5 ways to improve
1. Get Out!
Research has confirmed that any amount of exercise, at any age, is beneficial. And, in general, the more you do, the greater the benefits. The National Academy of Sciences recommends that we all strive for a total of an hour per day of physical activity. Sounds like a lot, but the hour can be made up of several shorter periods of activity (walking, gardening, even heavy housecleaning) throughout the day.
Here are just a few of the many benefits of regular exercise:
- Reduces the risk of heart disease by improving blood circulation throughout the body
- Keeps weight under control
- Improves blood cholesterol levels
- Prevents and manages high blood pressure
- Prevents bone loss
- Boosts energy level
- Helps manage stress
- Releases tension
- Improves the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well
- Improves self-image
- Counters anxiety and depression and increases enthusiasm and optimism
- Increases muscle strength, increasing the ability to do other physical activities
- Establishes good heart-healthy habits in children and counters the conditions that lead to heart attack and stroke later in life
- In older people, helps delay or prevent chronic illnesses and diseases associated with aging and maintains quality of life and independence longer
One of the most fulfilling and healthful ways to get your exercise this summer is to get outdoors. Whether walking around the neighborhood or trekking in the Himalayas, take the time to enjoy all that our natural world has to offer.
2. Buy Local
The concept of buying local is simply to buy food (or any good or service) produced, grown, or raised as close to your home as possible.
In the U.S., the average grocery store produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator. Nearly 40% of our fruit is produced overseas and, although broccoli is likely grown within 20 miles of the average American’s house, the broccoli we buy at the supermarket will typically travel 1,800 miles to get there. Most produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before even being placed on supermarket shelves.
Transportation of food is creating tremendous impacts on our environment, our communities, our local economies and our individual health. Buying locally will help protect them all.
3. Support Sustainable and Eco-Conscious Business
On an individual level we can absolutely make a difference by reducing our impact on the earth and being aware of what we put into, and how we take care of, ourselves.
On a business level the difference we can make is tremendous. The time for action is now.
The most apparent and widely recognized means to convey our opinions is by showing where we invest our money. By supporting businesses that share our own commitments to support individual well being, and the well being of our environment, we are directly telling the entire world what we want.
Make a point to shop your local co-ops, health food stores, coffee shops, and any retailers who participate in sustainable business practices.
When patronizing a business that does not appear to be practicing sustainable methods, be sure to mention that you’d like to see them doing so. Ask them if their product comes from local sources. Ask them if their beverage cups are recyclable, or made from recycled materials, or a renewable source. Ask them if they print on recycled paper, or use efficiency lighting. Never underestimate the power of suggestion. If they hear enough comments, or if a few more customers walk out without a purchase after inquiring about their business practices, they’ll be sure to step it up soon.
4. Conserve
Consumer facts and easy tips for conserving water and energy:
Water Conservation Tips
For approximately $20, the average homeowner can install two low-flow showerheads, place water displacement devices in the toilet tanks, install low-flow aerators on the faucets, and repair dripping faucets and leaking toilets. This could save 10,000 to more than 25,000 gallons per year for a family of four! Even more could be saved if good outdoor water conservation is applied for the lawn and garden.
If all U.S. households installed water-saving features, water use would decrease by 30 percent, saving an estimated 5.4 billion gallons per day. This would result in dollar-volume savings of $11.3 million per day or more than $4 billion per year.
Top Tips:
- Fix water leaks
- Install water-efficient showerheads
- Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes
- Water yard once every five days
- Water early in the morning or late at night
Energy Conservation
Energy conservation and efficiency are crucial in preserving our planet's rich natural resources and promoting a healthy environment. In general, energy conservation reduces energy consumption and demand per capita, offsetting the growth in energy supply needed to keep up with the rapidly growing population. This reduces the rise in energy costs, and can reduce the need for new power plants and energy imports. Lowering our demand for energy allows for more flexibility in developing and choosing the most preferred methods of energy production.
Top Tips:
- Use Efficiency Lighting
- Adjust the Thermostat Settings
- Find and Seal Air Leaks
- Schedule an Energy Audit
- Buy Energy Star Appliances and Products
5 Choose Refillable Water Bottles
Bottled water, the worlds fastest growing beverage, carries a heavy environmental cost, adding plastic to landfills and putting pressure on natural springs.
Consider this:
- Bottled water typically costs more than gasoline.
- Bottled water costs from 240 to 10,000 times as much as water straight from the tap.
- Bottled water often comes from a municipal water supply. The same water that flows directly from your faucet, only filtered.
- Tap water is more highly regulated than bottled water.
- Purchasing a home water filtration system will provide you and your family with good tasting, environmentally friendly, inexpensive drinking water ranging in price from only $25 - $300.
- A person who consumes an average of 5, 16oz. bottles of water per week will spend over $300 within a period of 8 months. This is enough to purchase a high-quality drinking-water filtration system that will last for years.
- Even the safest plastic materials commonly used to make water bottles contain chemicals that are hazardous to your health. These chemicals have been shown to leach out into the water with age and when exposed to heat or acidic solutions.
- Nationwide, nearly 3 million plastic water bottles are thrown in the trash everyday, more than one billion a year.
Buy reusable plastic drinking containers that can be used for years and that can be recycled once they eventually wear out.
And, of course, RECYCLE. Recycle everything! And Buy Recycled/Recyclable products.