News Article
3 Easy Tips to Address Climate Change from Home
Climate change is a global issue affecting all of society. Prolonged droughts, rising sea levels, and deteriorating air quality are just a few impacts of climate change. Not only governments but also individuals need to participate in addressing climate change.
In practice, not everyone needs to build hectares of solar panels or giant wind turbines; there are simple ways to contribute to climate change mitigation from home. Here are three easy tips that can be done at home.
1. Reducing Air Conditioner Usage
The rise in global temperatures equates to an increased demand for air conditioning. By 2050, the number of air conditioning units is expected to triple worldwide.
However, air conditioner refrigerants have detrimental effects on the environment. In some countries, their use has been banned. It is well known that refrigerants are a major cause of the depletion of the Earth's ozone layer. Besides containing these harmful substances, air conditioners also consume a lot of electricity.
Nevertheless, air conditioning cannot be completely stopped. Therefore, what can be done at home is to minimize its use: turn off the AC when the air is cool (during the rainy season), turn off the AC when leaving a room, and use the AC only when necessary. If possible, we could replace the AC with a fan or implement a green roof at home.
2. Making Compost from Waste
Household waste is the type of waste we produce every day. If left unattended, household waste can emit foul odors and dirty the house and the surrounding environment. Therefore, household waste must be processed.
Waste is not only the responsibility of cleaning services; the waste we produce is our own responsibility. Therefore, we do not have to wait for cleaning services to collect the trash from our homes every day, as household waste can be processed on our own.
Making compost from food scraps is actually easy. The tools needed are a container like a pot with holes in its sides. Once prepared, put the food scraps into the pot and mix with soil until full. After that, store and leave the pot and its contents for two to three months.
Once the process is complete, the compost can be used to fertilize plants at home. Mature compost is characterized by its dark color and lack of odor.
3. Adopting a Zero Waste Lifestyle
Zero waste or waste minimization is a concept focused on preventing waste by redesigning the resource life cycle so that all products can be reused. This movement aims to avoid sending waste to landfills, incinerators, oceans, and other parts of the environment.
A zero waste lifestyle can be adopted starting now. Small actions, such as bringing your own water bottle to avoid buying single-use drinks, can make a difference. Similarly, you can bring your own containers for food to avoid using single-use styrofoam containers. Bringing your own shopping bags is also an alternative when shopping at markets or convenience stores.
Although it seems simple, a zero waste lifestyle is quite effective in reducing waste and addressing climate change. By using items as efficiently as possible, we are already preventing waste production. Reducing waste is equivalent to protecting the environment, especially the soil, rivers, and oceans that are vital for our survival.