Going green can be easier said than done in many cases. While we all want to do what’s right for the environment, there can sometimes be conflicts between what’s good for Mother Nature and what’s good for ourselves.
This is why finding opportunities for both personal advancement and environmental friendliness are so valuable. As it turns out, there are a number of situations where pursuing more environmentally friendly avenues can actually be done alongside improving your own future.
To illustrate this, let’s talk about some simple ways that you can better yourself, beginning today, while simultaneously saving the environment.
Choosing Online Education for a Degree
In most situations, guaranteeing the biggest salaries and most rewarding professional careers these days involves obtaining a college education. While the cost of education continues to skyrocket, the cost to the environment is no small sum, either. From commuter costs to the waste created from textbooks and other materials, these factors add up.
From those pursuing an online CJ degree to earn their masters in criminal justice to those who want to become civil engineers, plenty of online courses through accredited universities exist that can minimize your carbon footprint and environmental waste. At the same time, you’ll be learning new skills and earning tens of thousands of dollars more per year than you’d earn without the degree!
Start a Local Environmental Movement
In many areas, no locally-focused environmental charities or organizations exist. Why shouldn’t you be the one to start up a local organization dedicated to improving the environment?
In these situations, it can be hard to know where to begin. By researching what it takes to build an environmental organization, you can slowly but surely begin to build a formidable local presence. At the same time, you’ll also build valuable connections within the community – including with business owners, elected officials, and other organizations. These can come in handy for future plans; both environmental and personal.
Eat Ecologically Responsible Food
With so much processed food and edible garbage in the grocery store, it’s very tempting to buy colorful, artificially-flavored items when shopping. However, most of these items are both bad for your body and the environment.
Consider what a difference you can make eating healthy. Not only will you be buying more food that doesn’t use wasteful packaging, but the ingredients will be more wholesome and good for your body. In addition to that, raw ingredients and other forms of produce consume less energy – and, therefore, produce less waste and CO2 – from farm to store. You’ll be doing both yourself and the environment a huge favor.
Adopt Energy-Efficient Products
Who doesn’t love to save money? As it turns out, you can save heaps of money at the same time that you’re saving the environment by switching to more energy efficient products around the home.
Between adjusting the water heater’s temperature, investing in energy-efficient washer/dryer combos and sealing the windows and doors in your home from leaks, you can reduce your energy consumption by more than one-third.
In addition to that, with combined subsidies that are already available, it makes sense to purchase a residential solar installation to power your home; most people who intend to be in their home for the next 10 years can save thousands on their utility bills by doing so.
Being environmentally friendly doesn’t always mean sacrificing. There are many things you can do right now that’ll better both the environment and yourself. These four examples can be a great place to start and can potentially save and/or earn you thousands each year in savings or additional wages.
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