Things I've Learned: Reducing Environmental Impact - How and Why

Following my last post in which I ended with a lot of questions on what my next steps should be regarding environmental action, once again I was blessed with all kinds of advice, help, inspiration and opportunities reaching out and pouring in and it was all amazing and has been helping to change my lifestyle into the way I wish it to be. The universe or God (or whoever you believe in) really does pave out the rest of the path for you and make things align in your favor if you're keen on and work towards a dream/goal enough while keeping gratitude at the same time. Really thankful for all the sources and people that have been helping me on my lower-impact journey. Over this summer I've been learning loads and trying to apply them to my life, and it'd be a shame or even a guilt to not at least try and share this new knowledge (well, new to me at least) in any way I can, so here is this post.

As condensed as I tried to make it, it first starts off with a list of environmental concerns and why certain things matter, followed by a list of tips & solutions to those concerns as well as some other things I've learned. They also answer questions I very often hear (though some of them weren't directed at me but my nosy self would like to answer them anyway!). These lists are copy-pasted from my Listography page :

Problems With Plastic & Other Waste

• plastic, made from fossil fuels, take a lot of energy to create and dispose of. An estimated 29% of U.S greenhouse gas emissions result from the manufacturing and disposal of plastic goods. 60-80% of marine trash also comes from plastic, which has been continuously killing all kinds of sea animals and birds who mistake them for food. [Images and stills by Chris Jordan below: Laysan albatrosses on Midway Island, with consumed plastics - including cotton buds - remaining intact even while their bodies are decaying.] A sad example is the whale in Thailand that recently died from swallowing 80 plastic bags.
  

More Things I've Learned + Thoughts: Consuming, Fossil Fuels, Climate Communication

I find myself lately typing down notes in my phone that I want to remember every time I learn/realize something new regarding environmental concerns. These scattered notes pile up until I decide it's time to lay them all out in one place, in a comprehensive way, for the purpose of reflection and sharing them with whoever might be interested. This is my prompt to write, and I do it here whenever I feel like it.
I'm not some expert on environmental impacts or climate change. If you are a pro environmentalist reading this, maybe you'll wonder why I write about such things that is basic knowledge to you or anyone who has long been involved in sustainability, but as I slowly learn more about these I'm compelled to share them in whatever way I can because there are people who do care about the earth but perhaps would like to know more in order to take concrete action, and I know how that feels because I only fairly recently got out of that directionless maze. I hope anyone reading the stuff I write can take away a thing or two that's helpful to them on their personal journey towards bettering themselves or our planet. So here are whatever lessons or thoughts that come to me, in point form if you don't mind, because I love lists and they're easier than stories or essays.