8 things you can do to help the environment with just a few changes
Hi there, it's Minami.
Many of you may know that living without burdening the environment ・・・・ is better than not doing so, but you may find it difficult to take the plunge because it seems to have so many burdens and impacts on your lives.
At first, I was one of those people who thought that way, but when I learned about it, I was surprised to find that there are many things that can be done by changing the things we use on a daily basis, even if we are not prepared to be an environmental activist.
I'm going to show you eight actions associated with it!
Table of Contents
1: Forest or Ocean? Use ECOSIA or OCEAN Heros instead of google!
Are you still Googling?
In fact, changing search engines alone can be eco-friendly.
The main search engines that make this possible are ECOSIA and OCEAN HEROS.
ecosia
First, about ecosia, every time you search, you plant a tree in the world!
And the nice thing about this is that we don't have to worry about our data being sold to third parties (this is actually done by many search engines. This allows us to see more of the ads that consumers want, etc.)
Since we do not sell data, the ECOSIA side does not collect data.
In other words, this search engine is especially safe for those who are concerned about their privacy, such as what kind of searches they are conducting.
I use this place for work whenever I can!
We are already starting to see results, and it's a great deal (?) to be able to participate in this project just by searching for it. I feel that it is a good deal to participate in this project just by searching for it.
The timeline looks pretty gloomy today so we want to share some good news: the number of trees we financed in June!! pic.twitter.com/iiQAL2yJ0B
— Ecosia (@ecosia) August 30, 2022
Planting trees will be more beneficial to the environment and, in turn, to mankind in terms of carbon dioxide absorption, oxygen production, and water sources such as desertification.
ocean hero
As the name suggests, Ocean Hero is a search engine dedicated to ocean issues.
One area in particular that we are working on at Ocean Hero is the plastics issue.
We are creating a system that allows companies to use funds obtained from search engines to pay people who collect plastic waste for drifting plastic waste on beaches and in the ocean, which has become a problem in recent years.
A hundred searches will give you enough money to fund one bottle of one!
Both this and ECOSIA are non-profit organizations, which means that all funds contribute to social activities, including personnel costs.
If you would like to learn a little more about ocean issues, you may want to check out the ocean hero page, which is in English. You might want to take a look at it.
How does it work?
Volunteer garbage collection is of course wonderful, but it is fairer if you are paid for your services.
That is why these organizations operate and conduct their activities by obtaining funds from providers (advertisers). The more people see them through search engines, the higher the unit price, which means more money goes to those who take concrete actions such as planting trees.
In this way, your searches can be almost directly related to afforestation and plastic collection! You can be involved in the process.
It is not only in the environment, but in the environment in particular, "a little dust makes a big mountain.
The same goes for search engines. 100 searches for 1 PET bottle may seem like a high hurdle... but if 100 people around the world search for 1 bottle, that too will be enough money to collect 1 PET bottle.
Because most of the climate change problems we are facing today are also mountains of dust (problems).
Google as a well-known search engine company is also a major contributor to sustainability. You can read more about it here.
But if you feel more like you are "participating" in the search, it will be more enjoyable to just search.
The nice thing about both engines is that you can see and visualize numerically how many searches you have done and how many trees you have planted or otherwise contributed.
The two biggest search engines right now are the above, but who knows, maybe there will be more search engines in the future that will contribute more directly to sustainability!
2: Refuse plastic bags when you buy less → Reduce the source of garbage you produce.
With the recent introduction of plastic bag charges in Japan, more and more people are becoming more concerned in this regard.
In Europe, the United States, and other countries outside Japan, plastic bags have already been banned in several countries, including Germany, Chile, and Thailand.
If you don't seem to need plastic bags, be proactive and refuse them.
Maybe in some municipalities, you are already required to use designated garbage bags to dispose of them.
If you are able to take it with you, try to bring an eco-bag, etc. if possible.
I think it would be a good first step to start actively refusing small bags, especially those that are not so versatile.
Some supermarkets give extra points if you bring your own eco-bag, so you should be more proactive in shopping with your own eco-bag at such places!
This kind of activity is ultimately called "zero-waste," which means almost eliminating waste.
In the U.S., there are people famous for zero-waste, such as producing only one bottle of garbage per year.
Here it is.
Why I live a zero waste life | Lauren Singer | TEDxTeen
Unfortunately, it's not subtitled in Japanese yet, but if you're curious, check it out!
If you prefer print, we also recommend this book, Zero Waste Home: Simple Living without Waste.
3: Choose an inexpensive and eco-friendly power company.
These days, electric power companies are allowing us to actively choose our own natural energy sources (such as so-called solar power generation)!
Or perhaps many people have not made the change because they are not familiar with the deregulation of electric power in the first place.
Which electricity company should I choose? I'll try to put together a separate article on that at a later date!
In the meantime, if there is an electric power company you are interested in, why not just start with an estimate?
Mitsumori is (probably) free.
Except for all electrification, the plans tend to be cheaper than those of conventional electric power companies.
4: Reduce plastic waste by using the My Bottle + Find Water Places app.
Are you drinking from a plastic bottle?
Use your own bottle whenever possible!
Even if it's heavy, you can often get by with just bringing a water bottle from anyway.
