Actions YOU can do

Metal, glass, or even plastic reusable water bottles are better than single use disposable bottles. Reusable travel mugs are also a great way to decrease plastic usage that can end up in landfills.

When you go do any type of shopping, you often get a plastic bag to carry your items in. But that plastic plays a dangerous part in our environment. Switch to reusable bags, which is cost effective for you and the environment. Even now during the pandemic, grocery stores are allowing reusable bags to be used again to decrease the amount of plastic thrown out.

Metal &. Glass vs. Plastic

Similar to plastic bottles, cups, or bags, plastic straws are a large pollutant that will just end up in a landfill. While grocery bags can be mistaken for jellyfish, and other plastics can end up ingested by animals, plastic straws can actually end up in sea turtle's noses, causing serious harm.

Recycling may seem simple at points, but is greatly helpful to the environment. Check where you can bring your recycling, or what you can be recycling, and remember to clean out dirty containers. When this doesn't happen, large batches of recycling are often considered contaminated if they cannot easily be sorted, and will just be thrown out instead. But recycling means that certain materials can be used again instead of going into the trash. Some material like aluminum in cans can be continuously recycled, and never have to end up in the trash.

Not only is this great for your local farmers, the economy, and your health, it is good for the environment as well. Support your local farms by buying organic and locally, which is healthier for you since there is not preservatives. Eating more plant based food decreases CO2 and methane, and most local farms sell their goods without the abundance of plastic packaging that you would find at a grocery store.

You don't have to stop eating meat. Just decrease it. Taking one day a week or a couple meals here and there to eat plant based meals rather than those that contain meat can decrease the methane and carbon in the atmosphere. Large areas of land are clear cut (destroying habitats) in order to grow the plants needed to then feed the cows. In most areas, that is a removal of trees that would be taking in carbon. When cows eat, they release methane into the atmosphere.

While a switch to renewable energy is usually the best way to decrease emissions caused by energy usage, some people can't do that often due to location or cost. Keeping an eye on your energy, and decreasing where able can greatly reduce your emissions. Unplug when you aren't using that gadget, try to use sunlight for lighting rather than overhead, switch to led? lightbulbs.

Some areas actually require composting, and compostable garbage bags are really useful for this. However, they do not have to be used just for composting, but can be used to decrease plastic usage since all trash will be in a biodegradable bag.

Composting is another really good way to help the environment. This can be done by yourself or with the help of a local company. Most companies that pick up compost are not that expensive, and some drop off the soil created with your compost for you to use in your garden. New England has quite a few including Elm City compost, Agri-cycle, City Compost, and Mr. Fox compost. All include what items can be composted, and often explain how they sort materials.

Try buying from a second hand shop or thrift shop to decrease the amount of clothes and other items that end up in landfills. Think of how you can use something or part of some item, or donate it before you just throw it away. A lot of items can have a second life with you or with someone else before they need to be thrown out.

This one may be less about the decrease of plastic, but rather a simple change that can help different animals if the plastic does end up in the ocean or on beaches. While I would definitely say aluminum cans are better than plastic bottles due to consistency in recycling, they are often held together with plastic ties. Those loops can end up caught around fish, turtles, and birds, choking them to death or impeding their growth or survival.