Protecting the Environment on Earth Day and Beyond

Earth Day is right around the corner and if you want to start getting more involved in environmental protection efforts, there are several easy ways you can do your part to protect the Earth. When everyone makes small changes, eco-friendly attitudes catch on and the world slowly becomes a safer, healthier place.

Consider these eco-friendly ideas if you want to make an impact on Earth Day and beyond.

Reuse

Using fewer plastic bags during your shopping trips is one effective way that you, as a customer, can help protect the environment. Plenty of stores sell resilient, reusable shopping bags that can easily be folded up and stored in your car.

Additionally, if you use laundry services in Boston, ask about reusable laundry bags. Some designs allow you to use them as an all-in-one reusable laundry/duffel/garment bag. At home, the bag serves as a hamper. You can use it as a duffel bag to take your laundry to the cleaners, and at pick-up, it transforms into a side-zippered, breathable, water-repellent, hanging garment bag that protects your cleaned clothing.

Recycle

Recycling protects the environment by preventing the depletion of the earth’s limited resources. If you have unused medications, take them to your local pharmacy for safe, proper disposal. Return unused hangers to the dry cleaner you frequent.

If you do happen to receive groceries in plastic bags, return the empty bags to the depository that many supermarkets now have for bag recycling.

Use Clean Energy/Green Technology

Plenty of companies offer clean or green products you can use in lieu of those that damage the environment. For example, you might want to consider using propane or solar energy to cut down on your energy consumption when cooking, heating your home, and using appliances.

Green dish and laundry detergents also exist, and they’re just as effective as standard store-brand products. These items may be a little more expensive, but they don’t pollute groundwater.

Buy from Green Companies

When you make active choices to shop at green stores and subscribe to eco-friendly companies, you’re doing far more than making a move to protect the environment. You’re also influencing your friends and family to follow your example, and you’re incentivizing other businesses to adopt greener practices.

Try visiting eco-friendly dry cleaners, landscapers that practice environmentally-conscious work, and low-waste grocery stores.

Celebrate Earth Day with Your Family

Earth Day provides families with a reason to go outside and have fun, but the day also serves to present parents and children with teachable moments. On Earth Day, educate your children about the environment and give them easy tips and activities they can try out if they want to live a greener lifestyle.

If you have senior loved ones living with you (or you visit them frequently), encourage them to participate in a few low-impact gardening activities with the rest of the family. Not only is gardening a great way to pursue sustainability but this sort of activity can be shared by everyone in your household. You may also be able to hire a home caregiver that can help your senior with gardening or other earth-friendly activities.

Earth Day focuses on protecting the planet on which we live, but it’s not the only time people should care about the environment. Use the activities you adopt during Earth Day to take your eco-friendly efforts beyond the holiday. See what sort of difference your changes make if you keep them going throughout the year.

New Year’s Resolutions for a Healthier Life

Each New Year brings new and exciting possibilities. We get to start on a clean slate and set New Year resolutions. Many goal-setters strive to improve their health. They set resolutions for the New Year, such as do more exercise, go on a diet, get more sunlight, etc. and aim to stick with them. Others get stuck. So I will share with you a few suggestions to live a healthier life.

Visit Your Elderly Parents Once a Month

Health isn’t exclusively about what you put into your body. Spending time with people you love also assists with health. Some elderly parents receive attention from home health aides. These professional caregivers help senior adults with everyday tasks such as meal preparation, housekeeping and personal hygiene, as well as offering meaningful companionship.

However, time with these in-home caregivers is not the same as spending time with your child. Visiting your elderly parent once a month gives them more time with you. You both get to share memories and bond during your precious moments. Spending time with your parents is the best way to show that you care. Your visits will benefit their physical and mental health as well as your own.

No one wants to do chores, but unattended laundry will pile up over time. Dust will accumulate and trigger allergies. You might also notice the odor. Not tending to laundry can turn your home into an unpleasant one and hurt your health.

A weekly laundry pickup and delivery will solve this problem. Not only will create a cleaner space in your home, you will also always look your best in clean and fresh clothing. Furthermore, delegating laundry gives you extra time to exercise, work on other health-related goals and spend precious time with your family, which is again beneficial to you and your family’s mental and physical health.

Be Environmentally-Friendly

Taking an environmentally-friendly approach to your living environment is not only kind to our planet but often ensures better health for yourself as well. For example, a lot of cleaning products contain chemicals and toxins that are harmful to the body. Resolve to start using green cleaning products this year. You won’t feel the disadvantages immediately. However, like the planet and climate change, these effects will occur in the long term.

Homeowners can also consider switching to a propane water-heating and space-heating system which are more eco-friendly than oil and likely to be cost-beneficial in the long run. Consult your local home energy supplier and also inquire about availability of propane tanks and delivery service.

Set Up a Health and Lifestyle Plan

Strive to become healthier now than you were last year, but it may not be easy to do it alone. You can enlist a loved one to keep your objectives on track, but sometimes professional coaching is more effective. Some pharmacies have a wellness coach who can set you up with a health plan and recommend proper exercises, vitamins, and supplements for your goals. Having professional support along the way lets you establish challenging but reasonable goals, with a higher probability of success.

Setting New Year resolutions around health is a great start for the year. I wish you the best as you continue your health journey in 2022!

Three Simple, Eco-Friendly Changes You Can Make at Home

Humans depend on the earth for food, safety, and oxygen. It only makes sense that we would want to take better care of this planet. Eco-friendly living starts at home, and it does not have to be that difficult, either. Here are three simple, eco-friendly changes you can make to reduce your carbon footprint and make a positive impact.

1. Change laundry products and habits.

Making a few changes to your laundry routine can reduce the amount of pollution your household releases. If you don’t already use a natural, eco-friendly laundry detergent, it’s time to make the switch. Also make sure your fabric softener is eco-friendly. You may even want to try reusable, laundry-softening balls rather than a liquid product.

If you have clothing that needs to be dry cleaned, go to an eco-friendly dry cleaner. Look for a business that recycles hangers and uses reusable laundry bags rather than plastic ones.

2. Grill with propane.

Sure, grilling over charcoal makes for a tasty meal, but burning charcoal also releases a lot of pollutants into the atmosphere. If you want to live in a more eco-friendly way, switch to propane. You can buy reusable propane tanks and propane delivery from your local gas supplier. Propane emits 50% less carbon dioxide than charcoal when burned, and carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

Propane grills also make it easier to control your temperature. They heat up faster than charcoal grills, too!

3. Purchase eco-friendly personal care products.

It’s time to visit your nearby pharmacy and give your personal products an overhaul. Look for eco-friendly alternatives to your current toothpaste, shampoo, soap, makeup, and other cosmetic items.

Eco-friendly cosmetic and personal products are usually sold in recyclable packaging. They also tend to be free of polluting compounds like sodium laurel sulfate. If you can find products labeled as “vegan” and “cruelty-free,” that’s even better. These products are better for the animals, who are certainly part of this great planet. Eco-friendly and vegan products may be better for your own health, too.

If you want to preserve the planet and live a greener life, then it’s time to start making changes. You don’t have to overhaul your entire life. For now, focus on improving your laundry habits, purchasing more earth-friendly cosmetics and personal items, and grilling on propane rather than charcoal. The planet will thank you.