As the climate crisis continues to worsen and the effects are becoming more alarming and immediate, federal legislation has failed to respond appropriately. Saving the planet falls upon individuals who will commit to making a difference. Everyone needs to strive to live a more eco friendly and sustainable lifestyle. Here are five important things that you can do to live more sustainably.

1. Install Solar Panels

Installing a renewable power source will help you reduce your home’s carbon footprint while also reducing your home’s monthly energy bill. You can install solar panels that will comprise your primary power source or you can install panels that can function as a secondary power source to supply electricity to specific items in your home such as your water heater, HVAC system, or large appliances. Work with a company who can evaluate your home’s energy needs and advise you about getting the best solar panels for your home.

2. Upgrade Your Appliances

You can enhance your home’s energy efficiency by upgrading old appliances. Newer household appliances such as laundry machines, water heaters, and refrigerators consume significantly less electricity than older models. When you buy a new appliance, you can look for an energy star seal that indicates that an appliance is energy efficient. An energy star tag will also show the average annual cost of operation.

3. Create Less Plastic Waste

You may think that recycling plastics will significantly help to reduce plastic litter. Unfortunately, this is simply not the case. Relatively little plastic is recycled and repurposed. In years past, the United States would export plastic recyclables to foreign countries such as China to be processed and recycled. However, foreign export of recyclables has been terminated and China no longer accepts these materials from the United States. Many cities dump recycled plastics into landfills, incinerate them, or put them in the ocean. There is currently a mass of plastic accumulating in the ocean known as the Pacific trash vortex that is growing at a shocking rate and causing extreme harm to ocean life. Ultimately, all individuals need to reduce their reliance on plastic and produce less plastic waste. Use reusable bottles and shopping bags, use paper bags, and paper straws.

4. Reduce Your Oil Consumption

Oil ultimately needs to be phased out as a fuel source. Powerful corporate interest groups and lobbyists have attempted to hinder the development of more environmentally friendly fuel sources and electrically powered vehicles over a course of decades. To make matters worse, oversized SUVs that aren’t fuel efficient have become increasingly popular during this time. Changes in consumers’ attitudes and demand will ultimately make auto manufacturers change what they’re doing. Hybrid cars, Tesla cars, and Smart cars are a more eco-friendly transportation option than the impractically large luxury vehicles with poor fuel efficiency that have come to dominate the roads.

5. Support Political Candidates Who Care About the Environment

No political issue is more important than the continued habitability of the planet. There has never been a more important reason to participate in the electoral process than to support candidates who take the crisis seriously and vote out candidates whose conduct regarding environmental reform has been reprehensible. Climate crisis deniers who willfully disregard well-established scientific fact in order to support private interest groups have no place in any type of public office. It’s imperative that you vote against political candidates who have attempted to withdraw from international agreements about reducing pollution, enacted legislation to enable pollution, bolstered industries and corporations that are among the most egregious polluters, and discredited the urgency of preserving clean water and conserving energy. Help preserve the environment by casting your vote to prevent climate crisis deniers from doing any further harm.   

The climate crisis is becoming worse with every passing day, and the earth is on the precipice of a tipping point. Collectively, everyone’s efforts to be more eco friendly will have a substantial impact on the quality of life for the entire world in the immediate future and ultimately determine the continued habitability of the planet.