How to find a water supply site
I think offices often have water machines.
In fact, there is an app that makes it easy to find water machines anywhere in the country.
It is "MYMIZU"!
I have summarized MYSIZU in another article.
Isn't it a hassle to wash my bottle?
I hate washing dishes, too, but recently, in order to maintain my mental health, I don't even sit down to wash them when I get home. This helps me maintain a sense of normalcy. And while I'm at it, let's wash the other dishes too.
It might be a good idea to buy a dishwasher.
Modern dishwashers are actually not that expensive. If anything, they can even save water (although they do cost a lot of electricity).
5: Let's create a place to live that produces no waste or energy.
Choosing a rental that may be more eco-friendly (and easier)
One of the most personalized features of the house is a room with a garbage disposer! The most personal "this might be less garbage?" is a room with a disposer!
Few people live in Tokyo, especially those who settle down. Next time you move, why not choose a house with a disposer (a garbage disposal installed in the sink)?
When I moved into a house with a disposer, I was very impressed with the ability to dispose of food scraps right there in the sink.
After all, the amount of plastic used is absolutely minimal because the homeowner throws it away in bulk, and
Also, if you find it difficult to move, are you still tying up the trash cans you use and not throwing them away without space for them? Get in the habit of checking them every time!
Use of compost
Another option would be to compost if you have a vegetable garden.
Although there are some restrictions on the amount of food scraps that can be used, composting is still a great way to kill two birds with one stone by using it as a fertilizer.
Composting systems may also be subsidized by your own residence, so please look up "●● Ward/City Composting Subsidy" in your search. You may be able to get a good deal.
...Oh, and for searches, by all means try ecosia or oceanhero!
6: Let's go paperless!
In my case, I used to keep a journal, but I started using google document to write it down.
If you don't write by hand, it doesn't take as much time, and I think you only read your diary once or twice a year.
I personally don't think that all books should be paperless.
This is because, in the case of books, if you no longer read them yourself, you can give them to someone else, for example, through a flea market app. This is eco-friendly.
In my case, too, there are actually quite a few books in print because paper is easier to read.
It is more convenient to use electronic devices rather than paper when compiling notebooks, and it is possible to live with fewer resources.
I personally recommend Notability.
What a great app, it can record, copy and paste easily, and is super good at categorizing. If you have a paper open on the next page, you can easily copy and paste a screencap. You can even search within notes!
The regrettable thing about this tablet is that it doesn't have windows evening service... iOS, Mac, Android can use it... It would be very convenient if it could be shared and viewed in the cloud on a PC. But even considering that, it's still a great app.
The best part is that you can buy it outright. It is easy to use for a variety of purposes, including templates for notes!
...I got hot.
Except for the fact that you need to practice writing by hand when studying for exams, why don't you try to summarize as much as possible on a tablet or something?
7: Try eating more vegetables.
Meat is delicious, isn't it? But doesn't eating too much meat make you feel heavy?
Eating plant-based foods rather than eating lots of meat can prevent major diseases, such as the risk of heart disease and cancer.
On a very personal note, my constitution does not allow me to eat dishes with a lot of cream and other ingredients. Therefore, I eat vegetable cream.
And plant-based whipped cream is actually very refreshing, tasty, and easy to eat! Although not intentional in this case, I feel that my weakness for dairy-based products has led me to walk in a more sustainable direction as a result, so perhaps I should be rather thankful?
Fresh cream is still more economical than planted cream, in part because of the relatively high cost of fresh cream.
If you haven't tried the plant-based stuff yet, I urge you to feel free to give it a shot!
And, I substitute soy milk for the milk I use for cooking from milk.
I have to admit, the beaniness isn't my thing either, but with adjusted soy milk, you really can get a flavor that's close to cow's milk!
Frankly speaking, I personally believe that Japanese people eat much less meat than Americans in terms of their base diet.
It's great to see that those of you who already tend to eat Japanese food are making choices that are more conducive to nature and the environment! We should eat more vegetables too.
8: Choose to contribute to environmental activities by paying taxes in your hometown
Have you ever paid taxes in other hometown (Furusato Nozei)?
It's a system that allows students, or anyone with some annual income, to get a tax break and spend a portion of the inhabitant tax they would otherwise pay on a specific municipality they want to support.
Here, if you have actually done Furusato tax payment, you know that when you make a Furusato tax payment, you can choose which project in particular of the municipality you want to contribute to and which part of the tax you want your payment to be used for, and tell the municipality what you want to do.
Of course, if there is another project you would like to prioritize, you may do so, but if you have no particular preference and are interested in the environment, why not apply to have it used for an environmental project?
Finally
How was the article?
The world can be as eco-friendly and economical as you like, depending on your ideas.
In a sense, consumers need to be more knowledgeable about the various choices available to them, or else they may find themselves losing money, being inefficient unintentionally, or making choices that are not good for the environment when there are clearly better alternatives.
If we do not do earth-friendly things in the future, the eyes of those around us will hurt... Such a future is not far away in Japan.
Perhaps some of you are reading this and saying, "Surprisingly, I do most of this....
If you're one of those people, you can be confident that you're contributing to a greatly reduced environmental footprint!
We hope that we can provide you with some hints for your life.
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