There are a huge amount of people, business, communities that would love to do more to conserve and protect our natural resources but they don’t know where to begin with. Being environmental friendly means having a lifestyle that is better for the environment. It is all about taking a few simple steps towards our earth and make it a better planet to live. A healthy way would be to start with conserving water, driving less and walking more, consuming less energy, buying recycled products, eating locally grown fruits and vegetables, creating less waste, planting more trees etc.

Different ways to contribute towards being eco-friendly and how it will impact our health and environment are:

• Being Aware of Resources: You can start by living with a greater awareness of the common resources that you use in your daily life. Pay a good attention to how you choose to heat, to travel, to use water, and use products that were made by manufacturing practices. This will help you conserve natural resources and also keep you away from artificial forms of energy.

• Start Practising Conservation: By having awareness of how natural resources are used in your life you should start to practice conservation. This can be as simple as turning off the lights when you leave the room, close the tap if it’s not in use etc.

• Plant More Trees: Trees are necessary for our survival. They give us oxygen, clean the air, provide shelter for wildlife, prevent soil erosion and give you tasty fruits to eat. A shady landscape around your home can help you to reduce consumption of energy and keep your home cool even during summers. Plant more trees around your home and don’t cut them unnecessarily. Planting more trees will help you build more oxygen and fresh air which will keep your lungs healthy, and will also prevent us from the effects of air pollution.

• Conserve Water: Water needs to be conserved as a lot of energy is required to pump water from rivers or lakes into your home. Conserving more water reduces the amount of energy that is needed to filter it. Few ways to conserve water are: take short showers, fix leaking pipes, keep the running water close while you brush your teeth, recycle water in your home, use water-saving appliances, etc.

• Change Your Travel Habits: Driving and flying are two areas where you can make a real impact on environmentally friendly practices. Choose fuel-efficient travel options, try to pool a car with your colleagues, if your office is near you should try to ride a bicycle instead of the car. This not only will save energy and fuel but will also keep you agile and active, will prevent you from being overweight, keep your heart and lungs healthy, keep your joints lubricated and mobile.

• Buy Locally Grown Products: The easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is to buy locally grown products. You can grow vegetables in your garden area. These homegrown fruits and vegetables are not only fertilisers and chemical free but also hold a better nutritive value since they are grown naturally.

• Stop Littering: One of the common sights that we see every day on street is seeing people littering on roads or in public areas. One of the ways to keep the environment and surrounding clean around you is to stop ourselves and others from littering on roads. Instead, educate them to put trash and garbage in dustbins.

• 3 R’s Of Waste Hierarchy: The 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) waste hierarchy is the order of priority of actions to be taken to reduce the amount of waste generated and to improve overall waste management processes and programs. Reduce simply means reducing what is produced and what is consumed. Reuse items for a different purpose instead of sending them to landfills. To recycle something means that it will be transformed again into a raw material that can be shaped into a new item.

Although we may not always want to admit it, many of us can very easily become creatures of habit. But this world environment day lets knock off some our bad habits and pledge to keep our planet clean and green by taking these small steps.

Remember each step counts..!!