Start Going Green Anywhere
We all need to be more cognizant of nature and how we can make the world a better, cleaner place. There are some seriously simple ways to help you start going green and doing your part!
Harmonize with nature by going green
Don’t take your environmental resources for granted; instead, help them flourish!
When you live in a city, it’s easy to feel a bit of disconnect with nature. Seeing nothing but concrete day in and day out might even make you forget what it’s like to be amongst the greenery. As a result, you may feel as though your sense of harmony with your environment has been stunted.
And while you may think that the solution to getting “back to basics” is a camping trip or donation to an environmentally focused NGO, you can actually rediscover that harmony a little more directly regardless of where you are.
Recognize your role
Just because you can’t always see the nature around you, doesn’t mean that you aren’t having an impact all the time. Many things you don’t consciously think about when it comes to environmental impact are operating in the background every day.
For example, consider something as mundane as buying a tomato from the grocery store. Given two options of tomatoes, one from location A and one from location B, you will be doing nature a disservice when you choose the option from the farthest location. This is because of the “food miles” it takes to get that tomato to you, and the environmental impact of such travel.
So when you recognize the role that your everyday decisions have on nature as a whole, you will be able to make decisions that are in the best interest of nature.
Be present
Walking down busy city streets, you probably rarely ever choose to take a proper look around. That’s how you miss the complexity of life that happens right above your head. Many species have adapted to city life and learned how to use the urban environment to their benefit – spotting bird nests tucked into corners of familiar buildings, you’ll gain an enriched perspective on the city landscape.
Another way to appreciate nature in the city is by exploring the streets at night. The truth is that once the buzz dies down, it leaves space for some remarkable sights when shy urban residents come out to forage. Go out for a night walk and you might spot a hedgehog crossing the street or bats flying over a garden.
Keeping your eyes open, you’ll find out that even city environments are sprawling with life, bringing nature to the very core of your urban experience.
Keep it local
There’s a reason why the Keep It Local movement has gained such traction over the years. Consider the tomato example above. Apart from minimizing food miles with conscious decision-making, you’re also benefiting your local farmers and economy. These extra benefits may not seem like a direct harmonization with nature, but they actually are.
You are helping to promote the local movement by lessening the demand for produce that is non-local and/or out of season.
Bring nature to you
Just as we can help nature to thrive, nature can do the same for us. We are inherently symbiotic with our natural surroundings, from exchanging our carbon dioxide for plants’ oxygen to harvesting crops and spreading the seeds of our local flora. And given the perks, it makes sense that we’d want to immerse ourselves in nature.
While this can be difficult in a city setting, you can invite a little foliage into your home by purchasing some houseplants or setting up a garden.
For those with limited space, you can even consider installing a windowsill garden or miniature indoor greenhouse to achieve a tranquil and refreshing effect.
Be an active part of the solution
In the face of an environmental threat, such as drought, don’t dismiss your actions as “minimal in the grand scheme of things.” Instead, be an active and persistent part of the solution (or prevention) of challenges that we face with natural resources. If your region experiences a drought, take the initiative to reduce your water usage.
You can forgo your weekly car wash, flush the toilet less, and give your clothes some extra wear before they get a wash.
Wrap-Up
If you’d like to increase your harmony with nature by going green beyond these day-to-day solutions, you can seek out the help of an environmental organization for some opportunities to get more hands-on.
They will have plenty of ideas for you to try in order to strike a mutually beneficial balance with the wonders of your natural environment.
- 5 Top Tips for Going Green In the City - July 26, 2016