10 Ways To Be Green

Everyone love to talk about going green, but their actions rarely match up.   It isn’t entirely their fault; many people truly love the idea of being green but don’t know how to start.  They think that going green means making drastic changes that take time and money.  However going green can be much simpler than you think!  The best way to stick to a green plan is to start out small and slowly increase your green actions.  People often fail to stay green if they try to drastically change everything that they do.  Pick and choose which green actions you would like to start off with, and maybe you can eventually do everything on the list!

1.       Energy Saving Light Bulbs:

If you are unsure of where to start, this is probably the easiest step towards being green.  Head over to your local home improvement store and invest in some energy saving light bulbs such as compact fluorescent light bulbs or LED light bulbs.  These light bulbs might cost more than an incandescent light bulb, but they will last much longer and save energy and money. 

2.       Use Less H20:

As relaxing as it may be to take a bath every day or to stand in the shower for 30 minutes, if done routinely, much water and energy to generate hot water is being wasted.  On average, a 10-minute shower already uses up around 5 gallons of water.  That means a 30 minute shower uses around 15 gallons of water.  Multiple 15 by 365 days, that is 5475 gallons of water each year per person.  Save water by taking 5-10 minute showers just once a day.

3.       Recycle, Recycle, Recycle:

Start up a recycling program in your own home or office environment.  Common household recyclable items include plastic, paper, aluminum, and glass.  Common office recyclable items include cardboard, paper, and plastic.  Set up different bins to sort out the different types of recyclable items.  You can find a local recycling center to take your collection of recyclables.  Often times certain recycling companies will have a weekly pickup option in conjunction with weekly trash pickup. 

4.       Use Less Energy:

Another simple and effortless way to be green is by remembering to turn off lights and unplug devices that aren’t being used.  It will take you an extra 10 seconds to accomplish these tasks; the hard part is remembering and making a habit out of it.  There are other ways to save energy drastically, such as by setting your home temperature lower during the winter and higher during the summer, by switching to tankless water heaters, or switching to local sustainable energy option (currently not available everywhere). 

5.       Less Gas, Walk More:

Gas can make a nice dent in our wallets, our health, and our environment.  With the increasing prices of gas these days, consider biking, walking, carpooling, or public transportation.  If compromising driving is too drastic of a change for you, then consider smarter driving.  Leave for work and home earlier to beat traffic.  Cars idling in traffic not only wastes gas but contribute to global warming and the depletion of our ozone layer. 

6.       Pick Up Green Clean:

Open your bathroom and kitchen cabinets and ditch your old cleaning products.  Replace them with green cleaning products.  It will be good for the environment and for your family’s health! 

7.       Support Local Farms:

There are many benefits associated with eating locally grown foods.  For one, by supporting your local farms you are decreasing the amount of gas, energy, and carbon footprint that goes into importing foods.  Locally grown foods are also less dependent on pesticides and preservatives so your food is better for you.

8.       Less is Better:

Minimalism might be a hip thing, but it is also a very green thing.  As Americans, we are infamous for going overboard with everything.  We have the innate desire to accumulate a bunch of things we don’t need.  Next time when you buy something, reconsider if you really need it. 

9.       Invest in a Water Bottle:

Each year tons of plastic goes into making bottles for bottled water.  Not only is bottled water an extraneous part of everyday life, but it is also very wasteful.  Instead of buying a bottled water each day, consider getting a quality Nalgene bottle or a water bottle that automatically filters your water. 

S        Share and Reuse:

O  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  Instead of buying new products, you can help the earth out by reusing someone else’s items.  People often sell quality items during moving sales or garage sales.  Sites such as Craigslist offer free stuff.  By sharing and reusing, you are able to save money and be green.