8 ways to go green during your hot person summer
After a tough year, we’ve finally made it to hot girl summer. While you’re out, as Megan Thee Stallion puts it, “having a good-ass time, hyping up your friends, doing you,” you can channel some of that bad bitch energy toward going green. Here are 8 breezy ways to go green and support our environment without sacrificing your hot person summer.
Drink out of a reusable water bottle
This one’s easy enough if you have access to a good water bottle. Disposable plastic water bottles exacerbate air pollution during manufacturing and are not very biodegradable. Plastic waste tends to end up polluting our oceans.
Reduce your carbon footprint by investing in a sturdy water bottle that you can use day after day, week after week. It’s a hot person summer, so if you’re always on the go, carry it around with you to stay hydrated while still going green.
It’s much better for the environment, and chances are that a reusable bottle will be much more efficient at keeping your beverages cold this summer.
Recycle
Hopefully, you don’t have to be reminded of this one, but recycling is one of the easiest things you can do to help the earth.
Recycling glass and certain plastics reduces air pollution, protects ocean life, conserves landfill space, and more. If you’re unsure about what you can and can’t recycle, look into your city’s policies.
It is the bare minimum we can all do to go green and support our environment.
Compost
Give landfills a break by composting your food waste.
Instead of tossing your coffee grounds, eggshells, vegetable stems, and fruit peels in the trash, compost them! Not only will it be great for your garden, but your compost will help reduce water runoff and pollution by holding a high volume of water. Read more about how to compost at home here.
Conserve water
Saving water leads to less runoff and wastewater entering our oceans. There are countless ways to save water. Here are a few that require minimal effort:
- Take shorter showers
- Don’t let your faucet run when washing dishes, brushing your teeth, etc.
- Collect rainwater for your plants
- Use soap instead of shower gel
- Utilize your pasta water when cooking
Eat locally
By eating the food produced near you, you reduce the amount of miles (and fuel) it takes to get to you. Reducing fuel consumption help keep our air clean.
Additionally, by supporting local farmers, you’re protecting local land from developers. Make a thing of it and take weekend trips to your farmers market for fresh ingredients. Drag your loved ones along and mosey around with a coffee, looking at homemade jewelry and picking out baked goods.
Walk, bike, and carpool
Reducing vehicle pollution helps keep our air and oceans clean.
If you walk or bike to your destination, you’ll be able to exercise while going green. Now, sometimes, it can be too hot for my taste to walk or bike places, but just do your best! Sun and exercise are rarely bad things. Carpooling is another great option.
Use cloth napkins and paper towels
When you think about the amount of waste this will save, it’s a no-brainer.
If you stick with it, buying reusable napkins and paper towels will save you money in the long run. You can easily find these products on Amazon, but I’d suggest looking at antique malls for vintage napkins or cloths.
It’ll be cheaper, a fun shopping trip, and these vintage items won’t contribute to air pollution from manufacturing. Two birds, one stone.
Opt for eco-friendly beauty
If you’re a wearer of makeup or a user of beauty products, try to be an eco-conscious consumer next time you shop. Some cosmetics are made from marine materials, which is unsustainable.
Reduce waste and go for more ethical brands such as EcoRoots, Dirty Hippie Cosmetics, Ethique, and Fat & the Moon. There are plenty of ethical brands out there, so you’re sure to find one that works for you. You don’t have to sacrifice quality to go green this summer.
Go green and have your hot person summer
There are so many sustainable practices that we can all participate in not only this summer, but throughout the year.
The human race has inflicted so much damage on the environment, and now that we know more about the consequences of our actions, it is our responsibility to undo that damage. Do your part while living your best life!
Go green and support the environment while still enjoying your hot person summer. You deserve it.