Although it might seem like a bold statement at first, pollution does indeed begin at home. The many little things we do each day can have a cumulative effect on the environment if enough people do them and there are also ways in which we can reduce wider pollution from the comfort of our own homes.
Cars, planes and factories have a huge impact on the environment and cause a great deal of pollution, and there are ways in which we can do our own little bit to reduce these effects.
One of the first things we can do in the home is begin to reduce waste. Make sure you separate your glass and recyclables and, rather than buying huge amounts of food in that will then go to waste, try doing smaller shops as and when you need to. If this isn’t practical, make meals you can then freeze and enjoy on subsequent days. Better still, grow some of your own food! If you haven’t got a garden, see if there’s a local allotment you can use. And small tomato plants and so on can be grown in even the tiniest of flats. All you need is a window ledge.
Save energy and water by taking shorter showers, using flush savers in the toilet, and turning the tap off when cleaning your teeth. Only wash clothes when you have enough for a full load and use as low a programme as possible, temperature-wise.
When you purchase goods, think about the pollution that excess packaging can create. I bought some new vacuum packed mattresses from http://www.sleepmasters.co.uk recently with this in mind. Vacuum packed goods mean less shipping, as they allow more products to fit into a small space, and therefore less damage to the environment. They also mean less packaging waste.