We don't have to make radical changes to our lifestyles in order to start becoming more environmentally friendly. While it's true that the bigger impact we can make in reducing environmental toxins and wastes that end up in land fills the better for the environment, just starting to make more environmentally friendly choices is still crucial. Otherwise, many people may not even start trying to become more environmentally friendly. A great way to start being more environmentally friendly is to recycle whatever is possible, reduce your waste and reuse as many items as you can. You can also bike or walk more to cut down on the amount of time you spend running your vehicle.
Some people give up their car altogether in order to reduce harmful carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from ruining the environment, however, for those who feel that they need a vehicle this can seem impossible. People in rural areas may not have alternate forms of transportation readily available. If everyone who drives drove only when they need to and not for unnecessarily trips to local businesses they could walk to for example, it would make a difference in the amount of vehicle emissions of CO. Walking and biking are great options for many and offer exercise as well. Carpooling to work is also a good way to reduce CO emissions from excess vehicle use.
Reusing items rather than automatically throwing them out is an easy way to becoming more environmentally friendly. For example, plastic grocery bags can be reused as garbage bags and aluminum foil can often be used more than once. Donating old clothing that is still in good condition to charities keeps it out of the land fill and helps those who can't afford to buy new clothing. Ripped, stained or outdated pieces may be able to be cut into rags for cleaning cloths. Using rags rather than paper towels for cleaning is also more environmentally friendly.
Buying foods in bulk helps eliminate excess packaging. When you do buy food in packages, recycle the cardboard and other packaging material whenever possible. If you make a point to flatten the cardboard packages from all the items you use in a month, you would probably be surprised at how much packaging it adds up to. If we each make a point to recycle, reuse and reduce waste whenever we can it can make a difference to the health of our environment.