Earth Day: Five Easy Ways to Become Greener
In the eco-conscious universe, I must be considered a terrible sinner.
I drive an SUV, buy bottled water and disposable everything, and take wasteful, extra-long showers. Although I manage to fit many worthy causes into our giving budget, I never gave a single dollar to a green charity.
I have no excuses, really. I like to think that I am fairly intelligent, and I do realize that our actions today, or lack thereof, could turn future generations’ lives on this planet into a living hell. I am not proud of my detached attitude. But this is where things are.
Since writing with passion about Earth Day seemed a bit of a stretch, I decided to use this day as an opportunity to educate myself about simple ways to be green - without making big lifestyle changes.
This is what I plan to do:
1. Recycle. This is the one thing I am highly aware of and do religiously (except for the occasional mayo jar that I toss in the trash instead of rinsing and recycling). It’s not surprising: recycling is one of the best environmental success stories of the late 20th century. It is also important to buy products that are marked as recycled/ recyclable. When we do that, we create an economic incentive for recyclable materials to be collected, manufactured, and marketed as new products.
2. Conserve water: I found lots of tips at American Water. The three that I plan to incorporate into my own routine: don’t pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant; don’t let water run while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face. The third is going to be a bit of a struggle for me but I promised myself to try, at least a few times each week: take shorter showers.
3. Conserve energy in summer by cooling your home to only 80 degrees. Each degree below 78 will increase your energy use by 3-4%. In the winter, wear an extra layer of clothes and set the heater thermostat to 68.
4. Reuse. Reusing items by using them more than once, repairing them, donating them to charity or selling them (think Ebay) reduces waste. Reusing, when possible, is better than recycling, because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again. Examples of reusing: using cloth napkins; using refillable bottles of water and refilling them with tap water; turning empty jars into containers for leftover foods; and using reusable grocery bags instead of the store’s paper or (gasp) plastic bags.
5. Reduce air pollution by driving less. Even driving just a little less makes a difference. If possible, arrange carpools; walk or ride a bicycle if you can - I tend to drive to the local grocery store even though it is just a five-minute walk from my house. My own personal resolution is to walk there when I only need a few items. Another excellent way do drive less, which comes quite easily to me (maybe too easily) is to shop online. More tips at the California Air Resources Board website.
Related reading:
These green blogs are worth checking out. Both Amy and Siel write way more intelligently about green stuff than I ever could.
Green LA Girl
Crunchy Domestic Goddess: Earth Day Giveaway
More green tips from green bloggers:
Allie’s Answers
Big Green Purse
The EcoChic
Photo by aussiegal
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Allie responds:
Posted: April 22nd, 2008 at 5:58 am →
Thanks for the link! Great tips!
Andre Kibbe responds:
Posted: April 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 am →
I’ll add a couple:
Minimize driving. Batch your errands and work commute so that the entire drive for each day is consolidated in a single loop, if possible. An SUV owner who drives 6 miles a day is “greener” than a hybrid owner to drives 16 miles a day.
Carry filtered water in stainless steel or polycarbonate bottles. Companies like >a href=http://www.enviroproductsinc.com/>New Wave Enviro or Nalgene sell reusable bottles that are just as comfortable and trendy-looking to carry around as Fiji Water.
Chris responds:
Posted: April 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 am →
Nice tips! Becuase I have 5 children, I do enough damage on the environment. Can I send them to the recycling factory…LOL
My daughter is reading my comments as I type and she is laughing beside herself.
Miranda responds:
Posted: April 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 am →
Thanks for the great tips! We used to save all those plastic grocery bags. Now we re-use them. We bring those to the store and keep on using them. We also have the re-usable bags that you can buy, but we bring a couple plastic bags along, just in case. That way if we don’t have enough room, we can still prevent the use of more plastic bags…
MilkYourMoney responds:
Posted: April 22nd, 2008 at 11:16 am →
Keeping your home a little warmer in the summer and slightly cooler during the winder is a great one. Fans run very cheap and help with you stay cool even with a higher setting on the thermostat.
Computer Addict responds:
Posted: April 22nd, 2008 at 11:23 am →
I’m a big fan of reuse. I hate throwing away stuff that can still serve a purpose. eBay is good, donating to Goodwill is good.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: April 22nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm →
@ Andre: thanks for the tips. It’s good to know that driving less in an SUV is better than driving more in a fuel-efficient car.
@ Chris: your Earth Day post was SO funny.
@ Miranda: re-using those plastic bags is great idea. Thanks.
@ MilkYourMoney: we’ve been trying to do that, especially in winter when it sometimes gets so hot over here, we are in T-shirts.
@ Computer Addict: “I hate throwing away stuff that can still serve a purpose”. I like your outlook. I hate clutter, so I used to just throw away stuff after decluttering, but I am learning that even if I don’t use something any longer, others can still find it useful.
Diana responds:
Posted: April 22nd, 2008 at 5:55 pm →
Every step in the right direction is better than the last! Good for you for making an effort! I’ve got a good friend who refuses to even consider the idea of worrying about the environment. If it’s not an immediate threat to her she really couldn’t care less. She’s pregnant with her first child, I’m secretly hoping that motherhood will make her a little more conscious of future generations.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: April 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 pm →
@ Diana: I agree - she might change her mind once she has a child.
Calley responds:
Posted: April 24th, 2008 at 4:03 pm →
Thanks for the link. Keep reading!