Though
it might not seem like it, the average North American spends roughly 87% of
their time indoors and an additional 6% in their cars. Given these statistics,
it's important to realize what our most-common habits are and which of them can
be harmful to the environment.
And
as we've gotten more used to the idea that humans have a tremendously adverse
effect on the environment, we also need to understand the consequences of our
actions. Small as they may be, little by little, things begin to add up,
bringing us to our current predicament. In other words, we can either be part of
the problem or the solution, tipping the balance ever so slightly.
These
habits presented here may be things that you do on a daily basis without even
realizing it. But with a few tweaks to your behavior, changing these habits can
make the difference between being a positive or a negative influence on the
environment.
Shopping Online and Ordering In
Both of these habits are relatively common in
households all across Canada. The convenience they provide makes them in high
demand. But according to the numbers, these two activities have a significant
toll on the environment.
As
you've may have guessed, it's not necessarily the packages or the food per se,
but transporting them to your front door that does the real damage. And before
you say anything about the environmental cost of you having to go out and buy
these things yourself, it's important to remember the frequency. How often do
you go out to buy something instead of ordering it from Amazon?
Keeping Chargers Plugged In
Who
would have thought that keeping your chargers plugged in, even if you're not
charging anything, is a drain on electricity and, thus, an adverse effect on
the environment. The energy consumption of your charger alone
is not significant, but the chances are that you have more than one charger
plugged in, already. And when we consider that there are millions of chargers
plugged in all around the globe, the cumulative energy waste could power
an entire city. Unplugging them not only reduces the effect on the
environment but also eases your energy consumption.
Big Fridges and Misleading Expiration Dates
Food
waste is considered by some to be the world's dumbest problem. On average,
North Americans and Europeans throw away roughly 230 pounds of perfectly
edible food every year, or about a quarter of all the food they buy. This food
waste accounts for anywhere in between $1,365 to $2,275, annually. On
a global scale, if food waste were a country, it would be the second most
significant greenhouse gas emitter after China and the US.
Food
waste is also facilitated by two habits most people have. For starters, they
buy large fridges - above 25 cubic feet. But as it turns out, people do not
like to see empty refrigerators and tend to pack them full with food whenever
they get the chance. It also means that much of that food will inevitably go to
waste, driven in large part by a second trend - taking expiration dates
literally.
It
may come as a surprise to many, but expiration dates are not something
official. Baby formula is the only one that has a law-required best-by date,
while the rest are either an approximation or a means for manufacturers to try
and convince people to throw away perfectly excellent food, then go out and buy
more. And as one might have guessed, this strategy is working.
Statistics
show that 54% of people consider it a health risk to eat food past their best-by date. The food is good to
consume; dates only indicate the freshness of the product. Furthermore, 91% of
consumers occasionally throw away food past their sell-by date, and 37% always do so.
Conclusion
These are a few examples of everyday habits that
have a tremendously adverse effect on the environment. But by changing them,
each us can lower our carbon footprint and make this world a better
place.
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