Although making small changes to your everyday life may seem trivial, it can often go a long way in protecting the environment. Here are five easy ways that you can live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

Switch to Reusable Bags

Making the switch to reusable bags is a quick and easy task that can prevent plastic bags from sitting in landfills for 500 years. It can also reduce the accumulation of greenhouse gases, protect trees and decrease litter. As an additional benefit, many stores offer a discount for bringing your own bag, while others may even charge you extra for using plastic bags. Therefore, switching to reusable bags is a win-win situation that'll benefit both the environment and your wallet.

Use Sustainable Beauty Products

Many beauty products have toxic chemicals that are damaging to the environment, such as phthalates, lead and parabens. Furthermore, many of these ingredients can't be broken down, therefore contributing to air pollution or ending up in the water supply and killing precious aquatic life. On the other hand, plant based skin care is formulated without preservatives or other artificial ingredients, ensuring that harmful ingredients aren't released into the environment. Not only is sustainable skin care better for the environment, it's also better for your skin, as traditional skin care ingredients can lead to irritation and allergic reactions.

Change Your Light Bulbs

Incandescent light bulbs, which are most commonly found in American households, convert less than 5% of energy into visible light. The rest of the energy is lost as heat, which causes air conditioners to work harder and therefore contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, incandescent light bulbs emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide. To live a more sustainable lifestyle, consider switching to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. LEDs use approximately 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and they also last much longer.

Reduce Energy Use in Your Home

There are many small ways that you can cut down on energy usage in your home. For starters, unplug appliances that are not in use. The average household has about 40 appliances that are plugged in but aren't being used. Although you may think that a single device or two isn't using up that much energy, all of your unused devices can account for approximately 10% of your home's energy use. You can also install a programmable thermostat, which gives you the option to schedule when you want your heat or air conditioning to turn on. If you don't want to go through the hassle of installing a new thermostat, simply increasing the temperature by two degrees in the summer can save you up to three dollars a month. 

Another way to increase sustainability is to wash your clothing in cold water whenever possible, as it eliminates up to 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. You can also try drying your clothes on a drying rack. Although it may seem time-consuming to air-dry all of your clothing, air-drying just one load of washing each week can save over 1 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.

Eat Less Meat

Cutting back on meat consumption can have numerous benefits for the environment. Many farmers deliberately burn down forests to make space for cattle ranching, which releases billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. In addition, clearing forests can destroy habitats, leading to the extinction of thousands of species. Simply forgoing meat one or two times a week is enough to have positive environmental effects.

Living an eco-friendly lifestyle can be an easy switch if you start with small steps. Following these five tips can help you eliminate waste and save the environment from further harm.