3 Things You Can Do Online Right Now to Help the Environment

sustainablelivingreport | October 24, 2017 | Green & Eco-Friendly Living

Living greener doesn’t have to just mean giving up meat, installing solar panels on your roof, or embracing a minimalist lifestyle. You can even help the environment with your smartphone! Here are 3 simple and easy things you can do online right now to be more eco-friendly…

Sometimes people think of “going green” or living a more eco-friendly lifestyle as something that requires changing your lifestyle entirely or giving up the things you enjoy. But the truth is, you can make more sustainable choices on a daily basis, without completely changing how you live. In fact, there are things you can do to help the environment without even getting out of your chair!

For example, you can do the three things below right from your computer or smartphone – and make a difference in the world from wherever you are right now.

1. Calculate your carbon footprint.

Carbon calculators like the ones from The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International make it easy to quantify your environmental impact in a matter of minutes. Answer a few questions about your transportation habits, energy use, and consumption patterns to get a better idea of where you’re acting in an eco-friendly way and where you could use a little improvement. Then, let these insights inform your habits moving forward.

2. Offset your next plane trip.

While reducing your emissions should always be your first priority, offsetting is basically a way to press tare on your environmental impact. You can donate money to initiatives that take carbon out of the environment—like tree plantings and renewable energy projects—to balance out the carbon you’re putting into it with your daily routine. Offsetting your flights is a good place to start, since plane travel is a major emitter but one that most of us can’t realistically give up altogether.

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Consider buying offsets for any trips you have planned on Native Energy or Cool Effect, and next time you book, do it with an airline that offers carbon credits with each ticket. Major flyers like Jet Blue, American Airlines, and Delta do!

3. Check to see if you can switch over to renewable energy.

You don’t need to deck out your roof with solar panels or move closer to a wind farm to switch over to renewable energy in your home. In certain parts of the United States, Green Mountain Energy lets you switch over to renewables on the spot without changing energy providers. Just input your ZIP code and see if it’s a possibility for you.