Going green is one of the best decisions that you can make today. Don’t believe us? It’s okay, a lot of people share that same skepticism. After all, going green seems pretty inconvenient, right?
The constant recycling, not using handy tools like plastic straws, researching and not supporting companies that provide useful products, the list goes on. It can seem like a pain if your heart and soul aren’t into it.
You might even think that tell yourself that it’s a more expensive way to live.
You might say, “It’s not in the budget to go green right now. Maybe later.”
Or perhaps, you just don’t care. Maybe you think that going green is a waste of time and that there’s little point in adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle.
You might think, “Why should I have to do this? Even if I don’t, someone else will.”
And to be completely honest, these thoughts are ingrained in nuggets of truth. Not what you were expecting a blog dedicated to living a greener, better lifestyle would say, we bet.
But it’s true. Going green does require you to change how you approach day-to-day life. At times, it can feel like a chore.
There’s a reason why we love single-use plastic so much: We use it, dump it, and forget it. It can’t get much easier than that.
But going green will only feel like a chore if you do it wrong. If you want to know more about how to make going green super easy, then check out this post that talks about the subject. Don’t forget to come back to this post once you read it.
Still with us? Then hopefully you are ready to make a change and help support the Earth. But adopting the eco-friendly lifestyle comes with a host of benefits that we feel you should be aware of.
After all, it’s pretty amazing that supporting the very place that we live on also has benefits that affect our day-to-day living.
With that in mind, here are our top 10 compelling reasons why going green leads to better living.
10 Compelling Reasons Why Going Green Leads To Better Living
1. Going Green Saves a Ton of Money
Let’s start with the elephant in the room: the money.
Yes, organic food often costs more than non-organic food.
Yes, eco-friendly products often cost more than products that are not.
Yes, the upfront cost of going green can make things seem more expensive than they are worth. But, they are generally superior in the long run. And really, going green is all about changing today’s actions for tomorrow’s results.
Organic foods have a higher concentration of antioxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients that do wonders for the body when consumed. Also, they have negligible levels of chemical treatment (i.e. pesticides), making them great for your health.
The healthier you are, the less likely you’ll get sick. This, in turn, means you won’t have to seek medical care as much, which we know can cost a fortune (especially in the states).
Eco-friendly products are often made from materials that last much longer than conventionally-made products, which means you get much more use out of them over a longer period.
Otherwise, chances are pretty high that you’ll end up spending more money replacing said conventional products when they break down.
And single-use, eco-friendly products (usually biodegradable products) have the same price or are only slightly more expensive compared to their conventional counterparts.
And as time goes on, more and more budget-friendly green products are hitting the shelves. So even if you can’t find something today, you’ll likely find it soon.
Utilizing alternative energy like solar panels can also give you massive savings if you know how to do right. You can find more information about that here.
And of course, practicing eco-friendly habits can cause you to save a lot of money.
Did you know that cutting a 30-minutes shower to just 5 minutes can save you $24.74 per month or $296.88 per year?
Choosing when to use electricity can also shave $30 to $70 from your monthly electricity bill depending on the price.
Like we said, going green doesn’t have to be a financial burden. In fact, it can be quite rewarding for your wallet.
2. Going Green Saves Trees, Which We Really Need
We need trees. And unfortunately, deforestation is still a big problem.
Most of our trees are cut down so that companies can continue to meet consumer demand. So how do we save these trees if everyone is buying toilet paper made from wood?
The answer is to switch to products that don’t utilize wood as a material. There are lots of products that use alternatives like sugar cane and bamboo as a substitution for wood. These products don’t require any trees to be cut down.
If you are in love with wood-based products and don’t want to part with them, consider supporting a company that uses tree-friendly practices. Some businesses use trees sourced in an eco-friendly manner (3 trees planted for every 1 tree used, for example) and could use your support.
By supporting these companies, you are lowering the demand for wood-based products and keeping our trees alive.
According to royalparks.org.uk:
“As the biggest plants on the planet, they give us oxygen, store carbon, stabilize the soil and give life to the world’s wildlife. They also provide us with the materials for tools and shelter.”
Save the trees. They are the #1 provider of oxygen for the whole Earth. If the trees vanish, we aren’t far behind.
We really do need them.
3. Going Green Helps You Be More Productive
Now this one may seem a bit odd, but hear us out.
When you go green, you end up practicing a healthier way of living. It comes with the territory of living an eco-friendly lifestyle.
You are less exposed to chemicals and can even go as far as to improve your indoor air quality. This can greatly improve your overall health, especially in the long run.
When you become healthier, you gain more energy. A healthy body is a happy body, after all. Which, in turn, allows you to have the energy to do the things that you want to do.
More energy = more productivity.
Of course, this isn’t just limited to your body having more energy to work with. When you embrace a greener way of living, you will notice that you just end up feeling better in general. When you recognize that your actions are making a real difference in the world, your mentality takes a shift.
Your brain tells you, “Hey, we’re kicking butt doing this “green” stuff and feel great doing it. Let’s keep going!”
That can-do attitude spills over into other areas of your life too, leading to better productivity.
4. Going Green Leads To a Healthier Body
We already touched on this in the previous point, but we wanted to expand on it here.
Going green leads to healthier living. When you commit to making the world a greener, better place, you’ll find yourself doing many things that are great for the body.
Aaron Bernstein, associate director for the Center for Health and the Global Environment, had this to say (full article here):
“Walking and bicycling decrease mortality, while too much sitting contributes to poor health. Active people not only live longer, research shows that physical activity leads to greater productivity, happiness, and improved overall health.”
This article was about how emissions from cars are seeping into our atmosphere, not only decreasing air quality but also causing issues with global warming.
