Earth-Loving Lifestyle Switches Every Yogi Needs To Do

As Earth Day draws near, it’s only natural to think about what you’ve done for Mother Earth, and what you can do more. Here are some ways you can — if you haven’t already.

 Eat Your Veggies

We know you’re a vegetables-lovin’ bunch, but did you know that livestock such as cows account for some of Earth’s heat-trapping gas emissions? Eating more plants cuts down on the need for so much livestock.

 Switch to LEDs

Did you know that Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are hard to dispose of because they contain mercury? LED bulbs, on the flip side, emit light in a very narrow band wavelength so they're super energy-efficient. Start replacing your old incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs now. They do cost more than CFLs but LED bulbs can last around 25,000 hours compared to the 1,000 hours that incandescent bulb can.

 Ditch the Plastic

The stats are shocking. People around the world purchase 1 million plastic drinking bottles every minute, and use up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags every year. We are addicted to plastic, and the worst part is that hardly any of it (only about 9 percent) gets recycled.

A whopping 8 million tons ends up in the ocean every year.

Break the cycle. Stop buying bottled water. Bring your reusable bags. Turn down plastic straws. Drink from a reusable cup. Avoiding plastic can divert a ton of waste from the oceans and landfill.

 Switch to an eco-friendly deodorant

While most of us can’t even fathom going without deodorant altogether, it’s time to switch up traditional aerosols – which contain gas propellants – to a more eco-friendly option. Try a fragrance-free deodorant which will also reduce the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to our air pollution problem.

 Educate yourself

Play your part by getting educated on the climate crisis through the news, books, or documentaries. You’ll ultimately make informed decisions and raise awareness among your own community about what’s going on.

 Research Your Cruelty-Free Beauty

Go the extra mile when it comes to your beauty products and make sure they’re not harmful to animals by always reading the labels. Question brands on their ingredients. Shark-derived squalene, for example, was found in 89 per cent of products that claimed to be cruelty-free or vegan in an investigation by All Earthlings.