Get to know how to take care of the environment through simple actions that we can perform from our homes

Erroneously people speaks about the globe, however, we must explain that a globe expands and our planet does not, so resources are limited. On the planet there is only a certain amount of fresh water, a certain amount of trees, animals of different species, a certain amount of fertile soils, and the list of finite natural resources could be extended by each of the productive sectors of the economy.

Leer en español: Cuatro formas de proteger el medio ambiente desde casa

In LatinAmerican Post we want to share with our readers, four simple actions to protect the environment, natural resources and ensure the quality of life of all the beings that live in this home that is not a globe.

Energy

The excessive expenditure of energy generates waste of natural resources used to produce it. If the electricity we consume in our home or office comes from a thermoelectric, we are wasting fossil fuels such as coal, gas or some petroleum derivative such as diesel, and we already know the effects of burning fossil fuels in our atmosphere. Among these consequences there are greater emissions of greenhouse gases, which translate IGNORE INTO global warming that in turn generate climate change.

If the energy comes from less polluting sources such as hydroelectric plants, they generate an adverse effect in the environment anyway, because to produce that energy that we are wasting, thousands of cubic meters of water per second are being used.

Therefore, to disconnect all appliances that are not in use such as, television, sound equipment, and even the chargers of our cell phones, will be a great contribution to the rational use of energy and the environment. In fact, this simple action will mean a relief for our personal economy, reaching to reduce, through this practical exercise, up to 23% of the bill, according to figures from the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission in Colombia.

Water

In some homes, there are already double-capacity tanks for a differential use of the toilet as the case may be. However, in many others, this technology does not yet exist. Therefore, if it is a question of saving water in the bathroom, it is advisable to put one or two plastic bottles filled with water in the cistern and in this way, the expense is reduced when pulling the cistern.

If when we wash our teeth or shave, the tap remains closed, we can save up to 12 liters of water for every minute that the cleaning session lasts.

On the other hand, if our favorite pastime is to grow ornamental, aromatic, medicinal or edible plants, we do very well, because we have healthy products that take care of our body and our planet at the same time. However, it is important to remember that we must water the plants only at night , when the waste of water is minimal, because if we water them during daylight, the sun not only evaporates up to 30% of the water with which we water, we can also burn some of our friends plants.

Finally, as for the dishwasher, it always uses diffusers. They save up to 65% of the water we use to wash dishes, cutlery, pots, and containers in our kitchen. Therefore, if you still do not have one in your kitchen, consider implementing it.

Transport

It is usually thought that some means of transport have less impactful with the environment than others and it is true. The private vehicle is the worst of all, the greatest enemy of the environment, the air quality in the cities, and even the health of inhabitants. Therefore, public transport is a good alternative to the extent that distances are long.

There are alternatives such as electric vehicles, however, it is worthless to have an electric vehicle, when the energy with which we charge it is obtained through thermoelectrics that work with fossil fuels such as gas or coal, generators of greenhouse gases.

That is why the special recommendation at this point is the most democratic means of transport, with greater benefits, both for health and for the environment, easy storage in parking lots or in homes and offices: the bicycle. It will always be superior to any other means of transportation, is low cost, improves our health, helps us lose weight, decongests roads, and does not emit polluting gases.

Waste

One of the main differences between a developed and a developing society is mainly that those in which waste is considered "garbage", have not reached the point of development, however, those that consider their waste as potential "resources ", are societies that have been the pinnacle of development.

Both organic and inorganic waste generate multiple economic, health, and social welfare benefits in general. The organic waste can be used to generate fertilizers friendly to the environment that nourish and recover soils for healthier and more productive crops. These can also be used for the generation of biogas and many other applications.

On the other hand, the second ones, that is, inorganic waste, such as paper, plastic, cans, cartons, can be used to reincorporate them IGNORE INTO value chains useful in different sectors of the economy. We have seen how plastic can be reused and exploited in a thousand ways, likewise metals, vegetable pulps such as paper and cardboard.

The way to protect the environment, to take care of our common home, from our houses and offices is to separate at the source so that the recuperators can take advantage of it as much as possible and stop seeing our waste as "garbage" and start all together See them as "resources ."

Reducing the use of plastics is essential, but if we definitely have to use a plastic implement, we must ensure that it has a longer life, reuse plastic cups, wash and reuse cutlery and dishes. Furthermore, we always have to think that a plastic bag takes a few seconds to be manufactured, we use it for a few minutes, and the planet takes centuries to decompose it.

Latin American Post | Alberto Castaño
Translated from “Cuatro formas de proteger el medio ambiente desde casa”