10 Super EASY ways to go GREEN! by Elaine Carter
1. Fill your home with house plants. Plants supply oxygen, help to eliminate airborne toxins and are natural humidifiers.
2.Replace your light bulbs. Take out the old round bulbs and replace them with the twisted compact florescent bulbs (CF). These bulbs reduce electricity usage and will reduce your electric bill too.
3. Say no to plastic bags. Bring reusable shopping bags to the grocery and other retail stores, It takes 1000+ years for plastic bags to decompose, and plastic is made from crude oil making more demand for toxic oil.
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4. Unplug unused electronics and appliances. Items that are plugged in to outlets continue to suck small amounts of electricity even when off. This is called Vampire Power and can account for up to 30% of your electrical bill. You can also use a “Smart Strip” which will detect when items are not in use and will cut off the power to them.
5. Eat less Meat. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more damaging to the environment than CO2. The majority of Methane comes from the poop and gasses released from livestock. Less demand for meat, the fewer animals used, the better off the environment will become. More on meat reduction in another blog.
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6. Drive less and drive a smaller car. Bike, walk, carpool when possible.
7. Recycle. To gather virgin material to make plastic, metal and paper is very taxing on natural resources. It is better for the environment to reuse materials. Here is a super simple way to get recycling into your routine. Place a recycling bin right next to your garbage can. It takes a one second decision to determine which bin/can your item will go into. A quick decision but a big positive impact on the environment.
8. Turn off unused lights.
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9. Make sure your thermostat is not set too high in cold weather and not too low in warm weather. This reduces the demand on the power grid especially since most power companies burn coal to operate their plants.
10. Sign up with GREEN websites to stay educated about environmental issues and to get tips on how to adapt a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Examples: Dailygreen.com, EWG.org, Motherearthnews.com
It is up to ALL of us to earnestly green up our lifestyles to help our planet heal. Peace and Green!
Elaine Carter
