3 Easy Green Lifestyle Changes that Anyone Can Do
Friday, November 18, 2016
If you told someone ten years ago that you were trying to go
green their heads would immediately be filled with images of hippies chaining
themselves to heavy machinery or joining eco-villages. Now a days, the term
“green” coincides with much needed environmental awareness and you can’t even cross
the street without being bombarded by advertisements claiming green products or
bumper stickers screaming “Save the Earth.” There is a clear need to “go green”
but what exactly does that mean and how does one even start to accomplish such
a goal without growing dreadlocks or living without power? Being green is not
anything tangible that you can go out and purchase but it is rather a
dedication to yourself that you will live in a more harmonious way with the
planet. Alright I hope I didn’t lose anyone at harmonious way, but if you are
trying to go green but don’t know where to start there are a few quick and easy
lifestyle changes that you can begin today that will help you to play your part
in the “green” revolution!
11)
STOP buying single use plastic bottles!
Alright I know this doesn’t sound like a
big global issue but the fact that American’s alone buy on average 167 bottles
of water every year and only
recycle 38 of them. This coupled with the fact that plastic can take up to
a thousand years to decompose makes plastic bottles a real environmental
threat. On the bright side it is also an environmental threat that only the
everyday consumer (like you) can help solve. So if you want to start helping
the environment today just stop buying bottled water from the convenience store
down the street, instead carry a multi-use water bottle that can be thrown in
the dishwasher and used time and time again.
22)
Become a Conscious Consumer
This was sort of touched on in number one,
but is so important I thought that it deserved its own category. As we are part
of the western world, consumption of products and services is part of our
everyday lives. Now that we are beginning to look at the world in a “greener”
way we must also alter our consumption habits to match our change in mindset.
This means looking at the products in the store in terms of their entire life
cycle. Will you be able to use a product for years or will you get a weeks’
worth of use out of it and toss it in the garbage by the end of the week. Also
you must begin to think about what it took to make the product. Was it made in
in some factory in Thailand with poor working conditions and then put on three
different cargo ships and five trucks to eventually make it to the Walmart in
your home town. Now I am not saying that these decisions are easy and or that
you should stop shopping at Walmart, just simply becoming conscious of your own
personal habits and making a few changes in product choice will be enough to
put you well on your way to an overall greener life philosophy!
33)
Recycle!!
Yep I went there, back to the basics.
Everyone knows they should recycle yet the majority still choose not to. WHY?!
This is by far the simplest, easiest way you can play your part in helping the
environment. Yes you are going to have to put in a little extra effort in
sorting the paper from the bottles and the plastic from the glass but I promise
it is not that hard and will eventually become second nature. If you are having
a hard time getting motivated to sort your recycling you can find solace in
knowing that the plastic won’t be going to a landfill where it won’t decompose
for a thousand years and that the metal for new aluminum cans won’t have to be
ripped out of the ground through not so environmentally friendly mining
practices. So if you are going to do anything to become just a little greener, let it be an investment into a green recycling bin.
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