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These days, the news may be full of doom and gloom, and it’s a challenge not to let it get you down. But there are many small ways that we all can make a positive impact through our individual choices. Our lifestyle choices can benefit not just ourselves, for instance, but also our neighborhoods, our communities, and even the world itself. 

With clear intentions, active and informed choices, and a bit of upfront commitment to the cause, you can live a greener lifestyle and inspire those around you to do the same. Here are some tips from Cultural Society.

The Smart Home 

Installing a smart thermostat in your home is one of the biggest steps you can take toward reducing your overall carbon footprint. Digital Trends explains these devices can help you save big on energy costs, but their usefulness doesn’t end there. As they save you money, a smart thermostat will learn your unique household temperature preferences and patterns so you don’t have to constantly adjust the atmosphere in your home. 

A device like a Nest Thermostat can pay for itself in two years or less, and you can control it from virtually anywhere. The Nest is compatible with most heating and cooling systems, has schedule-learning capability, and can also be controlled in conjunction with smart speakers. If you’re on a budget, the Honeywell Lyric T5 may be your best. And while it may not have as many features as its higher-priced brethren, it still sports enough functionality to stay competitive on the market.

Go for the Green Light

As part of your green home lifestyle, LED light bulbs can produce the same amount of light as conventional light bulbs, but as Viribright explains, it’s with a mere fraction of the power. This means a dramatically reduced reliance on fossil fuels, which translates to a much lower energy bill. Many LED lights come with smart home options as well, allowing you to customize the colors, program effects such as slow fades, and turn a light bulb on or off from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection, even if you’re on the other side of the world.

Solar Panels

Most people know that solar panels draw energy from the sun without burning any fossil fuels. But some solar panels look just like a conventional roof and don’t cost any more than one. Though the initial investment may be steep, solar panels will help you save down the road as you won’t have to pay as much for your electric bill. Also, adding solar panels (and making other green-friendly changes) can increase your home’s appraised value as they will appeal to the ever-growing numbers of environmentally conscious home buyers.

Smart Eating

Your home’s energy isn’t the only source of concern; make sure you’re keeping your personal energy up by monitoring your vitamin intake, too. Certain vitamins and minerals, like vitamin B-12 and iron, can greatly influence your vitality. Stay on top of your physical game with anti-fatigue nutrition. You’ll be less apt to turn to artificial sources of energy like coffee or caffeinated colas, which means running your coffee maker less and cutting down on the consumption of those mass-manufactured drinks—a boost to your efforts in all respects. 

Reduce Food Waste at Home

If major home investments are not in your immediate financial future, consider making a smaller change that will also save you a lot of cash. As Cooking Light points out, using more of what you have and throwing away less food waste is another easy way to minimize your impact on the planet. You can decrease the risk of wasting food by planning your meals carefully ahead of time. There is a wealth of meal-planning apps like Emeals and Paprika that help with this often-overlooked step in meal preparation and storage. 

Take Your Greener Lifestyle to Work

There are as many ways to go green at work as there are at home. Some of the same practices apply, like keeping plants around to help purify the air, cold water pitchers in the fridge rather than plastic bottles, and using green products to clean. Another idea is to replace print and mailed invoices with digital invoices using an online invoice maker. Going digital and eliminating paper where possible saves a lot of waste. A bonus to cultivating a greener office is that it’s something you can brag about to customers and clients who will appreciate your environmentally sound business practices. 

Making a serious effort to reduce your own carbon footprint is a noble endeavor. But what may go unnoticed is the effect that your choices have on others. A neighbor down the street seeing solar panels installed on your roof may be inspired to outfit her home the same way. The fact is, you never know how you may affect or even influence others. Real change in the world starts on an individual level, and your efforts to live a little greener will pay off.

CSEBRI – Pioneer in Creativity and Exchange (Cultural Society) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of those in our community. We envision a learning environment without borders.

Our mission is to inspire curiosity for learning and to nurture the next generation of world citizens embracing diversity with health-conscious lifestyles.

For more information, please visit our website or contact us today!