You probably are very familiar with the financial and environmental benefits of going green, as they are widely publicized and available. In addition to saving lots of money and helping the environment, there are other benefits of going green, too. In fact, one of the biggest benefits to going green is better health.
Making lifestyle changes that help the environment will also help your personal health. Aside from installing low flow toilets and installing solar powered attic fans, making green changes will improve your health. The greener you go, the better health you’ll have. It’s no secret that simple green changes will have a profound impact on your wallet, the environment, and your health.
If you’re curious as to how going green can help you live a healthier lifestyle, check out this article for some simple explanations.
Drinking
Do you constantly pick up big pallets of bottled water from the supermarkets? If you do, stop. Bottled water is bad for the environment as it results in a lot of waste, and it’s very expensive to purchase. On top of everything else, bottled water is plain bad for you. The chemicals that are used to produce the bottles are usually petroleum based, and some of those chemicals sometimes seep into the water.
Even if the plastic bottle is certified to be clear of chemicals (which you’ll be paying more for), the water inside the plastic bottle isn’t necessarily cleaner than just simple tap water. Tap water is by far the healthier way to go. Depending where you live, adding a filter to your tap water can make the water even more pure than bottled water. Aside from health reasons, tap water costs are miniscule compared to spending lots of money on bottled water.
Diet
If you buy your food from a popular chain supermarket, that food might come from another state, and possibly even another country. It probably took a lot of fuel to get that food into the supermarket, which isn’t good for the environment. Buying local, organically grown produce means less fuel was used to get it to your neighbourhood and that food is probably healthier too.
Smaller, local growers are more likely to grow organic food, as opposed to food in stores that might have been grown with pesticides that hurt both the environment and you, or even genetically modified materials. Organic food is better for your health always, and buying from local farmer’s markets will likely be cheaper than buying food from the chain supermarkets. Start buying local, organic foods that are good for the environment and good for your health.
Heart
Going green can absolutely get you into better shape. Cut down your use of a car when you take short trips, and instead take public transportation or bike. Doing so will reduce your carbon emissions, and help you get some great cardiac workouts at the same time.
Invest in a new bike, and you’ll be motivated to ditch your car for healthier, more environmentally friendly options!
I used to go through about 1 bottled water a day, regretably. Now the only time I’d get one would be in a real pinch. We also made a conscious effort to only shop for what we need. We can do that because we’re a stone’s throw away from a grocery store but I found I was buying based on “food aspirations” rather than what I was really eating, so scaling back was good in terms of packaging/waste.