I have been living in Cambodia for the last 11 months. For
those of you who don’t know where that is, it’s in Southeast Asia and borders
Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. There are so many amazing things about the country,
but one of its downfalls is that it isn’t very clean. While living here, I have
become even more of an environmental activist, because many people suffer
health issues due to the dirty surroundings. There aren’t many enforced
government regulations in place to help keep the environment clean. For
example, there aren’t trash policies to forbid littering, there are no rules on
auto emissions, and the water is very contaminated, therefore not safe for
consumption. In order to lessen the
burden during my stay I have been consistently doing the following things:
-Line-dry your
clothes- I’ve always had a clothes dryer before living here, but now
because they are very hard to find/expensive I have been line drying my
clothes. This saves electricity and money. According to the California Energy Commission it costs an average of $85/year to operate.
-Ride your bike,
walk, or carpool -I lived in California for a few years and really enjoyed
being able to ride my bike and walk for errands all year round. Since Cambodia
is a tropical country this is also an option most days—except during monsoon
season! Not only is walking or bike riding better for the environment, but it
also forces you to get a workout in. If you cannot walk to work due to weather,
distance or disability, consider carpooling. You will have someone to talk to
along the way and you will be using less gas.
-Use cloth towels
instead of paper towels- I know
people are thinking that this is more work, but it’s really not. Towels don’t
take up a ton of space in a washing machine so you can keep a bin under your
sink or in your laundry room and wait until the end of the week or even 2 weeks
(depending on how many you have and how many you use) before tossing them in
the wash. Just remember to use hot water when you can, especially if they are
really dirty. If hot water is not available, you can add vinegar to your water,
which not only kills germs and bacteria, but it also keeps fabric soft.
-Make your own
cleaners- This is such an inexpensive thing and helps eliminate some of the
chemicals we surround ourselves with everyday. A really simple solution of one
part water and one part vinegar can be used to clean kitchens, tables, glass,
bathrooms etc. You do not want to use it on granite and probably shouldn’t use
it on wood, but for most surfaces it is great. I like to add a little essential
oil to make it smell fancy and to reduce the harsh smell of the vinegar. Other
great natural cleaners include baking soda and lemon juice. Click here for more recipes for natural cleaners.
-Use a cup for
brushing teeth- Instead of wasting water by running it continuously while
brushing teeth, fill a cup with some clean water and use it to swish while
brushing teeth. Pour a little over your bristles when you finish to clean off
residual toothpaste, and use the remainder to rinse the sink. This forces you
to use less. Limit yourself to just one coffee sized cup. It may be hard at
first, but once you try it for a few weeks, it becomes habit.
There is a ton of other ways to be more eco-friendly, but
here are just a few. I promise I will share more with you in the near future!
Also, keep it mind that just because the environmental issues are more obvious
here, you can use these tips anywhere.
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