Small environmental actions

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20 easy environmental-friendly actions you can take in daily life: 1. Turn off the tap whenever possible – for example, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or washing your hands with soap. Do not run the tap with water flowing continuously while washing dishes or clothes. If you see a leaking faucet, be sure to tighten it. 2. Make multiple uses of water; try to utilize reclaimed water. For example, enterprises must treat used water before recycling it. The water used for washing rice or vegetables can be used to water plants ； The water used for washing the face and clothes can be saved to mop the floor and flush the toilet. Take more showers; they save water and are more hygienic. 3. Place a Coke bottle in the toilet tank. If your toilet has a large capacity, you can put a Coke bottle filled with water in the tank; this simple action can save 1.25 liters of water each time. 4. Use less dishwashing liquid – Most detergents are chemical products that can contaminate water sources. When washing dishes, if there is too much grease, pour out the remaining grease first, and then clean them with hot soup or hot soapy water; this way, excess grease won’t end up in the drain. Kitchen utensils with heavy oil stains can also be cleaned using soda mixed with hot water. 5. Do not leave the television in standby mode for long periods of time. Standby mode means that the device is turned off using the remote control, but the power supply is not completely cut off. Each color TV consumes about 1.2 watts per hour in standby mode. 6. Cook rice with warm water – using warm water to cook rice can save 30% on electricity usage. The inner pot of the rice cooker, as well as the heating element, should be cleaned regularly. Unplug the rice cooker immediately after use to save electricity and extend its lifespan. 7. Become a public transport or bicycle user: By using public transportation such as buses, subways, and trams more often, one can save gasoline, reduce air pollution caused by vehicle emissions, and alleviate traffic congestion. Those who own private cars should use lead-free gasoline as much as possible, since lead can severely damage human health and intelligence. 8. When purchasing organic foods, many vegetables and fruits have been sprayed with pesticides and fertilizers, and many foods contain additives. Such foods can harm health and intelligence. Therefore, it is necessary to choose fresh fruits and vegetables that have not been treated with pesticides or fertilizers, and to eat less convenient fast-food products containing preservatives, colored beverages, and snacks with additives. Alternatively, you can choose foods by looking for the “organic food” label. 9. Choose phosphate-free laundry detergent; phosphate-containing detergents, once they enter water sources, cause algae to grow rapidly, reduce the oxygen level in the water, and lead to the death of aquatic organisms due to lack of oxygen. As a result, the water bodies also become stagnant and foul-smelling. 10. Buy rechargeable batteries (used batteries should be taken to designated locations; do not discard them carelessly). The batteries we use in our daily lives generate electricity through chemical reactions; in simpler terms, it’s through corrosion that electricity is produced. When discarded in the natural environment, these substances gradually leak out of the batteries and into the soil or water sources, and then make their way into the human food chain through crops. When a sufficient amount of used dry batteries has been accumulated, they can be taken to the local waste recycling center for disposal. 11. Reject excessive packaging: For many products such as cosmetics and health supplements, the cost of packaging accounts for 30% to 50% of their total cost. Excessive packaging increases consumers’ financial burden, raises waste levels, and pollutes the environment. 12. Bring your own grocery basket when shopping; ask for fewer plastic shopping bags, and carry a cloth bag or grocery basket when going out to buy things. 13. Use disposable tableware less often. When eating out, use fewer fast-food containers, paper cups, paper plates, etc., and especially avoid using disposable chopsticks. Disposable chopsticks were invented by the Japanese. Japan has a forest coverage rate of 65%, yet it relies on imports for its disposable chopsticks. China’s forest coverage rate is less than 14%, but it is a major exporter of disposable chopsticks. 14. Use wooden-pencil rods less and ballpoint pens more; some developed countries have already considered the production of wooden-pencil rods to be a \"declining industry\" and have begun to produce only ballpoint pens. 15. Make full use of plain paper; try to use recycled paper. Paper that has been used on one side can be turned over to be used as draft paper or note paper. Refuse to accept those promotional materials that are scattered everywhere; producing such materials wastes a large amount of paper, and their distribution and posting throughout various places spoil the appearance and cleanliness of the area. Recycled paper is made from recycled waste paper. 