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Got any tips for folks looking to live Earth consciously?

Michael Tharrington on April 22, 2020

Today, we're celebrating Earth Day on DEV! 🌍🌏🌎 Today is Earth Day; Devs can have an ...
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jess profile image
Jess Lee • • Edited

  • Eliminate paper towels from your house - you don't need 'em! A few microfiber towels will do the job!

  • I know a food scraper is meant for camping, but I use one full-time, at home. It's so much more effective than brillo pads and lasts forever: msrgear.com/cookware/camp-kitchen-...

  • I love bamboo reusable straws. The stainless steel ones are okay too, but I don't love the 'mouth feel'

  • Also, please please please compost. You can turn your food scraps into dirt, its like MAGIC!

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pachicodes profile image
Pachi 🥑 •

It can be quite difficult, since we, especially in first world countries, are quite spoiled lol
But I personally try to make small changes wherever I can.
Like reusable water bottles, My toothpaste comes in a little glass thing and with clean material, all eco friendly.
I have reusable napkins... Honestly, anything that I can substitute for a reusable and/or plastic-free version without getting too out of my budget, I am doing.
And while I am not vegan when it comes to food, I try to buy any products I can in a vegan/cruelty-free version

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Casey Brooks •
  • Turn off your AC/heater when you leave the home. Don't let it run and waste energy when you're not there using it. Also consider keeping it off when you're home, and use more blankets when its cold, and wear lighter clothes in the home when its warm
  • Keep the lights turned off in any room you're not currently using
  • Use cloth napkins and towels for cleaning, instead of paper ones
  • If you have a good dishwasher, put your dishes in it without rinsing them first. Dishwashers actually use a surprisingly small amount of water compared to hand-washing, but that benefit goes away if you run the sink too much while loading it.
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michaeltharrington profile image
Michael Tharrington • • Edited

I don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but my wife and I are trying (keyword: trying!) to eat more veggies and less meat. I'd be pushing it to say that we are vegetarian, but we eat lots of vegetarian & vegan meals!

Again, this is just something we're personally trying to do — no disrespect to meat-eaters or veggie-eaters here. That said eating more veg and less meat is something that I believe is good for the planet.

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Kyle Jones • • Edited
  • Eat and drink vegan or vegetarian - the amount your food contributes to deforestation and global emissions is truly staggering.
  • Reuse or recycle as many products as possible.
  • Use recyclable wooden toothbrushes.
  • Use biodegradable or reusable cotton swabs.
  • Walk or use public transport whenever possible.
  • Use reusable cutlery (including straws and chopsticks).
  • Compost waste food.
  • Use a safety or straight razor instead of disposables or plastic ones made by companies like Gilette - this could also save you money.
  • Use a reusable bottle or mug for water and coffee.
  • Turn lights, plugs and taps off when not in use - this could also save you money.
  • Wear more layers and turn down the thermostat - this could also save you money.
  • Buy second hand clothes or buy clothes made from bamboo fiber if buying new.
  • Switch to an electric car or renewable energy.
  • Offset your emissions.
  • Avoid organizations that exploit animals like SeaWorld.
  • Volunteer with organizations that support the environment or animals.
  • Take up a hobby that doesn't involve electricity (Reading, jigsaws, board games etc).
  • Grow (or regrow your own vegetables or herbs in the garden (or even on the windowsill).
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Thomas Lombart •
  • Eat less meat and more vegetables. Do this transition bit by bit. No need to do it all at once.
  • Stop buying stuff from companies who don't care about their environmental impact. Buying something is like voting for something.
  • Try to get rid of plastic: buy a reusable water bottle, buy in bulk, etc.
  • Compost
  • Buy refurbished products
  • And more!

There's a lot of things to do to take care of our planet 🌎

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jess profile image
Jess Lee •

Buying something is like voting for something.

💯

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cotcotcoder profile image
JeffD •
  • Aluminium used for cans is very precious, it is necessary to put it in recycling bin instead of any classical bin you can find in the street.
  • Find or create a sharing-community to get stuff (used once a year) instead of buying them :)
  • If you want to compost and don't have a garden maybe a worm composter can be ok :)
  • If you look at the same thing several times on the web, prefer offline version :)
  • If you want to listen a music look at Spotify, not Youtube :)
  • Use browser bookmark instead of repetitive search engine request :)

And we can add so much about imported food, shopping particullary electronic, VoD, travel...
But the most important in my mind is:

  • Don't judge people who live differently (non-meat eater, non-smartphone owner, with a very old computer, minimalist...)
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jess profile image
Jess Lee •

If you look at the same thing several times on the web, prefer offline version :)

🤯 whoa, good call

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n8chz profile image
Lorraine Lee •

Reduce, reuse, recycle, in that order.

Stand up for your right to repair. This is important, as hacker ethos is also under threat.

If feasible, use some mass transit.

If feasible, do some composting and permaculture.

If like me you're trapped in the suburbs, try testing the level of curb appeal resolve in your community by sneaking a few edible or otherwise useful plants into your front-of-the-house flower bed. One baby step at a time, maybe you can work your way up to full on food-not-lawns.

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Ghost •

1) you probably don't need that extra clothes, you probably don't need a new phone, you probably don't need a new ___
2) driving < public transportation < bicycle < walking
3) You'll survive if your house is a little cold and you'll survive to if is a little hot
4) not least important, if you do any of these or others, that doesn't give you the right to feel like the world has a debt on you, you are not a hero so please don't be jerk about it. No matter how much you think you are helping, the net result of your existence is still a huge pile of garbage and spent resources, keep it humble.

A little side note, is not about saving the planet, is about saving us and hopefully a lot of animals, the planet doesn't give a s**t, have gone through much much worse, multiple times over 80% of all life on earth has been wiped out. So taking action to reduce our impact is not heroic, not to feed our egos, is about survival, not being "good" or "ecologist" is about not being dumb enough to get extinct and hopefully have some animals besides dogs, cats, pigeons and rats to appreciate. :)

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michaeltharrington profile image
Michael Tharrington •

This comment from @andrewbrown seemed appropriate!

andrewbrown profile image Andrew Brown 🇨🇦 •

We're hanging out with Sloan today! I am starting my compost today to help so I can get my sustainable garden planned for next year.

All you need is grass clipping, dead leaves and branches and you can create rich rich soil