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Personally, I find it very important to look after this beautiful earth of ours but as teenagers, it can often be hard to donate large amounts of money or spend lots of time volunteering so these are a few tips on little things you can do.
1. Say no to the straw!
In the US alone 500 million straws are used and thrown away every day. They can't be recycled! Your tiny little straw can do a lot of damage in the ocean where it can kill all sorts of wildlife including sea turtles. So why not stop using straws altogether?
Some people (myself included) love using straws, if you have braces it is suggested you use a straw when drinking fizzy drinks, some drink lids require straws. But this doesn't mean there isn't anything you can do. I introduce you to three good options:
Glass straws, paper straws, metal straws. I splashed out a whole £3 ($4/ €3.40) for a packet of metal straws on Amazon and I now carry one around with me in my handbag at all times!
2.Tote-ally awesome!
Here in the UK, the government is attempting to do something about the amount of single-use plastic we use and that includes charging £0.05 for a plastic bag at the supermarket. In order to avoid spending 5p extra everytime I buy anything, I carry a reusable bag with me. Personally, I love a good tote bag that you can fold up and tuck away in your handbag!
3. Cute cups!
Every time you go to the coffee shop and take your latte to go you're wasting a cup. If you're a frequent hot drink person then you might want to buy yourself a cute reusable cup. Not only do they reduce waste, but they're also much nicer and prettier than the regular cups.
4. Bottle it up
There is nothing better than a cute reusable water bottle in my opinion. There are so many to choose from and reduce the waste created by using plastic water bottles. In the US over 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown away without being recycled and here in the UK 80% goes to landfill. That's a lot of bottles and a lot of plastic which could be recycled to make something new.
5. Say no to single use
Avoid using things that are wrapped or packaged in single-use plastics. Try to use cardboard or reusable plastic instead. And if you can't do that, read your labels and buy things that come in recyclable packaging.
6. Ecosia search
Instead of using google I search using a search engine called https://www.ecosia.org/ which is really easy to download to your computer. For every 45 things you search, Ecosia plants one tree. So far they have managed to plant over 30,000,000 trees across the world. It's an easy and free way to help prevent/ slow down deforestation.
7. Walk it out
Using a car is one of the worst things for the environment so, if it's possible, why not walk to where you want to be? It's easy to exercise and you're helping our planet by reducing greenhouse gasses. If you can't walk there, why not get the bus? It's cheaper and saves the planet.
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