Changing Habits for a Healthier Planet: 5 Ways to Encourage Eco-Friendly Habits

Today is April, 22nd, which means it’s Earth Day. While it’s hard for me to sum up all of the world’s biggest environmental issues in just a single day, it’s hard to deny the numbers! Earth Day engages a billion people worldwide on April 22 of every year. But what are people doing to keep this energy going all year round?

It’s important to remember that our individual actions can have a significant impact on the health of our planet. By changing our habits and adopting more sustainable practices, we can work towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

Changing Habits for a Healthier Planet: Earth Day and Personal Action

As a business owner, I think it’s important to talk about matters I believe in. And my 8-year accounting & marketing career at Whole Foods Market from 2005-2013 taught me years helped me learn about the environmental dangers and implications a single person can inflict on the earth.

Through their core values, they helped me make certain changes in my personal lifestyle which helped me solve underlying health issues that happened to me. I quit smoking, gave up meat, started using reusable bottles, started composting and living a healthier lifestyle.

How Neon Flamingo Is Making a Difference

At Neon Flamingo, we are committed to practicing environmentally friendly practices in Las Vegas, NV. Our mission is to promote resource conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, and natural resource protection. We understand that small actions can have a big impact on the environment and that’s why we are taking steps to do our part.

In our web design business, we’ve pinpointed a few ways we are helping reduce our carbon footprint. Over the years we have drastically reduced the amount of paper we use. Also as our team all works remotely, we are commuting far less throughout the day and evenings.

Here are a few other ways we’re going green, mixed with a few interesting stats you might not know about!

5 Ways to Encourage Eco-Friendly Habits

1. Conserve Water

Did you know a leaky faucet can drip as much as 90 gallons (340 liters) of water down the drain every day? [source: EPA]. And stop drinking bottled water. Switch to filtered tap water. You’ll save a ton of cash and help reduce a ton of plastic waste in the process.

2. Reduce your Emissions While Driving

To reduce your carbon emissions while driving, you can take a smoother approach to driving, time your journeys to avoid traffic, clean and maintain your vehicle regularly, and consider swapping your car for a greener model.

3. It’s Smart to Recycle

Making small changes in your daily routine can significantly reduce pollution. By recycling items such as paper, plastics, glass, and metal, we can conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease the amount of waste that ends up in our environment. 

4. Give Up Plastic

The statistics are shocking: People around the world buy 1 million plastic drinking bottles every minute, and use up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags every year. Humans are addicted to plastic, and hardly any of it — about 9 percent — gets recycled. A staggering 68 to 219 million tons (75 to 199 million metric tons) of plastic is currently in our oceans

5. Save Electricity! 

Use energy-efficient light bulbs instead of regular bulbs. They last longer, which will save you a bit of money (every little bit helps on a college budget, right?). Make sure you turn off lights, the TV, and other appliances when you are not using them. Lower your air conditioning or heat when it’s not necessary. This is especially true between seasons.

Celebrate Earth Day Every Day

The key is to spread the message effectively and strive to internalize the information so that it becomes an ingrained part of our daily routines, resulting in continual improvement year after year. I know I’m not perfect, but with daily practice and forming better “environmentally friendly” habits, I can retain what I’ve learned from Whole Foods but continue to learn more about doing my part to protect the environment. Learning and doing is one thing. But staying true and consistent is where it matters most.