1 ton of waste paper = 800 kilograms of recycled paper = 17 large trees. In many places, **using recycled paper has become a trend; people take pride in showing business cards that state “made from recycled paper” as a way to demonstrate their environmental awareness and civilized behavior. Cyclical classification: reviving the old tradition of waste recycling. “Recycling” is nothing new to us. I remember when I was little, collecting three toothpaste tubes would earn me a candy cake ； Dried orange peels can be sold to pharmacies ； Old rags, used ink bottles, and the like can all be reused. Garbage not only has not caused an environmental disaster, but it also provides raw materials for society and helps conserve resources. After the waste is sorted and piled up, it is sent to various recycling departments for harmless treatment ； Mixed waste, whether landfilled or incinerated, contaminates the soil and atmosphere. Proper sorting and stacking of waste requires only a little effort from us. 16. Set up three separate trash bins at home. Household waste can generally be divided into: first, recyclables, including waste paper, plastic waste, glass waste, metal waste, etc ； II. Non-recyclable waste, including ash, vegetable leaves, and fruit peels and cores among other kitchen scraps ； III. Hazardous substances, including batteries and fluorescent tubes. By having three separate trash bins at home, it is possible to sort waste as it is generated. 17. Sell waste plastics, waste paper, waste glass, and metals once a month. Many types of waste plastics can be recycled into regenerated plastics; meanwhile, all waste food containers, plastic bags, textile bags, flexible packaging boxes, etc. can be processed into fuel. 1 ton of waste plastic = 600 kilograms of gasoline, and each piece of paper can be recycled at least twice. Office paper, old letterhead, notebooks, books, newspapers, advertising materials, cardboard boxes, paper tableware, etc., can be recycled once more to produce paper for books, manuscript paper, business cards, note paper, and more. After the second recycling, it can also be made into toilet paper. Recycling aluminum from aluminum cans requires 71% less energy than extracting aluminum from bauxite ； The energy saved by recycling a glass bottle is enough to keep a light bulb lit for 4 hours. 18. Exchange, donate, or repurpose unused items. You might have some items at home that are no longer useful, and it’s a shame to throw them away; have you considered using exchange or donation to allow them to be reused by someone else? Many old items can be reused; you might try turning some things that were once useless into useful household decorations and items. For example, use white foam plastic to make picture frames, piece together bed sheets or wall hangings from fabric scraps or old clothes, create various decorations from plastic juice bottles, and use waste paper to make postcards, greeting cards, and the like. With a little bit of thinking, many useless things can be turned into one’s own creations, which is both a way to pass the time and environmentally friendly – killing two birds with one stone. 19. Refrain from eating wildlife and using wildlife products; do not dine at restaurants that serve wildlife. Do not wear clothing made from the fur of rare animals, and do not use products derived from wild animals or plants, such as ivory, tiger bones, or rosewood furniture. 20. Adopt a tree or volunteer for environmental protection for a day. Participate in the tree adoption program, hang a small tag on the tree with your name on it, and regularly water it, add soil around its base, and care for it so that it can become a member of your family. A 50-year-old tree is worth about 250,000 yuan in terms of the oxygen it produces ； The value of absorbing toxic gases and preventing air pollution is approximately 500,000 yuan ； Increases soil fertility value by approximately 250,000 yuan ； The value of water conservation is 350,000 yuan ； The value of providing breeding sites for birds and other animals is approximately 250,000 yuan ； The value of the protein produced is 20,000 yuan. Excluding the value of flowers, fruits, and timber, the total value generated is approximately 1.5 million yuan. Protecting nature is protecting ourselves. On Earth, humans are not the only animals; there are many other creatures as well. Like humans, they are also part of nature; the extinction of any species affects the balance of the entire food chain. Protecting biodiversity is protecting humanity itself. Let’s join hands to protect the environment on which we depend for survival!