Ways to Use Renewable Instead of Non-Renewable Resources

Although the more catastrophic side effects of the planet's economic crisis (such as climate change and increased natural disasters) seem to take center stage in the national discussion on the issue, responsible resource management is an important tool both governments and individuals can use to help avert potential crises. By making incremental changes in your own life, you can ensure you're part of the solution to the problem.

Shopping and Storage

• You have probably noticed an increased push toward canvas, reusable shopping bags, rather than the plastic or paper ones you usually use at the grocery store. In addition to saving retailers sizable amount of money each year, reduced plastic consumption across the nation will fall drastically if people begin using these bags en masse. In addition to this solution, you can opt to buy sturdier, reusable plastic containers for food storage within your home, rather than packing your items in disposable aluminum foil and paper bags.

Home Outfitting

• Until the government converts the power grid to all-renewable resources, one of your only means of removing yourself from its large carbon footprint is to outfit your home with renewable resource power. If income is not a problem, you can purchase solar panels for your home or install a wind turbine to generate your own power from the sun and wind, respectively. A less-expensive way to lessen your dependence on nonrenewable resources is to install a rainwater collection tank. Although this water will not be safe to drink, you can water plants and even shower with it, saving potentially thousands of gallons of water per year.

Eat Local

• One often overlooked cause of petroleum consumption relates to the transportation of food. For example, if you find an apple from New Zealand at your grocery store, you should consider that it had to take a long, trans-Pacific flight prior to reaching the grocer's shelf, which burned a lot of carbon in the process. Eating locally grown foods will reduce your individual carbon liability. Locally grown food is inherently renewable, since favorable, regional weather conditions resulted in it being cultivated nearby.