10 Simple Steps to Being Green
As Earth Day approaches on April 22nd, let’s remind ourselves about the little things we could change in our life to be better residents on this planet. It would be awesome if we could all drive a Prius and install low flow toilets and showers, but unfortunately that is not going to happen too soon, if it ever does. But there are a few things we could do differently in our everyday lives that would make a big impact:
1. Banish Junk Mail!
Reduce unwanted mail and waste! Check Out Opt Out website where you can opt in or out of credit card and insurance offers.
2. Vampire Electronics
Yes, I said vampire electronics – they suck not blood, but electricity. Anything that has a LED light or glows after it is turned off still uses electricity; this includes cell phone chargers, DVD players, and TVs. Eco-friendly advice is to unplug everything after you are done using it. Using a power strip can save you from unplugging each device, instead just click off the power strip.
3. Recycle your electronics!
Our landfills are piling high with our old cell phones and computer equipment. It used to be hard to recycle these handy items but now we have some great resources.
- This site allows you to find the nearest recycling center to you for almost anything!
http://www.earth911.org - A community based website that allows one person’s junk to be another’s treasure
http://www.freecycle.org
4. Adjust your Thermostat
Take the two-degree challenge by adjusting your thermostat two degrees higher in the summer and two degrees lower in the winter. The simple adjustment will save you money on your heating bill and conserve valuable resources!
5. Tote your own bag
These plastic bags end up everywhere and cause so much pollution that major cities are banning them completely! Yes, it may be a tad bit difficult to remember to bring your own grocery bag, but you can totally do it. Keep a couple at the house and a couple in your car or a bag you carry. Some grocery totes are so compact they fold into themselves. Here are some ideas:
- For the any bag will do person – pick one up at your local grocery store for $.99 to $4
- For the person who wants a bag in style – check out http://www.envirosax.com
6. Pay Attention to Packaging
Let the power of consumerism work for us! Choosing products with less packaging sends a message to the companies and creates less trash for you!
7. Buy Local
Allowing food to travel over shorter distances supports our neighboring communities and allows us to use less gas in transport, not to mention the food tastes better!
8. A Veggie-ful Meal
Try incorporating an all-vegetable meal once a week. For you meat lovers this may be scary, but again, it’s totally possible. The energy we use to raise vegetables is far less than meats and healthier for the earth. Check out some of my favorite recipes and you may not know you’re even missing meat!
9. Use Paper Twice
Trees are a valuable resource and so is paper. Let’s make the most out of it and use both sides. Cut used paper into fours and then you have your own scratch pad!
10. BYOWB
Bring Your Own Water Bottle. Plastics are made using oil. Look around you and see how many things are made of plastic. Scary Statistics from the EPA:
- Americans threw more than 22 billion water bottles in the trash in 2006.
- 70 million bottles of water are consumed in the U.S. each day.
- In 2006, only 7% of plastic waste produced in the U.S. was recycled.
All these simple steps focus on using our valuable resources more wisely. Following these 10 Simple Green Steps not only helps preserve this Earth for many years to come but also re-evaluates the way we consume goods and energy. There are many other things you can do to “green” your lifestyle, but I challenge you to try to get as many on the 10 Simple Green Steps as you can!
2 Responses to “10 Simple Steps to Being Green”
Leave a Reply
Be Friends With Treeline!
Associations
Thank you very much for sharing this great article. I am happy to read this post and come to know about Earth day and how to celebrate earth day. and this article will really be helpful for environment protection.
[...] even do a couple minutes web research on easy green living tips. Here’s a head start, check out 10 Simple Steps to Being Green Share and [...]