Recently people find themselves on Twitter and Instagram strolling through endless reposts of pictures or videos that show the effects on climate change or some form of environmental destruction. Instead of staring at these pictures and forgetting them an hour later, we need to acknowledge the fact that we can do something about it. As more and more teenagers vocally advocate for improving the condition of the environment, many are not concretely doing their part. Here are some easy eco-friendly tips and methods that every teenager can do.

One way to make a difference daily is by taking shorter showers. Although all teens love a good long shower, limiting your shower time to 5 minutes can help the environment as well as save money. The average American uses 140-170 gallons of water per day. According to Think H2O, a water conservation resource, “The average 5-minute shower takes 15-25 gallons of water–around 40 gallons are used in 10 minutes.” Since Earth consists of less than 2 percent of freshwater, we must conserve it for every human as well as every animal that needs it. By using less water, we do not need to treat and pump so much water. Less energy means less carbon emissions into the air.

Another major factor of environmental destruction is plastic use. Although pop culture has criticized VSCO girls and their hope to save the turtles by using metal straws, that is a baby step closer to a cleaner planet. Instead of throwing out plastic item after plastic item, use reusable products such as tumblers, metal straws, and bamboo products that lower your plastic use as well as your carbon-footprint. UNEnvironment.org states, “Researchers estimate that more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since the early 1950s. About 60 percent of that plastic has ended up in either a landfill or the natural environment.” Reusable products like any bamboo product are biodegradable; therefore, they will not hinder the natural environment and these percentages will decrease.

To lower your carbon-footprint, when you are not using your devices, unplug them from the outlet as a way to save electricity. According to EPA, “The average American over the age of 2, spends more than 34 hours a week watching television. There are 164 hours in a week, which means the average American’s TV is turned off, but still plugged in for 130 hours.” Unplugging devices saves money as well as lower your carbon-footprint.

Little things can make a difference. People could stop chewing gum completely. Gum is made up of polymers which are synthetic plastics that do not biodegrade. According to GetGreen Now, “80–90 percent of chewing gum is not disposed of properly and it’s the second most common form of litter after cigarette butts.” Need a product that gives you fresh smelling breath? Substitute gum for mints such as Altoids.

As teens become more aware of the dangers that come from the methods and products they use on a daily basis, they can substitute these wasteful elements for eco-friendly tips and influence their actions onto the younger and older generations. Although you might think your participation would not change anything, if we work together we can make this planet beautiful again.