Environmentally friendly (also eco-friendly, nature friendly,and green) are synonyms used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment. To make consumers aware, environmentally friendly goods and services often are marked with eco-labels.

Environmentally Friendly can mean anything from recycling, and walking short journeys rather than using the car, to researching climate change. Even the smallest difference can make a big impact.

Important Concerns through global deterioration

Reports by The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment include:

Between 10 – 30% of all mammal, bird, and amphibian species are being threatened with extinction in the long term.

60% of the planet’s eco system such as freshwater for irrigation or ocean fishing, are being degraded or used unsustainably.

Since 1750, atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased around 32 percent primarily because of the burning of fossil fuels and land use changes. Around 60 percent of this increase has taken place since 1959.
More land has been converted to cropland since 1945 than was cultivated in the 18th and 19th centuries combined. About 30 percent of the Earth’s land area is devoted to some kind of agriculture.

Reports by The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

One way of reducing our impact on the planet is to use eco-friendly materials. Eco-friendly means engaging in activities that are beneficial for the environment.

Non toxic and chemical free products made from all natural ingredients are designed to improve the health of the environment and people while reducing the negative impact on environment. Using eco-friendly products such as toiletry products, body and face products, natural cleaners, paints, bath products, and other household products decrease the amount of chemicals that the environment, animals, and people are exposed to. This reduces the risk of many health illnesses such as asthma, headaches, skin conditions, cancers, and many other conditions.

A major contributor to global warming are fossil fuels is. Toxins emitted from manufacture processing plants contaminate the air, soil, and water. Practicing energy conservation techniques such as energy efficient light bulbs, will help lessen the amount of carbon emissions being released into the atmosphere.

Furniture and various products made from trees from sustainable forests help reduce forest depletion. Eco friendly homes and buildings protect natural resources such as forests.

In Buying products made from recycled materials, this will help reduce the amount of waste being dumped. It will also decrease the amount of land that is cleared to build new waste dumps. In addition to this, there are fewer carbon emissions being released into the air because fewer products are being manufactured.

Embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle is changing how we live and how items are being manufactured. Use environmentally friendly materials to improve the health of the environment, humans, plants, and animals. Adopting a lifestyle where we purchase eco-friendly products and materials is something we can all do to ensure a healthy future for everyone.

Material Bags More Eco-Friendly Than Paper/Plastic Bags

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Even though paper bags seem like a better option that plastic bags, at the end of the day, they are not, based on the environmental consequences

In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency released a report claiming that paper accounts for over 30 percent of municipal solid waste in the US. Over 10 billion paper bags are used in the US each year which represents about 14 million trees that are harvested for their production.

The Film and Bag Federation in the USA claimed that paper bags require 40 percent more energy to produce than plastic bags, create 80 percent more waste, emit 70 percent more atmospheric pollution, and are responsible for 94 percent more waterborne wastes.

The production of paper bags require more energy to produce and generate more pollution than plastic bags. We all know that plastic bags are bad, but the end result of paper bags could be worse.

The answer then is to use reusable/material shopping bags. The more these bags are used, the more we save our environment and often times save money on a personal level as well. Reusable bags can last a few years and therefore the environmental impact thereof is lessened greatly.

Lower your electricity bill and conserve

1. Turn off lights that you are not using. When your old bulbs burn out, try replacing them with the new energy efficient bulbs. They last much longer, from 3-5 years with average use.
2. If you have an automatic dishwasher, only run it when it is completely full. Don’t use the automatic dryer, let your dishes air dry. This saves a lot of money in the long run.
3. Try washing clothes in cold water instead of hot water.
4. Hang out your clothes to dry as opposed to using a tumble dryer unnecessarily.
5. If making one cup of tea/coffee, just fill the kettle enough for that cup. Do not boil a full kettle of water just for one cup.
6. In Summer, if the temperature is cool outside, open your windows for a draught as opposed to using a fan.
7. Change you’re Alternate Current filter once a month. If the filter is clogged with dust, it will make the A/C work harder, costing you more money! An average filter in not expensive to replace; doing so can save you money in the long run.
8. Turn off your geyser when you are away from home for longer periods of time
9. Turn off your computer monitor when not in use. If you’re not surfing, no need to leave that monitor on. If you have more than one computer, turn off the one you use the least.
10. Turn off your television when not in use.

Recycling Tips to Protect the Environment

The state of our earth today is being affected by acid rain, possible global warming, depletion of the ozone layer and worsening of air as well as water pollution. We are not taking proper care of the environment.

How can you help?  Recycling , reducing and reusing

1. Take cloth bags whenever you go grocery shopping. Not only are cloth bags highly reliable and sturdy, these are also reusable and enable you to avoid using plastic bags.
2. Buy rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. They may be a little costly, but in the long run you will be saving more because you do not have to keep on buying more. Batteries cannot be incinerated and therefore end up on waste dumps
3. Compost kitchen waste by digging a hole in your garden to place food discards in it. Do not include animal or meat wastes in it. This homemade fertilizer is not only great for the environment, but also gives you wonderful soil for your garden.
4. Wash glass, aluminium and plastic containers before handing them in to be recycled.
5. Use cloth towels instead of paper towels to minimize waste.
6. Stop junk mail. Contact the company sending you unwanted catalogues/brochures. At work, do not print paper unnecessarily. Read news online instead of buying newspapers.
7. Store your food in airtight containers as opposed to using clingwrap that you can only use once and then discard.
8. If you have a baby, try reverting to the traditional method of using cloth nappies/diapers. This can save you a lot of money and saves space in the landfill.
9. Make sure that you recycle everything that you possibly can.
10. Reuse glass bottles. It is safer to use glass bottles as containers for beverages because plastic chemicals leech
    into the water we drink.

Organic Farming

Farming without chemicals is known as organic farming. No chemicals are used to grow the food, so there are none that can harm your health. By choosing organic produce, people can assist in saving the countryside.

Saving the Rainforests

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See where you can get involved in contributing financially to these projects. Go do decent second hand wooden furniture, as you will be assisting in saving trees.

River Pollution

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Human waste can drastically affect public water and become a great health risk. Dangerously, River pollution is concentrated around urban areas. Pollution is occurring when the water shows an alteration of physical and chemical parameters such as odor, taste, colour, turbidity.

The most common sources of pollution are domestic water discharges from the houses in the catchment area, and uncontrolled dumps of solid domestic wastes along tributary banks and in dry ravines. Industrial discharge can also be a major cause of pollution in areas. Each industrial discharge usually contains chemicals and organic compounds which can enter the bodies of many aquatic animals. Even ground water can be polluted from the soakage pits, septic tanks, manure, garbage, etc. and that eventually discharges to the rivers still worsening the problem.

Littering

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Cigarette butts make up a large part of much urban litter and they can take up to 12 years to break down.

Plastics block drains and can cause harm to animals. Most plastic is not easily biodegradable.
Plastic actually decomposes as it is exposed to the rain and sun and other environmental conditions, giving rise to yet another source of global contamination that will continue into the future. As the plastic breaks down, it releases BPA, a compound shown to throw off rats’ hormone systems, along with another potentially harmful substance called styrene trimer. The toxins could pose a threat to the ecosystem in various ways.

Green Energy

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Major utilities around the world are looking seriously to wind turbines as a source of green energy. Major public utilities regulators know green energy wind generated electricity that will eliminate a reliance on coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels by the end of this decade.
Wind energy poses a sustainable and a clean green electricity alternative to fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Solar Energy is a renewable source of energy. Sunlight and other sources of energy are used to generate solar power through solar pannels. Solar energy that can be set up in a backyard, is capable of generating enough green energy power for a single home.