Holistic and sustainable living can be achieved whichever place you’re living in and New Jersey is no exception to that fact. If you’re living in NJ and you want to become part of the green movement towards a cleaner Earth, then read on to find out how you can be one right in the comforts of your home.
Go Solar
By going solar, or choosing renewable energy sources, you are doing Earth and yourself a big favor. Power utilities use a ton of energy and make a lot of pollution to produce. But with solar, it’s cleaner, safer, and a whole lot cheaper, too. Besides, you can switch to solar power little by little. If it’s your first time, you can go ahead and purchase solar-powered devices like lights and heaters first before going all the way.
If you’ve been at it for a while, then it’s best to finally jump to switching your home system to a cleaner grid. If you’re ready for this change, go ahead and search for local installers to make your lives a whole lot easier.
Start Recycling and Upcycling
Recycling and upcycling are a few other ways you can start green living in NJ. Recycling involves destroying the product and making something new out of it, while upcycling is basically thinking of what other use a specific material can be. Regardless of which one you practice, both are good ways to reduce waste that gets dumped in landfills or at the sea.
Avoid using Motor Vehicles
Transportation is a necessity for any modern society. However, it is also true that motor vehicles contribute to the continued build-up of greenhouse gases, which affects our climate in a bad way. Even passenger cars emit about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and this figure rises as the vehicle gets bigger.
So in order to become an environmental advocate, you can do your part in avoiding motor vehicles if you can help it. Opt for e-cars, bikes, or travel afoot to go places if necessary.
Swear off Non-Sustainable Products
One more thing you can do to start contributing to save the planet is by swearing off non-sustainable products. This means you have to patronize companies who source their materials responsibly and also do their fair share of advocating for a better planet. These products may come at a price, but if you think about it, helping such companies thrive means they will get to continue on the right path of making better products for humans and for the world.
Start Planting
Of course, you can’t really call yourself an environmentalist if you’ve never fallen in love with plants. Planting or gardening has proven to be therapeutic. It has a whole lot of health benefits, and not just for the planet, but for yourself, too. Plants make any room brighter and give off clean air that we definitely need, especially if you’re living in the urban jungle of New Jersey.
Join a Community of Eco-Warriors
Last but certainly not least, you can join a community of environmentalists to multiply your actions and contribute more to the planet. Thankfully, there are a lot of sustainable living groups around New Jersey and you can inquire with them to know more. Most of these organizations prioritize planting, recycling, and conducting cleanup drives in town so you know you’re about to do something great.
Embarking on the journey to be an eco-warrior is not easy. It’s a journey that you must take seriously and wholeheartedly for it to have any effect on the environment at all. You may find your struggles tiny, compared to what others do or to the amount of damage being done to our lone planet. But that doesn’t mean you should give up. Take this as a challenge and continue living smartly and responsibly because believe me when I say that your actions do matter… Our actions matter.
