Eco-Friendly Living Made Easy

We often hear the terms "eco-friendly" and "going green" but do we really know what they mean or how to implement them in our lives?

If you answered no to either of these questions don't stress, as I'm here to help :)

Let's first look at being eco-friendly. It is said that anything that is eco-friendly causes no harm to the environment or ecosystems.

It refers to products that contribute to green living or practices that help conserve resources like water and energy. Eco-friendly products also prevent contributions to air, water and land pollution.

Image Credit: Google Images.

Now that we've worked out the definitions and meanings, let's take a look at how we can become eco-friendly in our daily lives.

*We've all heard about the 3 R's, Reuse, Reduce & Recycle, but do we follow them?

*By reducing the items we use we can decrease the amount of waste created and the volumes held at land fills. An easy example is shopping bags. Instead of buying bags each time you shop, take old bags with you. You could also invest in cloth bags that will give you multiple uses.

*Reusing items is a great way of reducing your carbon footprint. Whether it's reusing a glass jar and turning it into a planter or lantern there are many creative yet easy ways to reuse items. Kids projects are another way to reuse goods. So if ever your child has to create a musical instrument you can reuse a coffee can to make a drum and reuse plastic bottles to make shakers.

*As scholars we were always told to recycle, and even today, recycling is still so important. There are just so many items that can be recycled but people still opt to throw them in the bin, only for them to pile up in landfills. Boxes, paper, glass and aluminium can all be recycled.

*Be water wise. Fix leaking taps and check for other leaks around the home. With talks of imminent water restrictions, there's no time like the present to start saving water.

*You can also be eco-friendly when cooking. The easiest way is to cook from scratch. This saves you money and uses much fewer resources than buying take out. A pressure cooker is also quite eco-friendly as it's said to save time, money and energy. Statistics show that a pressure cooker can save up to 70% of energy and loads of time.

I hope these tips help kick start your quest to living an eco-friendly life.

Do you have any tips to share? Leave them in the comments section below.