We can make a huge impact on these problems by driving less and walking/biking more, which in turn leads to a fitter, healthier body.
It doesn’t just end with physical activity. Bernstein went on to add:
“Planting trees is especially beneficial. They not only cool down cities, and so reduce heat-related mortality, they sequester carbon and reduce particulate matter air pollution. Rooftop gardens are also advantageous. They absorb excess rainwater, offer insulation, and provide food, all in an otherwise idle space.”
So yeah, going green is pretty useful for both the Earth and your overall health.
We highly recommend it.
5. Going Green Improves Your House
Going green can have a pretty awesome effect on your house.
In some cases, using recycled/eco-friendly materials to build or remodel your house can make structures much stronger, more efficient, and less expensive than opting to build with new materials.
Installing solar panels can result in huge savings as well, though the rate at which you save is dependent on where you live and how much energy you use.
By avoiding hazardous materials found in paint, carpet, and other finishes, you can create a healthier indoor environment as well. Breathing high-quality, fresh air in your home will make you feel better and be healthier in ways you didn’t know were possible. It’s well worth the effort!
Best of all, going green increases the value of your home. Here’s a quick quip from ahs.com on the matter:
“Resales of existing green homes sold for an average of 30 percent more than conventional homes. A study conducted in Portland, Oregon found that green-certified homes sold 18 days faster than comparable non-certified homes.”
That sounds pretty good to us!
Going green can really help make your house shine, which you get to happily enjoy as a homeowner and profit from as a seller if you decide to sell it down the road.
6. Going Green Makes You Smarter and Savvier
It’s true! Going green can make you a smarter and savvier person.
When you decide to stop blindly consuming products and look into them, you’ll notice that a lot of them aren’t that great for you.
Processed food is the main bad guy, as you’ll find a host of ingredients jammed in there that may taste good but ultimately wreak havoc on the body.
Even seemingly innocent stuff like toilet paper can hold small quantities of toxic chemicals that seep into the skin. Once you start doing a bit of research, you’ll understand what products to buy and which ones to avoid.
As you become a savvier shopper, you become more aware of both what you use as well as the world around you. You’ll become a smarter person, one who researches multiple facets of their lifestyle to live their best life.
The transformations that some people make are incredible. These transformations put them in a lifestyle that they never want to leave.
You could be next!
7. Going Green Makes You A Happier, better Person
Going green can do wonders in improving your mental state.
This point is a bit of a combination of the previous points. Going green makes you healthier, smarter, savvier, and gives you those feel-good hormones. It’s no wonder that people end up looking and feeling better than ever.
The best part is that your increased happiness will be infectious. It will spread to other people, and they’ll want to know why you’ve changed for the better. It’s a great time to introduce the idea of living an eco-friendly lifestyle.
It always feels good to live a life that benefits the Earth. There’s no feeling quite like it.
8. Going Green Boosts The Local Economy
Purchasing organic produce and other food grown by local farmers will help stimulate your local economy and increase cash flow that runs directly through your city or town.
You will also be supporting eco-friendly businesses and encouraging them to keep up the good work. When the demand is there, the supply will always rise to match it. It’s our job to make sure that the demand keeps going up.
And that starts at the bottom level. With us as a group fighting for a better future.
You aren’t limited to just food, either. Supporting any person or business who sells products with the good of the environment in mind will directly improve the rate at which society adopts a greener way of living.
And that’s amazing!
9. Going Green Helps You Become self-Sufficient
In a world that grows more and more concerned with being dependent on others, self-sufficiency is becoming an appealing alternative.
The advancement of technology means that alternative energy becomes a more viable way of getting the power you need from nature itself. Solar panels have made leaps and bounds over the years and are one of the best examples of utilizing energy freely given by nature.
We’re not just talking about rooftop panels either. Smaller solar panel equipment can be moved and provide power on the go. This technology is especially popular with campers and journeymen who can’t access readily-available sources of energy.
Wind power is also an area of interest, as areas with high wind throughput can help generate a substantial amount of energy. Home wind turbines, while not as popular as solar panels, do exist and work well (they are expensive, however).
Both of these methods allow you to generate power for personal use. In some areas, you can even combine the two for maximum energy generation.
So even if the power goes out or there is a problem with your electrical service provider, you’ll still have access to natural power.
But self-sufficiency doesn’t end there!
You can also make your own produce indoors. It’s pretty simple and doesn’t require a lot of money upfront.
It’s a one-time investment that pays off over and over as long as you take care of the plants. And because they can be grown indoors, the produce isn’t subjected to nature’s wrath and will thrive in most places.
While going green won’t make you 100% self-sufficient, it’s nice to have direct control over these important areas of your life.
10. Going Green Can Make You A Trend-Setter
If you put some or all of the previous points to good use, you’ll (hopefully) stand out as an eco-friendly person living their best life.
And while not everyone who views your lifestyle will buy into it, we guarantee that some people will at least be curious. Others will be interested in trying out a greener way of living.
You’ll be setting a good example for others to follow. You’ll inspire other people to try eco-friendly living, who will then go on to inspire others. By taking the first step, you’ll be encouraging tons of other people to do the same while feeling great doing it.
It’s a lot of fun to get friends and family involved, even if it’s just a little bit. They don’t have to go full throttle. Heck, even YOU don’t have to go full throttle.
Change is gradual. But once you plant that first seed and decide to take care of it, it’ll blossom into something truly beautiful. And as more and more people decide to plant their seeds, well…
That’s how true change happens.
That’s how you become a trend-setter and help others live a life that’ll keep our Earth healthy and prosperous for years to come.
Wrap Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of top 10 compelling reasons why going green leads to better living. We had a lot of fun making it!
Until next time, let’s all continue to strive towards a greener, better Earth.