How can we help in World Environment Day?

World Environment Day celebrates the health and condition of the environment, and Earth overall on the 5th June. A massive campaign that raises awareness for the protection of the environment and the issues affecting it. Problems like global warming, marine life pollution, wildlife crime, overpopulation and everything in between. Everyone can help solve these issues and we're going to tell you how you can help with saving the planet by checking out these environmental tips.

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Related blog: Environmental Benefits Of Trading Tech

What do I do with my old phone?

Got an old smartphone lying about in your home and unsure what to do with it? Trade it in! This is something we are well known for here at Envirofone. A lot of people are used to throwing their old phones away without any thought, or just keep it on a shelf gathering dust.

Both of which are terrible options. Many old phones are made with hazardous materials, like lead or arsenic, which will have a harsh affect. With potential soil, water and air contamination being massive issues as a result.

Trade tech pros:	Trade tech cons:
Saves lots of energy Great for environment Earn money Accept any device Phones can be reused	May not get a price you agree with

 

Does transportation affect the environment?

Driving your car, whether it is to work or going for a day out, is a massive source of greenhouse gas releasing into the atmosphere. With people all over the world using their cars on a daily basis, the levels of carbon being released is very high. Resulting in accelerated global warming, and a multitude of different environmental problems.

All it takes is reducing the time you spend driving, or choose another method to get around to just reduce these emissions like taking public transport. It's a great idea to also educate yourself on the most environmentally friendly cars and transportation. Not everyone will do it, but we have to try and make it count. Walking or even riding a bike to work will completely nullify the amount of carbon being released from when you drive on a daily basis.

 

Is it good to save energy?

As temperatures rise or fall, you should be adjusting your house temperature to be the most efficient during different temperatures. A lot of people keep their heaters, radiators, fridges and other house hold necessities set at unreasonable temperatures. Which is a waste of energy and has a negative impact on our world’s temperature and atmosphere.

What can you do to stop it? Simply just tune it down once in a while. If it is warm, make sure all your heaters and radiators are completely off and have natural heat fill your home and try and use fans to cool yourself down. Make sure your fridge is energy saving (if you can). If it is cold, then don’t over rely on the heaters you have. Get warm with some blankets or wear some extra layers of clothing. Have energy efficiency now.

 

Why is it important to reduce food waste?

Throwing away unwanted or leftover food into the trash is one of the biggest environmental problems we have. With millions, even billions, tons of food being dumped in landfill sites every year.

And as it is dumped, the food decomposes and rots. Which produces methane gas that has a devastating effect on the atmosphere, and then the environment. With this greenhouse gas massively entering the atmosphere and warming up the planet.

How do we stop this? There are many ways of doing so. One way is to make sure you plan your meals and weekly shop. This way you can make sure you are not buying food that you won’t eat and throw out. Donate any suitable food that you do not want, but could be given to a food kitchen, charity, or the homeless. Instead of throwing out leftovers, try and freeze any leftovers that could be eaten at another date or try and use the leftovers in another meal.

Keep an eye on what food you are putting in the bin. By keeping a track on this, you will be able to see what you are regularly getting rid of, and whether to buy it in the future or not.

 

How is planting trees effective?

A bit of an obvious one, but still very meaningful. With deforestation still taking place across the world, it is extremely important that our methods to restore the environment are effective.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide in the air and replace it with oxygen. So as trees are cut down, the amount of CO2 being absorbed is going down. Though methods and replanting across the world is getting far more effective, we can still do a lot more. You can easily plant a tree yourself, or help by donating to a fundraiser like Team Trees that aims to plant millions of trees in action against deforestation.

Replanting trees may not have an instant impact, but in many years from now they will. But replanting is not the only thing you can do with trees. Products made from trees, like paper and furniture, should be used as effectively as possible in order to get the most out of them. Usage like using both sides of a piece of paper, or waiting a bit longer to get new furniture will help.

 

Why is recycling very important and beneficial?

I mentioned previously about recycling your old phone, but in general you should be recycling whatever you can. Plastics, glass, metals, paper, batteries, oils and everything along those lines should be recycled rather than going in the bin.

These can all cause numerous environmental problems. For example, oils can cause dangerous contamination, batteries are made from some harmful materials that shouldn’t be thrown away (like lead and mercury), plastics can cause great harm to animals and other wildlife. By having these recycled, it is assured that they are safely and effectively recycled into new and reusable items rather than contaminating a land fill site.

Simply, take out reusable bags (which is also cost effective), instead of plastic bags which will severely have a positive environmental impact. 

 

Why use a refillable bottles?

It may seem like a small thing, but it isn’t. Water bottles from stores are almost always used from plastic, though most of these are now recyclable, a lot are thrown in the bin after use. Which does result in potentially harmful plastic ending up in habitats and wildlife sites.

And this is so easy to prevent. By switching to a reusable water bottle also known as an environmentally friendly water bottle, you no longer need to go and buy bottled water for a drink. You can refill your bottle as much as you want without having to get rid of any plastic bottles.

 

How does turning off electronics help the environment?

If you are not using it, turn it off. Quite a few people leave electronics on when they are not using their electronics, which results in higher energy usage. High energy usage can result in more harmful fuels being used to make sure you have that energy. And it is very simple to stop this. Just turn it off. Or go even further and unplug your electronics. Save even more energy and money.

You can also do multiple other things to limit high energy usage. Tracking the energy of devices using a meter is very useful in seeing how much energy you are using. Use LED light bulbs that use much less energy. Anything like this will help massively.

 

Why is water-saving important?

Saving water ensures that we have enough secure water for years to come. Limiting the impact that less water may have in the future on both the environment and people.

There are many different ways in which you can easily save water. One big one is only washing clothes when you need to. Wash large portions of clothes at once rather than small amounts to save water usage. The same applies for plates and cups. You can fit your taps and shower with low water usage heads. This way you can use every water feature you have, but at a far lower usage.

If you have any sprinklers, try not to use them as they use a massive amount of water. Instead try using a water efficient hose. It will take more effort to water your garden, but will use far less water. Even better, invest in a water butt allowing you to use rainwater to water your plants.

Related blog: National Clean Air Day

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Conclusion:

This was slightly mentioned before, but donating or volunteering to an environmental cause or agency is a great thing to do. Organisations like Greenpeace aim to protect the environment both in the short and long term. And so, donating or volunteering to different environmental organisations can help make a difference.

Do your bit this Environment day and help save the Earth!