10 eco-friendly things to do while in Quarantine
With governments locking down cities and health authorities requesting residents to self-quarantine to limit the spread of the coronavirus, people are faced with weeks of staying at home. The thought of spending so much time at home can heighten the already elevated levels of stress and anxiety.
Thankfully there are many activities you can do during this time that can help you focus your energy on positive emotions and build sustainable lifestyle skills – while never ignoring the very real threat of the virus on your health, on people’s lives and its impact on livelihoods.
So here’s a list of green resources and things you can do – from reading sustainability-focused books to watching environmental documentaries and even completing online educational courses – that will help you get through this quarantine time as effectively and enjoyably as possible. And more importantly, help you gain practical knowledge that will inspire you to protect this planet and make this world a better place.
There are so many topics to learn about and there’s usually an online course to help you gain that knowledge, whether you’re keen to learn about sustainable fashion, sustainable development, sustainable food, sustainable living and even sustainable construction.
Books covering a range of topics, including sea-level rise, species protection, plastics pollution and the climate refugee crisis.
This list of environmental documentaries on Netflix will be helpful such as Before the Flood and Inconvenient Truth.
Start with one room, and start decluttering and tidying one corner and then working through until you’ve organized the entire room and sorted and removed unwanted items. Don’t just get rid of these items; consider whether you can repurpose, recycle, add to another room, sell or donate to charity.
This is the perfect time to tidy your home office; and since you’re going to be spending a lot of time in it during lockdown, this is also the time to create the office space you’ve always wanted. Get organized. File your paperwork. Do all the administrative tasks you’ve put off doing because you’ve been busy. Order eco-friendly stationery and office supplies. Buy some indoor plants to brighten up the room.
Whether you live alone, are part of a family or renting with some housemates, this is a great time to discuss and agree on how to discard or recycle items. One popular way to systemize waste is to set up separate bins inside the home with labels for different materials such as dry-waste, wet- waste.
Understand consumption choices, lifestyle and waste habits by assessing what’s in each room, each cupboard and fridge and taking inventory of what you have and don’t have and keep lists of what you’ll need to buy and then aim to purchase those items as eco-friendly and ethically-made as possible.
If you have never needed to learn basic cooking skills (because you still live with your parents who do most of the cooking) or have never bothered learning because you’ve relied on restaurants and Zomato, Swiggy now is the time to acquire this fundamental life skill.
A great way to track your sustainable lifestyle journey and keep yourself accountable to achieving your green goals is to start an eco blog and document your daily learnings.
If you have space in your backyard, what better way to learn self-reliance and self-sufficiency then to start a vegetable garden. And if you don’t have much space to plant things, you can still grow herbs in pots and small containers (old tins, glass bottles and jars make ideal containers), or try vertical gardening, window gardening and even rooftop gardening.
Thankfully there are many activities you can do during this time that can help you focus your energy on positive emotions and build sustainable lifestyle skills – while never ignoring the very real threat of the virus on your health, on people’s lives and its impact on livelihoods.
So here’s a list of green resources and things you can do – from reading sustainability-focused books to watching environmental documentaries and even completing online educational courses – that will help you get through this quarantine time as effectively and enjoyably as possible. And more importantly, help you gain practical knowledge that will inspire you to protect this planet and make this world a better place.
There are so many topics to learn about and there’s usually an online course to help you gain that knowledge, whether you’re keen to learn about sustainable fashion, sustainable development, sustainable food, sustainable living and even sustainable construction.
Books covering a range of topics, including sea-level rise, species protection, plastics pollution and the climate refugee crisis.
This list of environmental documentaries on Netflix will be helpful such as Before the Flood and Inconvenient Truth.
Start with one room, and start decluttering and tidying one corner and then working through until you’ve organized the entire room and sorted and removed unwanted items. Don’t just get rid of these items; consider whether you can repurpose, recycle, add to another room, sell or donate to charity.
This is the perfect time to tidy your home office; and since you’re going to be spending a lot of time in it during lockdown, this is also the time to create the office space you’ve always wanted. Get organized. File your paperwork. Do all the administrative tasks you’ve put off doing because you’ve been busy. Order eco-friendly stationery and office supplies. Buy some indoor plants to brighten up the room.
Whether you live alone, are part of a family or renting with some housemates, this is a great time to discuss and agree on how to discard or recycle items. One popular way to systemize waste is to set up separate bins inside the home with labels for different materials such as dry-waste, wet- waste.
Understand consumption choices, lifestyle and waste habits by assessing what’s in each room, each cupboard and fridge and taking inventory of what you have and don’t have and keep lists of what you’ll need to buy and then aim to purchase those items as eco-friendly and ethically-made as possible.
If you have never needed to learn basic cooking skills (because you still live with your parents who do most of the cooking) or have never bothered learning because you’ve relied on restaurants and Zomato, Swiggy now is the time to acquire this fundamental life skill.
A great way to track your sustainable lifestyle journey and keep yourself accountable to achieving your green goals is to start an eco blog and document your daily learnings.
If you have space in your backyard, what better way to learn self-reliance and self-sufficiency then to start a vegetable garden. And if you don’t have much space to plant things, you can still grow herbs in pots and small containers (old tins, glass bottles and jars make ideal containers), or try vertical gardening, window gardening and even rooftop gardening.
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