How Can We Protect the Environment in Our Daily Lives?

Small changes we can make in daily life and small steps we can take can have major impacts on environmental protection. Fires, floods, rising temperatures and sea pollution occurring in many countries and in Turkey show us that we need to protect and care for our environment more than ever. Highlighting that protecting the environment means protecting nature and the world, Generali Sigorta shared 7 simple steps we can take in daily life to protect the environment.

Stop billions of litres of clean water from going to waste

According to research, leaving the tap running while brushing teeth causes 10-12 litres of clean drinking water to be wasted. A small awareness such as closing the tap while brushing teeth will prevent billions of litres of clean water from being wasted annually worldwide.

Prevent environmental pollution from vehicles

For people whose home and workplace are in close proximity, walking instead of driving is one of the frequently mentioned recommendations in recent times. Using public transportation more for longer distances and colleagues living near each other commuting to the workplace together in a single vehicle are among other measures that can be easily implemented to protect the environment.

Stop wasted energy

Completely shutting down electronic devices like computers instead of putting them in sleep mode, not leaving tea and coffee machines constantly on in offices and homes, using energy-efficient bulbs, and choosing white goods with low energy consumption are simple but important steps that can be taken to stop energy waste and protect the environment.

Use less paper

With the pandemic, the rate of food orders delivered to homes and offices increased. When ordering food to be delivered to a home or office, it is possible to protect trees and the environment by not requesting plastic cutlery, utilizing both sides of paper when printing from printers, and not using paper cups.

Limit plastic use

Plastics, which have practical use in daily life, do not easily enter decomposition cycles in nature and therefore cause environmental pollution. To prevent this, it is possible to reduce the harm plastic causes to the environment through simple steps such as using cloth bags or baskets instead of plastic bags, consuming water from glass bottles instead of plastic bottles, and placing plastic items in recycling bins near home or workplace instead of directly throwing them in the trash.

Separate waste

Recycling starts at home. When recycling is mentioned at home, the first thing that comes to mind is waste separation. However, conscious behaviour in waste separation is still not being practised, and this sensitive matter is not being given importance. Separating glass, plastic, metal, paper and chemical waste at home and placing them in recycling bins is another method that can be easily implemented to protect the environment.

Do not pour waste oil into drains

Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste oil and chemicals are released into nature every year in our country. It should not be forgotten that every 1 litre of waste oil poured into drains pollutes 1 million litres of clean water. To prevent the harm chemicals cause to the environment, natural cleaning materials such as soda and white vinegar should be preferred instead of chemical cleaners as much as possible at home.