With the growing threats of climate change, pollution, and litter, it’s safe to say that things aren’t looking great. Solving these problems will require the concerted efforts of governments and corporations first and foremost, but that kind of change takes a lot of convincing, and then a lot of time. This leaves the individual wishing for change and not really understanding what little they can do. That little can go a long way when enough people are motivated to make the necessary changes in their own lives. Here are tips for making a difference in the world a little bit at a time.

Restructure Your Shopping Habits

The role of corporations in the growing threats to the environment is fairly straightforward. Common manufacturing processes and materials cause pollution and litter, respectively. Manufacturing typically takes place in a factory setting using industrial equipment, and that produces an excess of carbon dioxide. The immense amount of CO2 that comes from manufacturing, among other sources, is the primary cause of global warming. On the other hand, plastic is an incredibly pervasive material in modern consumer goods, particularly disposable products. This is a problem, because plastic has notorious been projected to take around 1000 years to decompose, meaning that plastic waste isn’t going anywhere, and various commercial entities have incorporated plastic waste into the manufacturing and retail processes.

These companies have a vested interest in maintaining a lucrative status quo, so the most effective way to solve the problem is to disincentive the use of these methods and materials by boycotting them. Finding alternatives to problematic companies will require some research and dedication, but if enough people do so, the companies in question will have little choice but to change their methods. When considering dietary supplements, you should look into Thrive side effects, for example, in order to determine how the product in question impacts the environment, directly or indirectly.

Curb Your Fossil Fuel Consumption

CO2 emissions are a surprisingly omnipresent concern when it comes to the carbon footprint of the average person. Much like manufacturing, a variety of processes use combustible fossil fuels for energy. Electric companies, for example, use coal to generate electricity, and most automobiles, land, sea, and air, consume gasoline. In both cases, these processes output carbon dioxide as waste, and their ubiquity contributes heavily to climate change via the greenhouse effect. While these problems are just “the way things are done,” giving people limited alternatives, those alternatives do exist, and they’re growing in accessibility.

For example, solar panels provide a cost effective alternative to traditional electricity. The panels themselves are low cost and can accommodate virtually any spatial limitations because of their typically small, modular design. The limitations of solar are self evident, but you can overcome the major issue by generating an excess of electricity and storing the extra charge in a solar panel battery in order to give yourself ‘round the clock power at a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the carbon emissions.

Another way to consume less fossil fuel is to switch to an electric car. More accurately, a hybrid vehicle offers a nice balance between the efficiency of combustion engines and the eco-friendly nature of electric motors. However, the push for better electric cars is in full swing, meaning that the technology is already improving and, thanks to market successes, will have additional funding moving forward. The same can be said of solar power. As these alternatives see more widespread use, they also become more profitable, allowing the technology to advance much more easily. Again, this is an example of voting with your wallet, in a sense.

Taking care of the environment isn’t the responsibility of the individual. The situation is such that the path of least resistance created by society as a whole is tremendously harmful, so society needs to change in order to accommodate more eco-friendly living. However, waiting for that to happen is an exercise in frustration, and these tips can allow you to do your part, however small, to make things better in the meantime.