3 Ways to Save the Environment

I read last week that the volunteer water reduction measures in California were a bust. In fact, water usage went up 19%. We all have to get serious about the environment if we are going to save the planet for future generations. The Native Americans always say we are caretakers during our time here and we need to do a better job of taking care.

One way to help the environment is to stop idling engines. This issue gets me fired up. According to the department of energy, Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more emissions that contribute to smog and climate change than stopping and restarting your engine does. Researchers estimate that idling from heavy-duty and light-duty vehicles combined wastes about 6 billion gallons of fuel annually. My rule is if there are more than 2 cars in the drive-through I go inside to get my food, prescriptions, coffee, or whatever I am picking up.

Also, don’t sit in a car taking calls with the engine running. If you must be on a call, go inside a coffee shop or some other place designed for people talking on phones. Since moving to Tucson I have been shocked at the number of people sitting in a car with their engines running, AC on, and just talking on the phone.

Another way to help the environment is to stop using plastic bags. According to plasticsocean.org., “every day approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans. 12 million tons of plastic are poured into the ocean every year. Scientists have recently discovered microplastics embedded deep in the Arctic ice. Plastics consistently make up 80% of all marine debris studied.” Many cities have started taxing for the use plastic bags at stores but not enough are doing this so we need to be better citizens on our own.

Lastly, I am a big proponent of buying and using recycled clothing. I love stores like Real Real but other clothing companies like NYDJ are jumping into the fray. Denim is one of the most polluting garments made. Annually, the industry produces 92 million tons of waste and uses 79 trillion liters of water. That’s why NYDJ has launched its new sustainability product line.

While these ideas may be few, they can have a big impact and we need to think big if we are going to save our depleting planet.