Simple ways to live a greener life

April 9, 2011 | By In living green | Comments(0)

Like contemplating a diet, people thinking about living a greener life are often nervous, wondering whether they’ll succeed. They are easily overwhelmed thinking about the effort needed, are concerned about their ability to stick with a plan, and not really sure if the struggle to live differently will be worth the effort.

In fact, here are 10 simple ways to “go green” without making drastic changes to your life.

Recycle, recycle, recycle. No matter where you live, most communities have organized recycling programs.
Take your own bags when you go shopping. That’s right-surely you’ve heard that the best choice is neither paper nor plastic, but “I brought my own bags.” You can either start re-using all those paper bags that you’ve been collecting or those made from canvas or hemp
Switch to environmentally friendly cleaning products. Find cleaners made from natural resources. These days, most grocery/discount stores sell nontoxic cleaning products.
Use energy-saving lightbulbs in your 3 most-used lights. Although they cost a little more, they last longer than regular lightbulbs.
Limit what you waste. Re-use everything. Think creatively. Cut up old clothing items and make something-a purse, a bag, or a vest, for example.
Turn off your car engine when possible. According to the Engines Off website, you prevent 550 pounds of carbon dioxide from permeating the air with the engine running just 10 minutes less in a day.
If you want to wash your car but don’t want to use the 100 gallons of water it usually takes, just do it waterless. That’s right, use a waterless carwash kit. The kit includes special
Ask co-workers if they’re interested in carpooling. Any shared trips are better than none-if you can share rides on one or two days a week, do it. Another green work suggestion is to see if you can work from home one day a week. Of course, only certain types of jobs can be done from home.
You know all those extra coffee mugs you’ve got crowding your cabinets? Why not take some to work so you and co-workers don’t have to use disposable cups? Put one of them in your car to take to the coffee shop to use in place of disposable ones.
Finally, assure your workplace is using recycled paper products. Available at most office supply stores, they truly sustain the earth’s precious resources. Also, recycle waste paper. Staple discarded one-sided documents and use blank side as scratch paper.

Pick just one of the above tips to put into practice today. Focus on it, decide exactly how you will carry it through. And then, do it. Educate yourself about all aspects of living green-try American Forests and Campaign Earth websites. Hundreds of thousands of people are taking simple steps to do their part to help save the earth and you can, too. All of us together can assure that future generations will reap the benefits of this beautiful place: earth.

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Living Green at Your Vacation Home

July 17, 2010 | By In living green | Comments(0)

During the week you do all the right things to encourage a green lifestyle. You diligently separate your garbage, recycle what you can, add to a backyard composter, use energy saving lightbulbs and use a programmable thermostat. Then, the weekend comes and off you go to your lakeside cabin and all of this green thinking goes out the window. Out come the paper plates, you crank up the electric heat, BBQ twice a day and throw all your recyclables into the garbage.

Green living, means thinking green whether you’re at home, at your weekend getaway, or even on holiday in Hawaii. Here are some tips to help keep you on the straight and narrow, even when you’re on vacation.

Use biodegradable detergent in your dishwasher and washing machine. A good rule of thumb is to find products guaranteed to break down in less than 30 days. When washing clothes, use cold water and use the clothes line for most drying.

Cut back on the barbecuing (even a little), to reduce CO2 emissions. Keep in mind that propane pollutes less than charcoal.

Save fuel by planning your meals and shopping only once on your trip. In fact, try to do your shopping on the way to your weekend getaway. Keep the reusable shopping bags in your car so you don’t forget them.

Wherever possible, buy produce from local growers at farmers markets or roadside stands. Often small stores will carry food from local sources. Once you start looking, you’ll be amazed at how many products are produced locally. Some farms even keep gardens going part way through the winter.

Just because you’re on holiday, doesn’t mean the disposable plates and cutlery have to come out. When you do use them, choose the biodegradable varieties.

Install water saving showerheads up at the cottage and opt for a dip in the lake instead of a bath everyday.

Use energy efficient CFL’s or LED lighting. Use motion lights outdoors to cut back on usage.

Use recycled toilet paper and bring up extra towels to replace paper towels. In fact, take a tip from Martha Stewart and keep a rag pail in your kitchen for quick wipe ups.

If your getaway is a regular escape, consider installing a composter for your organic waste, otherwise, capture it in a pail and bring it home. Bring extra containers for your recycling as well.

Get blinds or heavy currents and close them while you’re away to keep the heat in and the cold out. Use a programmable thermostat to regulate the temperature and not waste energy while you’re absent.

Consider installing solar panels for a supplemental source of energy.

When furnishing your getaway with appliances, look for those with Energy Star rating.

Is your vacation home located in a wet area? If so, you may want a rain barrel to capture some of that valuable water for your plants.

This second home is your relaxing getaway, you’ve got no one to impress here. Let your grass grow longer or replace some of it with mulch or native plants. Set your mower to three inches and mulch the cut grass.

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