Expert names important and useful environmental habits

Everyone can contribute to slowing down global warming and helping nature. Olga Lakustova, a member of the Public Council for Environmental Monitoring under RosHydromet and director of the Green Mission Foundation, told Izvestia on February 14 what rules should be observed for this purpose.

According to her, natural resources should be saved.

"This practice has been very well mastered by European residents. There, irrational consumption of light, water, gas, etc. is punished with rubles. In Russia, so far it is not too expensive, nevertheless, taking into account the constantly increasing prices for utilities, it is more profitable to save money than not to do so. First, you should replace all the light bulbs in the house with energy-saving ones. Yes, they are more expensive, but in the long run they can provide a decent saving on electricity bills," the expert said.

Secondly, she added that it is necessary to unplug all appliances that are not used at the moment. Thirdly, it is necessary to install aerators on all faucets, try not to abuse bathing and start a dishwasher and washing machine.

In addition, one should try to use reusable things: bags, dishes, razors, toothbrushes, water bottles, etc. This will not only help nature by reducing the share of plastic, which is regularly sent to landfills, but will also save the family budget.

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In addition, the ecologist advised not to get carried away with shopping and give things a second life.

"Residents of big cities for the most part are not used to thinking about where things go after they bore their owners. Meanwhile, they go to landfills, where they can decompose for tens and hundreds of years, poisoning the soil and air. Therefore, reasonable consumption, i.e. buying only those things that are really necessary, will help to reduce the amount of garbage," she explained.

Lakustova also reminded that old T-shirts can be used to make popular fabric mats, and plastic bottles can become bird feeders. If a person does not want to engage in creativity, then he can try to sell all unnecessary things on specialized sites.

"Even though you won't get much money for something, it's much better than sending everything to the trash. It is especially profitable to sell old furniture on such sites. It can not just take it to the street and put it next to the dumpster. It is necessary to order your own container, and it costs money and not small, disassemble and independently take it there. If such furniture is bought from you, you can shift all the related worries to the buyer," the expert said.

She also urged to learn to sort garbage. This is one of the most useful ecological habits. According to the ecologist, things are not very good with garbage recycling in Russia, about 90% of what ends up in landfills is not recyclable.

"The main reason is that garbage is not sorted. In one pile there can be organic waste, metal, plastic, rubber, etc. For comparison, in some European countries, the share of garbage that is sent for recycling is about 50-60%. This can be achieved due to the fact that citizens themselves sort garbage at home, and for unsorted waste they can face heavy fines", - specified Lakustova.

At the same time it is possible to reduce the use of personal transportation. If a person gives up his own car, he reduces the amount of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

"Of course, there are situations when you can not do without it, but if there is such an opportunity, it is better to choose public transportation, bicycle, scooter, etc. This is especially true for big cities, where the level of gassiness is at its maximum," concluded the director of the Green Mission Foundation.

On February 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the creation of the Fund for Environmental and Nature Protection Projects. According to the document, the objectives of the fund will be to support environmental projects, provide them with grants for implementation, development and implementation of programs in the field of environmental protection and animal welfare. In addition, the established organization will provide support for charitable and volunteer activities in this area.