After reading and watching the news lately, I’m getting so angry and disappointed. Deadly heat waves in China, extreme heat of over 48°C in Spain and Portugal, heat waves and drought in my own country Belgium, wildfires in California, Greece and even in Sweden… and let’s be honest, there’s only one who is responsible for all this: the human race. Don’t even try to deny it. It is you and me who are guilty of destroying our dear planet earth, our home! August 1 was Earth Overshoot Day. This is the day that marks when humanity has used more from nature than our planet can renew in the entire year. Or otherwise stated: we almost use 2 planets in an entire year to provide us from all we “need”. That is just outrageous and it needs to stop… and it can! If we all do it together! There really are little things you can do to save the earth!

Little things you can do to save the earth

I can honestly say that I am very aware of my behavior. I really make an effort to keep my ecological footprint as small as possible. But I can always do more and I’m doing my best to improve my actions. Writing this article is one of them. I may not have hundreds of thousands of followers (yet 😉 ), but I still feel like I can create awareness. If I can convince a few of you to change your attitude, I already will be very happy!

So what is it that I personally do? Trust me, these are not big actions and some of you may find them ridiculous, but I don’t care if that is what you think, because they can make a big difference if everyone would do them! After all it starts with YOU! And if you don’t want to do it to save the earth, then do it to save money! (because we all would love to have more money, don’t we?) Here are the little things you can do to save the earth (and money)!

Save water in the shower

Water saving shower head

First of all I have a water saving shower head. I know everyone just loves those fancy rain showers, but please don’t install them when getting your new bathroom/shower. They spill so much unnecessary water…
There is also no need to open the tab completely at its maximum capacity. I only open it halfway and my shampoo and soap rinse off perfectly.

Turn off the tap while soaping

While I’m shampooing my hair I turn off the tap, because there is just no need for water then.

Use a bucket

When I turn on the water in the shower, it always takes a while before the water gets warm. In stead of letting the cold water flow away, I put the shower head in a bucket until it gets warm, so no water gets spilled. I use the water in the bucket to flush the toilet or to water my flowers and plants.

Save water in the toilet

Did you know an average toilet uses 6 liters of water per flush? That’s insanely much. Don’t push the button all the way. Just flush until everything nasty has disappeared. I also know people who put a brick in the water reservoir so it doesn’t get filled completely!

Save water when brushing your teeth

If you still let the water run while brushing your teeth, now is the time to change that. I always wet my toothbrush and close the tap. I fill a cup/glass with water to rinse my mouth with. That way I don’t spill water.

Transportation: I don’t own a car

Now this one is a tricky one. Maybe a lot of you think “What a hypocrite! She’s taking the plane at least 4 times a year, knowing it is catastrophic for the environment!“. But I did some research and found a study of Paul Watkiss Associates en AEA Technology Environment about the impact of different ways of transportation. Conclusion: there isn’t a big difference between a car and a plane. Shocked? Look at the chart below. These numbers took into account the average occupation per means of transportation and the production mix of electricity in these countries.

In Belgium people drive about 15000 km per year with their car, an American drives 21684 km per year. These people also take planes to go on vacation. Some even more than I do for business trips etc.

This year I will be flying 19838 km in total. Which means my impact is as big as someone owning a car. But guess what? I don’t own a car. So that way I compensate. Of course my impact will be bigger when I travel to Indonesia next year which is already 12226 km one way only! But I will never stop doing what I love the most, which is traveling. So when I do trips that are further away, I just stay for a longer period at the far away destination and do less trips in one year (or more close by so I can take the train).

Like I said; I don’t have a car, because I don’t really need it. At home I use a bike to go to work daily (even when it storms) and I use public transport for day trips. It would be so great if all people were able to work close to their homes. I always look for a job that I can reach by bike or public transport. If you own a car, please think about taking a bike or walk before stepping into the car on your way to the bakery. Is it really that far?

Of course I do realize I still have a major impact on the environment by flying, but I do a lot of other things to compensate and I really hope one day they find a better alternative for fuel and electricity.

Recycle

In Belgium we need to recycle our trash. We have blue bags for plastic, green bags for organic waste like fruits and vegetables, white bags for “other” and we also need to keep paper separately. I think plastics are the worst challenge. Almost everything we buy here at the supermarket is packed in plastic. I try to keep in mind to not buy plastic, but I often don’t have any other choice… But awareness is growing so I hope it will change soon! I still need to buy bamboo straws to take with me on trips!

Don’t lither

One of the simplest things you can do to save the earth is to always throw your trash in the waste bin! Easy no? No bin around? Then I just take my trash with me until I find one. There is never an excuse to throw trash on the ground, on the beach, in the water, in the woods,… just take it with you until you can throw it in a bin. That’s also the reason why I always take a few bags with me (if only they weren’t plastic though…)
Smoker? Don’t throw your cigarettes on the ground! If you don’t know what to do with your finished cigarette, quit smoking! (I hate smoking, does it show?)

LED lights

All my lighting in the house is LED. LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than traditional lighting, contain no toxic elements, have a better quality of light distribution and focus light in one direction (less lights needed) and last up to six times longer than other types of lights!
I only put on light when it is necessary and only in the room where I am. I never leave any unnecessary lights on.

Heating the house

Honestly? Ever since I isolated my roof I almost never have to put on the heating. Last Winter I put it on only 5 times! It never gets colder than 18°C in the house. I’m almost never at home during the day and I think it is ridiculous to put on the heating in the evening for just a few hours. When I get a bit cold, I just wear a warmer sweater or I put on my PJ’s to sit in front of the tv under a cosy blanket. Tropical temperatures really aren’t necessary in the house. I also never put on the heating in the bedroom. If you really need to heat your house, only heat the places where you’re at. Not every single room.

Flowers on the terrace

I don’t have a garden, but I do have a terrace. I put flowers on it not only because I think it’s pretty but it also keeps the bees happy! It is estimated that one third of the food that we consume each day relies on pollination mainly by bees. So it is important to keep them alive!

So these are the things I do to reduce my impact on the environment. I really hope I got you thinking and that I created some awareness. What do you do? Do you have more tips and tricks you would like to share, so I can improve myself even more? Don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below so we can all save the earth together! (I’m on a mission here 😉 )

If you like the pictures in this “Little things you can do to save the earth” article, I suggest to follow my Instagram account where you can find a lot more!