7 Simple Ways To Improve Your Life By Being Eco-Friendly

Whether you believe in global warming or not, here are 7 ways you could reap the benefits of leading an environmentally conscious lifestyle.

1) Adopt Fluorescent

Fluorescent light bulbs have been taking over the market. However, if you're still living in the stone age with your standard light bulbs it may be time catch up with the 21st century. Fluorescent light bulbs could provide a lower power bill due to their higher efficiency. Additionally, fluorescent light bulbs last about 10-15 times longer than your ordinary light bulb. Which means on top of saving money you'll be saving time!

2) Turn Your Electronics Off

After you have gone through the process of switching to more efficient light bulbs you should make sure to turn those lights off! Well, at least when you are not using them. Leaving the lights on while the room is inactive is an unnecessary way to create a higher power bill. Also to help avoid unnecessary energy consumption, you should be making sure to turn off all of the electronic devices in an inactive room. Making a conscious effort to ensure your appliances are off will reduce your power bill and will reduce CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere.

3) Bike or Walk

Another way to save money and be eco-friendly would be to start commuting with your bicycle instead of a motor vehicle. Or if you happen to live very close you could even walk. Biking or walking your daily commute will help you sneak in some exercise without having to go completely out of your way. The plus side to this is physical activity has been shown to not only improve physical health but mental health as well. In fact, one school found that 30 minutes of walking improved students' performance by 10%! Therefore, you could help save the planet simply by leading a healthier lifestyle!

4) Commute With Others

If commuting via foot power or bicycle is not your cup of tea, you should consider using public transportation or carpooling. Taking advantage of public transportation will save you money you would normally be wasting on gasoline. Or if your city's public transportation is not sufficient, car pooling is an excellent alternative. Splitting the gas with a co-worker or peer will reduce air pollution and will help keep your bank account from running dry. There seems to be a trend with saving money and being eco-friendly.

5) Turn Your Engine Off

According to this article the average driver spends 16 minutes in their car remaining idle. Of these 16 minutes, half are spent simply warming up the engine or waiting. Avoiding vehicle idling will provide cleaner air. If your car was made in the 1980s or later you probably have electronic ignition style engine. Which only takes 30 seconds to sufficiently warm up. Therefore, you can save yourself time and money by not spending minutes warming up your car in the morning. Additionally, you will be reducing the amount of CO2 emissions being emitted into the atmosphere.

6) Go Vegan

Raising livestock to feed the world requires considerably more resources than growing crops. On average crops only requires about 18% the amount of fuel needed to produce the same amount of meat. Now you may not care about the environmental impacts, however, simply cutting back on meat consumption will provide health benefits. Following a vegan diet for at least one day a week will reduce your risk of heart disease, limit your chances of cancer, help fight diabetes, and fight obesity. Also, a vegan diet is generally cheaper.

7) Pay Your Bills Online

Perhaps the one thing people can agree is possibly more valuable than money is time. Unfortunately, time can not be thrown around as easily as money. Therefore, spending your time carefully is crucial. Paying your bills online will save you time and will cut back on paper consumption. Less paper means less fuel is being used for production and fewer trees are being cut down. In case, you were not aware, trees act as the primary CO2 filter for the entire planet. Therefore, more trees means everyone gets to breathe cleaner air.