If you are reading this article, I think you are probably more concerned about the environment than most others. I assume that you keep up with environmental news a bit, reading more than the miniscule amount covered in the mainstream media.
However, I cannot make any guess as to how much you actually do to live a more environmentally friendly life.
Why?
The bottom line is, people inform themselves of the environmental problems in the world much more than they act. And even for those deeply concerned about the environment, it is very likely there is more they could be doing in their own lives to live a cleaner or greener life.
That is why I want to give one general tip for how to live a greener life. Maybe it is simple. But I think it is one of the best things you can do to transform your actions.
First, though, if you want some statistics on the difference between what people think need to be done and what they are actually doing, take a look at the results of this Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming. January 2010 study from George Mason University and Yale University Project on Climate Change researchers.
The red parts of the bars concerns what I just wrote about above: the percentage of people who “believe the action is important, but do not currently engage in it.”
The blue parts are the people who “believe the action is important and currently engage in it.” To what extent they engage, is another question.
It is clear here that we think we should do more than we do. My tip is this:
Think about what you are doing and what you are using, in an environmentally aware way.
You may know some things are bad for the environment when asked but don’t consider these things at all in your daily life. Or, you may even be somewhat conscious of the environmental problems they cause when doing or buying something, but largely choose to avoid the issue. Very simply, when you are going to do something, or going to buy something, give some honest, direct and complete thought to “What environmental problems does this contribute to?”; “Where does this come from and how many environmental problems come from its creation?“; “Can I do something differently or buy something else to live a greener life?“.
This can even spread all the way to the place where you live, the way you get around your town or city, and your whole diet. But, at the least, it can have a huge effect on the small things (that add up).
Take your environmental knowledge and care out of your computer screen and insert it firmly into your life.
Image Credit: ebergcanada via flickr under a CC license
