3 Small Steps You Can Take Right Now towards a Greener Lifestyle — This Green Lifestyle

If it’s time to replace a lightbulb (or perhaps many), consider switching to LED if you haven’t already. On average, LED light bulbs use 75% less energy than their incandescent counterparts, plus they last longer! In the long run they will save you a lot of money. Not to mention, they don’t get hot, so they’re less of a fire hazard, too.

Three: Change up your commute

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we all observed an initial reduction in transportation and traffic, but it didn’t last long. Plus, in places like New York, many people actually switched from using public transportation to using personal vehicles.

Nevertheless, statistics show that the energy consumption in the transportation sector was slightly less in 2020 than previous years; about 26% of all total energy as opposed to 28% in 2019. 

The transportation sector uses a lot of energy, and most of that comes from personal use (cars, motorcycles, and light trucks). This means that you can make a difference by choosing to change up your commute when possible, and here’s how:

Even in the age of Covid-19 you can use public transportation safely by masking up, washing your hands frequently, using hand sanitizers, and avoiding close contact with other people. 

By far the most important impact of public transportation is that it reduces the amount of people driving personal vehicles. This means fewer emissions and smog in congested areas, and less traffic (leading to further reductions in emissions because vehicles aren’t idling).

How about no emissions at all? 

If you’re able, try riding your bike to work or to the store if possible! Seasoned bikers will tell you that not even heavy rain will deter them, but try it first on a day where the weather is nice and you have ample time. 

Public transportation is not always a viable option. If that’s the case for you, why not try to find someone you can carpool with? Even if you’re not immediate neighbors, there are ways to make carpooling easy, like parking in a “park and ride” lot or meeting along a major road. 

Start small; carpooling to work just once a week can make a big impact over the course of a year!

In some towns, you might even have the option of walking or running to your errands or destinations. Bonus points for zero emissions and living a healthy lifestyle! 

Of course there are many other things that we can all do, but it is my firm belief to start small. How else do you live a green lifestyle? Comment below!