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How eco-friendly are you? Sports & Wellness Team Puts Us to the Test

How do you commute to work every day? How much food do you throw out at the end of the week? We may think we lead environmentally friendly lives, but can we do more? Read the ten ways to improve how eco-friendly you are, brought to you by our Director of Sports & Wellness, Shanon.

Ten Ways to Improve How Eco-Friendly You Are!

  1. Cycling to work instead of Driving. Bicycling is a great way to improve cardiovascular health and significantly reduce transportation emissions while also reducing traffic congestion.
  2. Choose Climate-Friendly Food. Food that comes from high on the food chain or arrives to your plate after extensive processing tends to require more energy and release more global warming pollution into the air. Consume foods lower on the food chain by adding more fruits, vegetables, and grains to your diet and limiting your intake of meat. This can reduce your risk of coronary disease and colorectal cancer, while reducing your grocery bill.  
  3. Buy Organic and Other Sustainable Certifications. Eco-labels like USDA Organic and others give us a way to reward environmental performance in the marketplace. Organic agriculture is a safer choice for the environment and your family because organic growers don’t use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Pesticide use degrades air and water quality, while threatening the health of workers, farmers, and communities. Organic agriculture is also often better than conventional agriculture in reducing global warming pollution. Buy organic and other certified foods when you can.
  4. Eat Locally. Buying locally can help reduce the pollution and energy use associated from transporting, storing and refrigerating this food—that’s especially true for food that is imported by airplane, including perishables such as cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, and asparagus. Choose local food options whenever possible and avoid purchasing food imported by airplane.
  5. Try growing vegetables of your own. By adding potted plants or a small plot of vegetables, you can have easy access to fresh food which ultimately saves you a trip to the grocery store which saves you gas as well.
  6. Watch Your Waste. Nearly all of discarded food that ends up in landfills where it releases even more heat-trapping gas in the form of methane as it decomposes. Purchase foods that you can consume before they expire to help minimize food waste and lower your grocery bill.
  7. Turn waste into a resource. Compost your food waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the need for synthetic fertilizer.
  8. Invest in a Reusable Water Bottle. Millions of tons of plastic are used to produce billions of plastic water bottles each year. Save money and lessen waste by drinking tap water from a reusable water bottle. Try a water filter, or take courage from the fact that a lot of bottled water is likely no better than what’s on tap.
  9. Reuse it. Bring a reusable bag on your next shopping trip to helped out the environment.
  10. Eat it raw.  If at all possible, eat foods raw. Not all foods should be eaten raw, but many vegetables can be eaten raw which saves energy on gas from your stone. It is yet another environmentally friendly way to keep you and environmentally healthy