The busy nature of modern lifestyles can make it difficult to focus on reducing our daily environmental impact. In reality, however, there are many choices we make every day — from the morning routine, commute, coffee stops, work meetings, chores and relaxing in the evening — that can make a difference.
Morning skincare
Goodmorning, everyone.
After waking up, a staple in my morning routine is my skincare process. Taking the time to scrub, exfoliate and moisturise my skin is essential to me, but unfortunately, some of the products involved can also cause harm to the environment.
Many skincare products stacked on the shop’s shelves contain small particles of plastic in the form of microbeads and nanoplastics. When rinsed off, these elements eventually make their way into the ocean and can be swallowed by marine animals, destroy corals and endanger marine ecosystems.
As part of the REACH Regulation, which limits and bans harmful chemicals in the European Union (EU), an amendment targeting microparticles was agreed upon in September 2022 and was enacted on Dec. 31, 2022. Over the next four years, as part of this amendment, microbeads will be banned from rinse-off products, followed by fragrances and plant protection products. In 12 years, makeup, lip and nail “leave-on” products will be microbead free.
However, the effectiveness of this regulation can be called into question, as microbeads are being replaced by nanoplastics; arguably a riskier alternative acting as a loophole for many plastic-dependent companies.
Although the ban has been set in motion, it is still possible to purchase products containing microbeads. Therefore, it’s important not to choose a microbead-free option when picking out skincare products, both for the health of the skin and marine life.
Here, you can find some eco-friendly alternatives for all self-care products, ranging from regenerating face cream to children’s shower gel.
Commuting to work
As I make my way to work, I always take public transport. Although I would prefer to walk or cycle, my workplace is too far from my home, and the weather can be unpredictable. Therefore, public transportation such as the bus or tram is the best alternative.
Public transport is, in fact, one of the most effective ways to reduce CO2 emissions, as passenger cars account for 61% of the EU’s total road transport emissions.
For example, when Germany lowered the cost of the monthly public transit ticket to €9 in the summer of 2022, tens of millions of individuals switched from using their cars to using public transport, cutting CO2 emissions by 1.8 million tons over three months.
Taking public transport therefore both cuts CO2 emissions into the air and saves money in my wallet.
For a 20-mile commute, if I switch from using my car to using public transportation instead, I can save 4,800 pounds – almost 2,200kg – of CO2 emissions annually, according to the American Public Transport Association.
Quick coffee stop
On my way to work, I often stop at my local coffee shop for my daily dose of caffeine. “One large latte with hazelnut milk” is my usual order. I switch between three of the least environmentally harmful options: almond, hazelnut and soy milk. But even these milk alternatives have their downsides.
Almond milk has one of the lowest greenhouse gas emission rates, but it still requires a lot of water to produce, as it takes 130 pints of water to produce a single glass of almond milk. Furthermore, it is estimated that one-third of the commercial bees in the US died from the pressure of pollinating almond trees last year alone.
The production of hazelnut milk differs from that of almond milk, however, as hazelnut trees do not require bees to be pollinated; they are instead pollinated by the wind, putting less pressure on commercial bees.
Although soy milk is also a good alternative for the environment, one of its main drawbacks is that soybeans are grown in massive quantities, leading to deforestation in the Amazon. When ordering soy milk at a coffee shop, I ensure that the soybeans used have been grown organically in the EU.
Oat milk has often been seen as the most environmentally-friendly option due to its relatively low GHG emissions. However, the cultivation of oats involves large-scale industrial, agricultural operations where farmers sometimes use Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, to spray the crops prior to harvest.
This pesticide has been proven harmful to humans multiple times, including in court where it was deemed as cancer-causing.
As such, I try to avoid opting for oat milk as a milk alternative for my own health.
No receipt, please
As soon as I finish my coffee order, I add a critical piece of information: “No receipt, please!” I know that many of us rely heavily on receipts to track our financial transactions, but unfortunately, the paper that receipts are printed on has very negative environmental impacts.
Every year in the US alone, three million trees are cut down, nine billion gallons of water are used and over four billion pounds of CO2 are emitted (equivalent to 450,000 cars on the road) for paper receipts.
In the UK, 11.2 billion paper receipts are printed annually, emitting 28,000 tons of CO2, resulting in 200,000 trees being cut down and using 1,600,000 liters of water.
The paper the receipts are printed out on is called thermal paper and is not recyclable. Some countries also use the chemicals Bisphenol-A and Bisphenol-S to make ink imprint on paper, which are harmful both to our health and to marine life.
