the world around us is thriving.

Between a significant decrease in air pollution around the world to cleaner water in large cities, there have been a few positive environmental effects from isolation.

Once we're all aloud back outside and can go virtually anywhere we want, that may change. So to keep the earth healthy post-quarantine, practice going green while you're safe at home.

Below are a few simple ways you can do just that!

Buy Reusable Products

From metal straws and bamboo toothbrushes to canvas bags and glass water bottles, purchasing products that can be reused are far superior to single-use items. When we opt for the latter, we create more waste than the world knows what to do with. Most of the products that we recycle aren't actually recycled. They simply sit in dumpsites, doing more harm than good. Choosing reusable products offers not only a positive impact on the environment, but also our wallets. Financially, it makes a heck of a lot more sense to go reusable.

Go Paperless With Bills

Again, try and focus on creating as little waste as possible. One easy way to do so is by going paperless with all your bills. It makes it easier to account for them when you get an email alert, rather than a letter in the mail. Even if you keep track of them, they can easily be misplaced. An email will almost surely last forever and you can access your records using an account online.

Eat Less Meat

Cutting out meat can be tricky for some. With it being such a cultural staple, giving it up entirely isn't always possible. If you can, try eating less of it then. Eat it during the week, but not during the weekends, or vice versa.

The production of the meat does quite a number on the planet, what with all the greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, animals like cows are fairly resource heavy, which means they need a lot of land and food. This comes at a pretty high carbon cost. When we eat less meat, it's not needed.

Grow a Garden

Instead of purchasing organic fruits and vegetables at the store, start growing your own garden. There are a number of ways growing your own food provides a positive impact on the environment, including saving energy and reducing pollution.

Still, not everyone has the means to grow their own garden. If you can't, don't worry about it. There are plenty of other ways you can reduce your carbon footprint.

Walk Everywhere You Can

Now, more than ever before, walking is the way to go. There aren't too many places you need to drive, what with almost everything being closed. Obviously, this is a very able-bodied statement, so we're mainly referring to people that are healthy and able to walk places. This doesn't apply to everyone, so if you need to drive for health reasons, do it. Anyone who has the luxury of being able to walk to the grocery store or pharmacy (as those are the only places you should be visiting, other than simply going for a jaunt around the block for some fresh air) should do so.

Start to Compost

Composting is not for everyone, though the benefits are numerous. If you're brave enough to give it a go, we applaud you. We'll leave it up to you to figure out if you want to create a compost on your own or use one of these bins.

Unplug Electronics

A huge culprit of energy waste is electronics that don't need to be plugged in. Things like your phone and laptop don't need to be plugged in at all hours of the day. Unplugging them before you go to bed or once they're fully charged will save you plenty of money. You'll also reduce your carbon emissions by doing so.

Take Shorter Showers

Now that we're spending most of our time indoors, we likely aren't doing much besides watching Netflix and scrolling through Instagram. This means we don't need to take showers as often, so as not to waste water. While you're at it, start the practice of reducing your time spent in the shower. We know it can be tough, but we really need to work on saving water.

Encourage Friends and Family Members to Go Green

Once you've started the practice of going green, encourage your friends and family to do the same. More than anything, it will help each of you hold yourself accountable for your actions. When you have others to rely on, it makes these eco-conscious switches a lot easier to follow through on.

Now that you've read up on ways to go green, we think you should treat yourself by watching one of THESE travel movies!