
- A Reason to live a better life
- Here are thirty-six good deeds to live a better life.
- Unplug your devices.
- Plant wildflowers
- Buy post-consumer paper
- Plant a vegetable garden and donate the vegetables to the food bank.
- Turn off the lights before bed.
- Turn the tap off
- Take public transport instead of driving
- Stop Plastic
- Hold the door open for a stranger
- Write a letter to your local MLA
- Sign up to change.org
- Buy an electric car
- Attend an event that supports earth-friendly ways.
- Read a book
- Spend more time outside
- calculate your carbon footprint.
- Volunteer your time.
- Buy soap bars.
- Skip eating beef.
- Pick up trash at the park or the beach.
- Be a part of or organize a market for local consumers
- Reuse take out containers
- Talk to someone
- Buy Organic
- Let a child write a letter
- Support ethical companies
- Eat fruits and vegetables grown locally
- Bake
- Post on social media
- Make homemade soup
- Plant a fruit tree
- Invest in solar panels
- Bring your own Coffee cup
- Say no to straws
- Materialism costs consumers their futures
A Reason to live a better life
Climbing a mountain seems like madness and once you’ve reached the top of the summit all that’s heard is silence. The metaphor of climbing a mountain is often described when searching for a better life. But those who climb mountains are often faced with tough decisions, not beauty. Why do people search out and conquer such extreme goals? Yet when they’re faced with changing simple daily habits find it so hard to commit to them? Dreams and desires are mountains of the mind that drive us to be.
After all, isn’t life complete once you reach the highest goal? Life is good and should there be any reason to seek out more? No, not really. But, countless people who have reached their goals will tell you the idea is misleading. Most that achieve their dreams and ultimate desires find they quickly become bored.
Moreover, the time has come where we’re forced to face the issues created by our desires. Where fascination and obsessions have worn out our planet. Our need for the planet’s resources is far and wide. Demand has risen and will further rise in the future.
Now Scientists are telling us temperatures and sea levels are rising. Consequently, World Leaders in different countries are asked to rise in the face of this new challenge. So, many have declared a climate change emergency. But what can one person do to make a difference?
Here are thirty-six good deeds to live a better life.
Unplug your devices.
It’s often the little things all together that add up to savings. If you get into the habit of pulling the plug it will help swell your pocketbook.
Plant wildflowers
Planting wildflowers in public areas beautify the grounds. It gives beneficial insects food and gives grassy areas more attractive.
Buy post-consumer paper
Cascades prides its brand on using post-consumer cardboard to make their tissue.
Plant a vegetable garden and donate the vegetables to the food bank.
Food donated to the food bank is often filled with white flour, sugar, and salt. The fruits and veggies are canned and fresh produce isn’t a popular hand out. You can change that by giving fresh fruit and vegetables from your garden.
Turn off the lights before bed.
Lights that blaze through the night are not their to protect. That’s why they made security systems! Turn off your porch or hallway light and save money.
Turn the tap off
The natural thing to do is keep the water running while brushing teeth or washing the odd dish. Water is the most precious resource on the planet, next to air. Treat water with the respect it deserves and conserve as much as you can!
Take public transport instead of driving
For those people that wouldn’t take a bus even if it meant they’d save money. It’s not that bad! Bring your earbuds, listen to a good podcast, research a hobby, interest or read a book. This is downtime and often reflecting on life happens on the bus.
Stop Plastic
Remembering your plastic bag is hard at first but eventually, you get better at it! It’s exactly like conditioning your muscles when you work out! They get stronger and so do you! The same goes for looking for ways to reduce packaging waste.
Hold the door open for a stranger
The lovely thing about this action is that you’ll find people randomly reciprocate. If you open the door first your efforts will not be lost. Just like anything you put effort into you start to see results. Plus it makes you feel good inside!
Write a letter to your local MLA
I have written a letter for you! Copy and paste it from How to stop using plastic bags effectively. I provide a link so you can find their email with one click (Canada only). Even since the climate emergency was declared people are still reaching for a plastic bag.
Sign up to change.org
Support petitions that help to end climate change and plastic. People that have a passion for social causes are creating them in the hope to change the world. Help let their dedication take them to the next level. It is their dream to have your support and it could make a profound difference.
Buy an electric car
Keep in mind that electric cars are best when your power comes from hydro, solar, or wind energy. If the powerplant down the street is using fossil fuels to generate electricity than it defeats the purpose.
Attend an event that supports earth-friendly ways.
A farmers market is such a good way to find products made close to home. I like this idea since it’s here you find new ideas, attractive organic produce.
Read a book
Justine Mckeen’s Bottle Throttle is a good book for the children in your family. The book is about a child’s worries about what plastic is doing to the environment and how it might affect her friends. Reading books like these ones can give you another perspective. It offers some insight and inspiration for those that need it.
Spend more time outside
The International Journal of Environmental Health research shows that you just need 20 minutes in Nature. Even if you don’t spend it exercising it still improves your wellbeing!
Families can help each other by holding one another accountable. Set a goal and try to reduce it by twenty percent. finding ways to reduce waste with your family will all be life-changing. If you can reduce your carbon footprint you’ll save time and money.
