Going Green – What’s In It For Me?
What exactly is ‘Going Green’?
Sometimes, when we are trying to define what something ‘is’, we have to start by determining what it ‘is not’. This whole concept of Going Green, Being Green, Living Green, Building Green, and many other combinations of this subject, can get so incredibly misdirected by a particular agenda from a specific group, that the original intent is completely lost in the translation. With that in mind, let’s start with a different question.
What ‘Going Green’ Is Not?
It is not: Saying “let’s save the forest”, and then printing out your emails to ‘keep a record’ of a conversation or a transaction.
It is not: Riding your bike to work when your commute is 40 miles, one way.
It is not: Becoming vegetarian, period!
It is not: Planting a tree, driving slower, or buying used clothes.
I could go on, and on, and on…. I think you hear me. With the number of words I’m allowed in this article, I cannot list all the notions I’ve heard about what it means to Be Green, and how to Go Green. Not that these ideas are bad, but really folks, most of this stuff should fall into the category of ‘common sense’. Be honest with yourself, wouldn’t you agree?
How Do We Make REAL Change?
What I’m suggesting to you will be much harder than asking you to spend your time, or your money. What I’m asking you to do is… change your habits! That is what it’s going to take if we are going to make any sort of measurable difference in our environment. We all, or the vast majority of us anyway, need to change. We need to change the way we live and think. We need to change the way we act and play. We need to change the very fabric of our being. We need to challenge old beliefs, re-evaluate what makes sense, and we need to do something that scares most of us, we need to try new things. Fear of the unknown will stop change 98% of the time.
Where Do We Start?
Another great question. Let me make a suggestion: Plastic Water Bottles! The number of plastic water bottles we go through in one year in the United States is staggering. Statistics vary from source to source, but a reasonable number would be around 50 billion, that’s a ‘B’ folks, Billion, bottles a year, just in the US, and we recycle only about 20% of those. Which means approximately 40 Billion plastic bottles end up in our landfills every year. And, remember, that’s just water bottles. That doesn’t count fruit juice, milk, soda (OMG), sport drinks, and dare I mention, detergent bottles.
There are many other facts I could go into, but I will only mention one other supporting fact here. Plastic bottles are made with petroleum products, that’s oil for us common folks. Q: What is the amount of oil it takes to produce all those bottles every year? Think about it and take a guess? How about 1.5 billion, there’s that ‘B’ word again, barrels of oil, that’s a barrel, not a gallon. And that’s every year, after every year, after every year. Seriously people, can you imagine how many homes can be heated in the middle of winter with all the oil? Or, how many extra miles of travel we can get, whether by trains, planes, or automobiles? Or, how about we maybe really cut back and leave some of that in our National Reserves? What a novel thought, actually SAVE some.
And now, what you’ve all been waiting for, an answer to my original question: What’s in it for me? Well, I want you to think about how much money you’re spending on all those plastic bottles. Add it up for yourself, for your family, it’s a good exercise. We did it in our home, the numbers were astounding. When you boil it down to dollars & cents (or sense), well, as I said before, money can be a great motivator. $300, $700, I’ve helped people save over $1,000 per year, simply by eliminating plastic water bottles from their life.
Where Do We Go From Here?
We could talk about other types of change like; solar & wind powered electrical generating devices, alternative sources to clean your laundry, synthetic turf for a ‘greener’ lawn (forgive me, I just couldn’t help myself), amperage reducing devices that allow your electric motors to run smoother & last longer. But, I will save those topics for other articles, on other days.
I am obliged at this point to share one solution with you here & now. Get ‘Living Water’ in your home today. This technology is available to you, right now. You can have it in place, in your home, within the next 5 days. This is a great way to empower you, to begin that change in your life. Don’t wait any longer, start today. Make a decision, perhaps the most difficult decision you’ve made in a very long time. Decide to Change. Do it for you, do it for your family, do it for the environment, and do it for your savings account.
Tim P Jones is a licensed architect in the State of California with 33 years of experience in the design profession. He is a Green Certified Building Designer, through which his interest & passion have grown for Going Green in your home. He enjoys playing guitar & writing songs. He is happily married to the best friend he’s ever know, his loving wife Pat. Together they actively support local & national charitable organizations that bolster awareness of health & wellness to individuals of all ages. You can read his blog & join his community at: http://www.GoGreenHealthyHome.com
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