4 Ways That You Can Make A Difference To The Environment

We are facing a climate emergency on this planet. There is now no escaping it. As world leaders and businesses try to work out ways of reducing their impact, the argument about who should be responsible for making the changes continue.

The fact of the matter is that there are seven billion people in the world, all of them will have some impact on the environment, whether directly, or through choices made as a consumer.

There are lots of ways that we can all minimize our impact on the environment, and we should be doing as much as we possibly can This is not someone else’s problem, and it shouldn’t be down to others to fix it for us. Everyone should be doing their bit by looking at their own lives and looking at changes that they can personally make.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

A reduction in the amount that you consume will make a considerable difference. This may mean not buying items just because they are cheap, or because you can. If buying more means throwing things away, then this is not environmentally sound practice. We all need to get out of the mindset that goes along with being part of a disposable society.

If your fridge breaks down, instead of throwing it out, find a fridge repair company who can ensure you’re not needlessly wasting. If you have no use for an item anymore, sell it or donate it. You may even be able to use it for a completely different purpose.

Think about the amount of packaging that you throw away. Make sure you are sending the correct materials to be recycled. And think about buying packaging-free products.


One of the ways that you can improve your impact on climate change is to look at getting a more environmentally friendly vehicle. Picking smaller engines, hybrids, or even electric cars may help considerably.

Think about the route that you take, and consider if you can give anyone a lift so that you can help to reduce the number of cars on the road.

Drive at an appropriate speed as this will have an impact on your emissions. Try and turn your engine off if you are stuck in a traffic jam, or pulling up for an extended period.


If you are with a company that still burns coal in their power stations, it is time to switch. There are plenty of companies now who will supply you 100% renewable energy. Switching to one of these suppliers will help to stop the use of these harmful fossil fuels.


Many researchers point to the animal agriculture industry as a significant source of pollution. This has sparked a rise in veganism, vegetarianism, and flexitarianism.

A good way of helping to reduce your impact on the environment is to cut down on, or completely stop, the consumption of meat and dairy. Many people choose only to eat good quality, locally sourced meat, and just for special occasions, living a vegan lifestyle the rest of the time.







20 thoughts

  1. Great advice, Ula. You used the correct pronoun too – “we” instead of “they.”

    Too often, we urge “them” to do something, which absolves us of responsibility, or so we think. Truth is, it’s up to us to make the changes, to lead by example. Once the small units (us) reform, the big units (the intimidating “they”) will follow. Not the other way around.

    It’s the way a republic works, or should. Good entry!

  2. So glad you covered this vitally important topic. I just did a lengthy post on my blog (“It’s Here, It’s Real, and We’ve Got to Talk About It Together,”) and one of the things I learned is that the methane from thrown out food in landfills is far more dangerous than carbon dioxide in warming the earth—the third source of polluting worldwide after the US and China. So we can make a difference through careful shopping and eating lower down the food chain.

    Thanks, Ula. Hope you’re feeling good!

  3. Thank you for sharing these tips! It’s sometimes easy to forget that things that seem just casual can have such a bad impact of the environment – like not sitting with your car running!

  4. I’m glad you covered this topic. You covered some basic, yet important, things we can do in order to take care of the environment.

    In terms of driving, I would add that if you live in an area that has public transit (like where I am in New York City), try to take public transit more and drive less. And if not, see if you can carpool with someone. If we can cut down how much we drive, we can also cut down how much we pollute.

    That being said, your tips on the driving and everything else were overall spot on!

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