Many individuals have probably come across the term ecological footprint, but not all are completely familiar with this. Ecological footprint, in general, is referred to as the impact of community or a person on the environment expressed as the amount of land needed to sustain their natural resources used. If one does not drastically reduce his or her ecological footprint, the balance in Earth’s resources will be off the scale.

If you take time to consider things like transportation, water use, food consumption, and waste, you might realize that you need to take urgent and sustainable actions now. You can start by doing the following ways on how one can start reducing personal ecological footprints:

Minimize Your Use of Disposable and Single-Use Plastics

There are probably many instances that you use disposable plastic bags when shopping for groceries and then discard them later on. Aside from the grocery stores, you also use disposable plastics at the hardware stores, clothing stores, wet markets, and even when shopping from the nearest convenient stores. So, how can you reduce your personal ecological footprint in these situations?

One of the best ways you can do is to minimize your use of disposable and single-use plastics. As much as possible, you also need to avoid using plastics such as cups, straws, and plastic utensils. Switch to reusable items like reusable shopping bags, water bottles, and cups. Refuse using plastics as much as you can.

Consume Less Meat

Meat industry is widely known as one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions along with other associated issues like water use, animal welfare, land degradation, and more. You can reduce your personal ecological footprint by consuming vegetarian-friendly foods and meals and supporting the local meat sources.

Switch Into Renewable Energy

If you have enough budgets to switch to solar, you better look for the best installation options now. In case you don’t have the living situation and budget to do so, there are still numerous ways to minimize your non-renewable energy use and reduce your personal ecological footprint as well. You can search for programs allowing you to shift your utility bill from 50% up to 100% to clean sources of renewable energy.

Reduce Waste

You can do your part in reducing your personal ecological footprint by reducing your waste. Reduce wastes in your kitchen by means of purchasing in bulk, eating vegetable-based meals, composting, and more. You can also reduce the waste in your bathroom by means of concocting your very own formulas, forgoing those unnecessary items, buying reusable products, and recycling items. You can actually recycle toilet paper rolls, plastic bottles, and many other bathroom materials.

Drive Less

Your car can release pollutants into the oceans and into the air. If you can possibly travel without your car, take advantage of this. You can consider enjoying biking trips or walking to the nearest coffee shop, store, or the nearby farmer’s market. If you really have to ride, consider taking public transit or grouping errands. Instead of driving your car most of the time, you can switch to the electric vehicle because this is much better for the environment, and you can save yourself from buying gas as well.

Minimize Your Water Use

If you want to reduce your personal ecological footprint, reduce your water consumption. Make your yard water-wise, conserve water, and implement ways on how to conserve water within your home. Make sure to incorporate water-saving techniques into your lifestyle.

Make sure to follow these ways, and you can surely make your part on how to reduce your ecological footprint.