Warning the vendor or barista that I don’t need a receipt for my purchase can help me play my part in decreasing the environmental consequences of those receipts. More to the point, when paying by card, I can easily access all of my transactions online.
Virtual meetings
When I finally get to work and start typing away, sending countless emails and prepping for never-ending virtual calls, there are a few things I can keep in mind to make my habits more environmentally sustainable.
Virtual meetings became vital to most businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic and continue to act as a great alternative to traveling to different places for a single business meeting. However, although this swap saves on emissions from travel, it increases our digital footprint.
Therefore, to make my virtual calls more environmentally friendly, I make sure to turn off my camera when it is not necessary.
According to an MIT study, one hour of video calls will emit between 150 and 1,000 grams of CO2, and shutting off the camera could cut this footprint by as much as 96%. In comparison, the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that when a car uses a gallon of gasoline, it emits about 8,887 grams of CO2.
Furthermore, after a virtual call, sending a short and simple “Thank you” email will emit a very surprising amount of C02.
For Digital Cleanup Day on March 18, the environmentalist group gathered data from multiple surveys and research papers and summarised the adverse effects of many of our electronic routines. Anneli Ohvril, one of Digital Cleanup Day’s project leaders and CEO of Let’s Do It World, the organization behind Digitial Clean Up Day, said the following about our emailing habit:
“If each British adult would abstain from sending out a ‘Thank you’ email, we would conserve more than 16,000 tons of CO2 per year – equal to 81,000 flights from London to Madrid. Are all the emails we send necessary?”
Laundry chores
As I get home and need to do my chores, there are a few things I do to render the process more environmentally friendly.
I do laundry twice a week, a process that I aim to make as eco-friendly as possible.
Some detergents contain chemicals that can adversely affect the marine ecosystem. For example, when phosphate-containing detergents reach freshwater, they can create nutrients that stimulate the growth of algae that will then use up the oxygen in the water.
This process, called eutrophication, damages the ecosystem.
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Similarly, the use of surfactants in other detergents can break down the mucus layer that coats fish and protects them from parasites and bacteria.
These chemicals can be easily found in many detergents in the US but are banned in the EU.
However, I still need to worry about the type of packaging used for the detergents that I buy. Many detergent containers are not recyclable and the laundry pods are wrapped in non-biodegradable plastic.
As a solution, I will either choose a detergent with the “Ecolabel” stamp, as it provides insight into eco-friendly substitutes for household products.
Appliances
I’m preparing to move apartments soon, so after my chores I remember that I need to consider recycling and replacing some of my appliances for my new flat, such as my fridge and lights.
I still have the same fridge I borrowed from my parents that they bought over ten years ago. An old fridge can be an “energy hog,” according to Noah Horowitz, a senior scientist and director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) Center for Energy Efficiency. Therefore, it’s time for me to begin considering finding a new and more energy-efficient fridge and recycling the old one.
Although this may initially seem like a financial burden, making this swap may end up saving me $100 a year in electricity costs in the long run.
Similarly, buying LED lights instead of incandescent ones can benefit both my wallet and carbon footprint. The EU is starting to implement strict laws to mandate the use of LED lights, but for now, it still comes down to me to make the right choice.
LED lights consume up to 85% less energy, have a lifespan of up to 25 times longer, and are less expensive to operate compared to incandescent lights. Seems like a win-win, no?
Evening relaxation
To wind down after a long day, I love to relax in front of the TV watching a show or movie, but the carbon footprint of streaming, including its use of data transmission centres, has been shown to account for 1-1.5% of the world’s total energy consumption, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
However, there are ways to make even this daily activity less energy-consuming.
The IEA reports that Netflix’s 167 million subscribers stream movies for an average of two hours per day. These numbers indicate that, with the energy required for a daily two or three episodes over the span of a year, a person could ride 3,000 km on an electric scooter. I could thus commute 6-9 km a day on an electric scooter instead of watching Netflix, and would be producing the same carbon footpring.
Furthermore, to decrease my energy consumption, I make sure not to stream movies through my game console but my smart TV, as gaming consoles are not optimised to play films and thus require about 10 times more energy to do what a TV is better equipped to do.
Additionally, whenever on YouTube, I try to make sure that I decrease my video quality from high definition (HD) to standard definition (SD). According to the IEA, if 70 million people opted for lower video quality, 3.5 million tons of CO2 emissions would be saved per month, which is equivalent to 6% of the monthly coal consumption in the US.
After a few episodes, it’s time for bed. Of course, before going to bed, I make sure to shut all of my lights off. And with that, goodnight!
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Featured Photo: A clock. Featured Photo Credit: Wallpaper Flare.
