Living Green
Green living is a lifestyle. Basically, it's making choices that conserve and preserve the Earth's natural resources and habitats. Those choices may not be the popular choices among those you know, but they are the environmentally ethical, and eco-friendly choices. Here are some suggestions you can put into place in your own life. We suggest one new item each month. The Earth thanks you!
- Recycle everything for reuse in new products. Reduce, recycle and reuse.
- Say no to plastic bags and bring your own cloth bag or tote when you are shopping.
- Buy local and buy only what you will use.
- Donate used goods that still have life in them.
- Buy products with less packaging: 30% of the content in landfills is containers and packaging.
- Avoid disposable products. Use refillable coffee thermoses and water bottles, cloth napkins …
- Buy new appliances with an Energy Star label to save energy use.
- Invest in a clothesline. Your clothes dryer is one of the largest energy users in your home.
- Switch out your light bulbs to LED bulbs. They use 75% less energy and last 25% longer.
- Turn off your lights. Lighting accounts for 12% of the average household electric bill.
- Buy local produce and more seasonal food.
- Cut down on food waste. Compost your biodegradables (the ability for a material to be broken down naturally by the organisms in an ecosystem)
- Drive less. Walk or bike short distances. Purchase a hybrid car if affordable. Use mass transit or carpool.
- Grow your own food. Livestock have the biggest impact on the planet. They emit more carbon, pollute and use more water and reduce biodiversity more than non-animal food production.
- Reduce water use. Every drop of tap water you use consumes energy. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, rinsing dishes, or lathering up in the shower.
"One person can make a difference and everyone should try." (John F. Kennedy)
"I cannot do everything, but I can do something." (Edward Everett Hale)
Photo: ©iStock.com/Petmal
