Do you like nature? I do!
Despite calling myself a ‘city girl’ and living in a ‘concrete city’, I do appreciate mother nature. This is why throughout my life, I have taken initiatives to help make our planet greener. I made a short cheesy animation in high school to promote our school’s recycling program, and recently become more minimalistic for the environment.
Today I’ll be going over low-impact things you can do today to help make this world a greener place.
Figure out why you want to be “Captain Planet”
In order to anything, you need to figure out your personal reason as to “why” you want to step out of your comfort zone to do something new. Without this seemingly silly piece of the puzzle, no matter what you do today, these actions will not help in the long-term since it’ll be a one-time thing. Personally I don’t mind what you do, your life is your life, but I highly encourage you to take a few minutes to figure out why you personally want to help the planet.
3 ways you can make the Earth greener
Once you have figured out your ‘why’, here are 3 “low-impact” ways you can make the Earth a greener place. When I use the term ‘low-impact’, I mean you don’t have to do anything ‘life changing’ to make a difference.
1. Donate to #TeamTrees
Famous YouTuber “Mr. Beast” collaborated with the Arbor Foundation to create “#TeamTrees”. The #TeamTrees initiative is all about raising $20 Million Dollars to plant 20 million trees. You can learn more about this initiative on their YouTube video.
All you need to do is donate at least $1 to teamtrees.org and then you would have done your part.
However if #TeamTrees is no longer around then go directly to the Arbor Foundation. They are a great organization and have been collecting donations (and producing results) for years
However if you don’t enjoy the idea of simply donating money for the sake of donating money, then there are other ways you can help with the #TeamTrees initiative.
Purchase #TeamTrees merchandise: 100% of the profits from sales made on this website go directly towards the trees. This also will give you something physical for your donation while also spreading awareness for the cause.
Spread the word: Use social media to spread the #TeamTrees initiative. Post about it on FaceBook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, or wherever your community is. If you don’t have the money to spare, you may inspire those around you who do to donate.
Like Stickers?
On RedBubble we have Pokemon inspired #TeamTrees merch!
2. Download the Forest App
As an avid fan of technology and apps, I like to learn about and use various iOS applications. One of the applications that has stuck with me throughout the years as been the Forest App. This is a timer application that helps you keep focused on being productive for periods of time so you can get more done.
It does this via the “Pomodoro Method”.
The pomodoro method is a methodology where you stay focused on a singular task for a designated period of time, typically 25-30 minutes, followed by a short 3-5 minute break, and then followed by another working sprint.
Whenever you successfully complete a pomodoro (a working time period) you get coins that you can use within the app to purchase different kinds of virtual trees or bushes to plant.
However what makes this app really magical is being able to exchange your virtual currency to plant real frees. As of today, over 600 thousand trees have been planted by trading in 2500 virtual gold coins for one real tree. 5 of those real trees were ones I planted by completing pomodoros.
By downloading this app, you can not only become more productive, but you can also help the environment, a win-win for everyone.
3. Use the Ecosia Web Browser
Google is the most commonly used search engine. Recently I have decided to download the Ecosia Google Chrome extension so I can start using it for all my web searches. What makes Ecosia shine is that all the profits earned by them with your web searches go directly to planting trees.
If you want to learn more about it, they have a video that is less than 40 seconds long that explains how it works!
According to their website, by having thousands of users using their search engine (for free), they have been able to plant over 76 million trees. That’s a lot of trees considering that I’m sure the majority of these searches were done from the comfort of the users’ home.
Since I recently downloaded this extension, I won’t be able to share my own personal experience with it, but I highly encourage you give it a try. The worst thing that could happen is that you end up not liking it and go back to Google (or Bing).
Want to “go green?”
Learn about how BamBaw’s bamboo cutlery can help you live a greener life today. They are affordable and reusable, a combination I approve of!
What are some other ways you can make the Earth greener?
I love learning about new ways to help make the Earth a greener, happier, and safer place to live in. Recently one of the latest tips I read online was by using oversized warm scarves to wrap presents instead of wasteful wrapping paper.
I’m sure you know a couple of other ways to make small and low-impact changes to make a big difference. If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment below, I’d love to know what you think.