Volunteer your time.
Volunteering can be so much fun! It is a way to see new places, meet new people, and have a great experience. Don’t just volunteer for just one cause. Make sure you volunteer for multiple causes to keep things interesting.
Buy soap bars.
Plastic bottles are a nightmare! Everything these days is held in plastic. However, the variety you can find in a soap bar for all hair types is really good. Quite often they don’t have the chemicals you can’t pronounce. Plus, they’re often made by local soap makers. So, help out a local small business owner while using less plastic. It’s worth it.
Skip eating beef.
The book OMD is written to show you that plant-based diets are good for your mind, body and the planet too. Suzi Amis Cameron offers tips and recipes for this one life-changing idea. Just cooking one meal a day differently can make life better.
Pick up trash at the park or the beach.
Train yourself to pick up other people’s trash. That’s a concept that is actually quite hard to grasp. It’s not an easy task and it may not be your trash but it’s your planet.
Be a part of or organize a market for local consumers
Let your inner ecobabe out! If you’re feeling entrepreneurial than now is the time to invent, discover, and distribute eco-friendly products. Network with other people that have other good ideas and find a way to get it to the consumer. Set up a pop-up shop or join the local Farmer’s market.
Reuse take out containers
The smaller containers are great for packing lunches or organize your craft drawer. Store leftovers or bake and give your goods away. Be as bold as to save them up and give them away again. Who knows! Another person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Get creative. These takeout containers are built to last for the next five generations…at least.
Talk to someone
Practice incorporating climate change or plastic pollution into small talk. If you share your worries with another it could change their perspective. Talk to a friend or family member about rising temperatures and sea levels. Talk to a stranger about the trash in our oceans.
Buy Organic
Organic food supports the healthy lifestyle of Farmers. Traditional farming supports the natural ecosystem and if done right will change the world. Organic farming involves crop diversity, harmony with nature without pesticides. All the good things we want for our planet.
Let a child write a letter
A child’s letter comes from an innocent place that can melt hearts. It’s often more powerful than a letter coming from an adult. It also gives the child a sense of accomplishment and gives them purpose.
Support ethical companies
We buy products with attractive packaging or good taste. We don’t take into account who we’re supporting when we buy it. What is their environmental and social impact? It’s not easy to tell unless you stop and do some research. Not many people have time for it. Stop supporting companies that don’t take their environmental impact seriously.
Eat fruits and vegetables grown locally
When you choose fruits and vegetables do you look to see where it’s grown? Quite often apples grown in your local region will sit next to the apple grown 100 miles away. Make sure you’re aware of which one to choose. Go with fruit or vegge with the smallest carbon footprint and help a local Farmer out.
Bake
When you pick up a six-pack of muffins, a box of cookies or a bag of bread you’re not just getting the food. Reduce your reliance on prepackaged baking and try doing it at home. #Tip: When you bake only bake half the dough, freeze the other half. A brilliant way to reduce reliance on the packaging and Palm Oil.
Post on social media
Share your experience doing something good for someone. Post stories of how you overcame a challenge and figured a good solution. It will give others the motivation to do the same!
Make homemade soup
Chicken soup for the soul! Why would making soup give you a better life? It’s is a healthier option to canned soups. You get fresh vegetables and fewer preservatives. Store-bought soup also comes with an aluminum can! Aluminum cans are not as bad as plastic. But it’s still considered a single-use product. It is recyclable however in our trashy pandemic state it should be avoided. In this case, less is more! *Freeze leftovers
Plant a fruit tree
Fresh fruits such as Cherry, Pear, Apple, Plum or Peach sound so good! Plant one in your yard amongst the wildflowers. The grass is a popular choice for most lawns but it’s not the best choice. A Fruit tree will bring wildlife to your home and fresh fruit to your table.
Invest in solar panels
If your power comes from coal-fired plants maybe it’s time to cut the chord!
Bring your own Coffee cup
I asked the Barista at the local Starbucks how many people bring their own cup. Her guesstimate was 1 in 10. I don’t know about you but I drink a lot of coffee and hardly ever see anyone with their own cup. Lead by example. Tell the person waiting beside you your wish. A wish that more people would remember their own cup.
Say no to straws
We lived without straws before and managed to get by! Who taught us that we need a straw to suck back our favorite beverage anyway? Plastic straws are unnecessary. So next time your handed one give it back and tell them why!
Materialism costs consumers their futures
If we practice these new habits we will find fulfillment. Fulfillment in the sense where we practice good deeds while keeping money in our pockets. Like a mountain climber, we have to remain present. Every decision must be done consciously with the knowledge that if we don’t change now life will be very different in the future.
These 36 changes you make to your life will affect the economy. However, in the long run, it will adjust and be better off. It’s not natural to have continual growth without consequences. Continuous corporate profits are not sustainable.
Lead the way
Therefore, it’s time to support those invested in the community. Overall it’s important to support companies defined by their environmental policies. Find out which 12 companies lead the way to a circular economy. You still have some time to do what is right for our planet!