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going
green!
By now, most people have GREEN
on their radars. From political campaigns to the daily news, we're
hearing more and more every day about why it's important to start
preserving as opposed to consuming.
Of course, we cant stop consumption.
This isn't the idea. We all need things. We need food, clothing,
shelter and we need to enhance our lives with beauty and our personal
sense of style. What we can
do is make smarter choices. We can re-use things. We can
"do-it-yourself" when it comes to many products such as like cleaning
products as opposed to buying chemically enhanced products. We can use
or support clean energy to reduce gas costs (Yes, this really DOES make a
difference). 
But
what are
the first steps?
For many of us, we want to make the switch, but knowing how to start is
the hard part. We like our lives the way they are, and struggle with
the idea of change. We don't want a drastically different lifestyle.
The good news is that as going green becomes more popular (and
necessary), there are more options that in fact enhance our lives
rather than disrupting them. Going green is a gradual, progressive
process. There are actions that we can easily take today, and then there are
concepts that take a little more work - ideals that we can
strive for.
Top 5 things we can do
today:
1)
Unplug it!
Did you know that "phantom energy" is a major consumer of expensive
(for you and the country), non-necessary energy? And that you are
most-likely consuming phantom energy right now, as you read this?
Picture your house or apartment before you go to bed at night. You're
relaxed, and it's dark outside. Are the lights on? Probably not. But is
your cell phones charging, even though it says charge
complete" on the screen? Is there a power tool or toaster plugged in,
that you're not using?
These devices that are plugged in are vampires, consuming energy even when they are turned off.
The biggest energy wasters in homes are cell-phone chargers, digital
camera chargers, major appliances and power tool chargers. These
devises absorb power whenever they’re plugged into an
outlet, whether or not the device is charged or connected.
This wasted energy (aka "phantom energy") is a
significant percentage of home electricity use (about 5%). If you
multiply this across all American
households, it adds up to about 65 billion kilowatt-hours of
electricity each year. What does that number mean? This phantom energy
costs consumers more than
$5.8 billion each year. What does that mean for you? It could be costing you
hundreds - possibly thousands a year - not to mention the effect on the
planet.
2)
Organic vs. Local food
Some
of us have access to organic food in our grocery stores. In some
places, it's more accessible than others.The movement to make organic
food economical is still in progress. But more and more chain stores
are stocking organic food, with affordable prices.
Next time you go
grocery shopping, look for the food isle in the grocery store. You
might be surprised to find that organic is not more expensive -
especially when it comes to produce.
But perhaps just as
importantly is buying local. Do you see that produce stand on your way
home from work? Fresh blueberries and zucchini? Has it occurred to you
that there aren't any expensive fuel costs in getting that food from
its origin to your kitchen, and that most likely local farms don't need
to use the harmful pesticides that commercial farmers need to keep
produce "Fresh" ? The best option is organic AND local. But if
you can't find organic, choose
LOCAL. Most likely, they use safer farming practices than commercial farms. Stop at the next produce
stand you might otherwise pass by.
2) Smart lighting!
Do you get our your monthly energy bill and reluctantly pay it, all the
while knowing you could do something to reduce your payment not to
mention your impact on the planet? But you don't
know exactly how. What can you do?
Well, you can buy energy-efficient
light bulbs. Not only are they cheaper than their conventional
alternatives (check them out at Costco!) but will last 10 times as
longer. Of course they will initially
cost more but you will save money and not have
to buy light bulbs for months longer than their counterparts. Your cost
savings? HUGE. Your effect on the planet if enough
of us make this choice?: PRICELESS.
3) Re-use!
There are so many objects that can be
reinvented. Your imagination is the limit. Here are a few
ideas to get you started:
- Re-use baby food jars as votive candle holders
for a country living look. Remove the labels, of course.
- Re-use egg cartons as seed planters
- Re-use wine bottles as flower vases
- Re-use wine bottles as rolling pins
- Re-use coffee grounds as plant fertilizer
These ideas can spark many more. Use your imagination!
4) Recycle!
Do you recycle? Don't feel bad - many don't. Maybe
it's because the process seems confusing and time consuming. What do
you recycle and what do you throw away? In our busy society, we simply
don't have time to separate all our waste - especially when the
benefits are often vague and unknown. Did you know that recently, many
of the biggest cities in the U.S. have taken this into consideration? They have actually made it much easier on us.
Yeah! Really! In Portland, OR, for instance, all
residents are given a huge, closed recycling dumpster that is bigger
than their garbage bin.To top it off, residents can combine most
everything - except for glass and motor
oil - into ONE BIN. We can throw our paper and cottage
cheese containers and pop cans into one huge dumpster - no separating.
Just put your glass on the side. That's it. Easy right? RIGHT.
The
Powers-That-Be are starting to recognize that we need a solution to our
consumption and waste problem. If you're not recycling, the next time
you get your garbage bill, go to their website and check for
information on larger bins. If they're not offering them already,
believe me, you're not the first person to ask. BE VOCAL. return home from going green
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mom
