I just realized that all through the months that I’ve tried posting articles about greeny fashion, I have actually begun convincing myself to go green – whatever that means. Yet as I try frequenting some “green” sites I feel pretty insignificant in terms of the changes I make in my life in order to be more environmentally friendly. Do you also feel that your efforts towards greening your life were so "underwhelming" when compared to others' environmental endeavors?
Yes, it can be a little intimidating; but they offer a lot of really valuable advice for green living - you may not be able to yet apply these but making inroads is better than no progress at all. Even though how minute your contribution is, it is still so important. While you may aspire to join their ranks, bear in mind it takes time. You've been living your life a certain way for so long that these changes can't be expected to occur overnight; as much as we'd all like them to - and really, the planet is crying out for us to as well.
Green living is really about saving the magnificent biodiversity in plants and animals that remain. It’s about ensuring our planet is conducive to our species continuing to live on it in some degree of comfort. As you start learning about green living, it's quite possible you'll feel totally overwhelmed as you discover how much damage our lifestyles are inflicting upon the environment.
If your life is so hectic that big changes are extremely difficult; start with the little stuff. For example, you could be changing your brand of toilet paper another week to one that is made from recycled paper and is packaged with the same. You can resist buying something you don't need, no matter how alluring it may be. One small change to your lifestyle each week adds up to 52 changes over a year!
There's so much we can all do to help accustom ourselves to a more eco-savvy lifestyle. The important thing is to keep on achieving, but by greening your life in small steps, the bigger goal won't seem so overwhelming and you may even reach it faster than you originally thought.Remember, the goal is to keep achieving minor victories in living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle until you're at a point when you can tackle the really big issues. We all have much to do and not as much time as we once thought we had to preserve the planet in a state we know as home - so continued forward movement, however small, is critical.
Today’s emergent responsiveness for “going green” or more environmentally aware often brings the cynics out. It’s not easy to recycle. The organic products cost too much. Any lifestyle change towards green living seems impractical.
Just as you don’t stick to your diet perfectly each day, it’s OK to slip a little and make small changes as you go. Finding the steps that fit your lifestyle can make a significant difference over time, and it certainly is better than not doing a thing at all. You can go greener without spending significantly more money out of pocket. By making undemanding lifestyle changes, you can spell a difference.
Here are 10 simple things you can do to go greener without losing your green (bucks):
Invest in local producers. You’ll find many deals at your local farmer’s market, and the quality will be better than what you’ll find at your grocer. Buy in season and freeze (or can, if you’re adventurous) the rest for the winter.
Shop smart. As with any “regular” thing you buy, watch coupons and sales to get the best deal. You can get great deals on organic products.
Consider natural cleaning. And I don’t mean buying Clorox Naturals or any other branded product. Many household items, including baking soda, vinegar, even toothpaste, can do double-duty as a cleaning product.
Watch your energy output. Unplug the cell phone charger when you’re done. Unplug appliances you don’t use often. By just being plugged into your outlet, they are utilizing energy. If you don’t believe me, feel how warm your charger or other plugged-in item is.
Be mindful of your CFLs. You pay more upfront for these energy-efficient bulbs, but to maximize their lives you need to leave them on for at least 15 minutes at a time.
Turn the car off. Idling is a complete waste of gasoline. Avoid the drive-through; turn off the car and go inside on your errands.
Find a good home for things you no longer use. Many non-profit organizations will gladly accept clothing and furniture in good condition, craft materials, leftover homebuilding supplies and more. Even electronics such as your abandoned cell phone and computer can be recycled or repurposed for a person in need. mygreenelectronics.org
Watch your water usage. Shorten your shower; fix the drip in your faucet. The savings will quickly add up.
Let your grass grow. Grass ideally should be cut no shorter than 3 inches tall. Shorter, and the root system is not as developed and you end up using more water. And, you may have the benefit of mowing less.
BYOB. Bring your own bag when shopping. You can buy inexpensive reusable bags at many area stores, or simply tote your own tote bag.
In this day and age, everyone is fighting to preserve the earth’s natural resources. We are trying to go green, as they say, by handling things over the internet. This way, we cut down our usage of paper substantially, and it’s gotten to the point where we feel a little guilty if we use paper at all. Luckily, there is an alternative to nearly every paper product you can think of. Instead of sending letters through the mail, you can use email, which is faster and more reliable anyway. Instead of going to the store and picking out a Mothers Day gift or Mothers Day (http://www.care2.com/send/catmothersday1.html) card, you can go online and find an ecard, thus saving paper, ink, and money. Instead of scribing ten page reports on paper, you can type them out on the computer and email them to your professor, saving the wood needed to make a pencil, saving paper, and saving your poor fingers from blisters and calluses. The internet is just full of possibilities, and every web alternative has more benefits than just the fact that you’re saving paper. Most online purchases will cost you less than if you went to a store to get them, and you don’t have to spend any gas to do it. You also don’t have to deal with lines, and you don’t have to stand there staring at the shelf wondering where the product is when it’s right in front of your face. If you have a million friends whose birthdays are scattered all over the place, you don’t need to make a bunch of trips to the Hallmark store anymore. You can send birthday ecards (http://www.care2.com/send/birthday_cards.html) or funny joke ecards to all of them, and you don’t even need to include money in the card. Now, you can even do grocery shopping online, to have it delivered to your house. This way you save on gas, and you need neither paper nor plastic. Christmas shopping is a breeze. You still get great deals when you shop online, and you won’t need to engage in fisticuffs over the last Barbie Princess Play set because even if it’s out of stock on one site, there is a multitude of other sites you can check. Not to mention that it takes only seconds to check out, and it will arrive at your doorstep in the perfect sized box, ready for you to wrap up. Never again will you need to take time out of your day to address Christmas greeting cards to all of your friends and family, because now you can send Christmas ecards (http://www.care2.com/send/catxmas1.html) as well. If you take into account the fact that a physical greeting card is about a dollar in price, and each postage stamp is forty two cents, you’ll realize that it can get rather expensive. Then you must figure the amount of water you’ll need to drink in order to lick all of the envelopes, and how bad they will taste in the first place. Sometimes doing things the old fashioned way is a real pain. So why bother, when there are more convenient, eco-friendly alternatives right at your fingertips?
About the Author: Allison Ryan is a freelance marketing writer specializing in internet and email technology and loves to celebrate the holidays by sending funny ecards to her friends and family. For a Mothers Day card or for birthday ecards, check out http://www.care2.com/, an awesome non-profit site!
I just realized that all through the months that I’ve tried posting articles about greeny fashion, I have actually begun convincing myself to go green – whatever that means. Yet as I try frequenting some “green” sites I feel pretty insignificant in terms of the changes I make in my life in order to be more environmentally friendly. Do you also feel that your efforts towards greening your life were so "underwhelming" when compared to others' environmental endeavors?
Yes, it can be a little intimidating; but they offer a lot of really valuable advice for green living - you may not be able to yet apply these but making inroads is better than no progress at all. Even though how minute your contribution is, it is still so important. While you may aspire to join their ranks, bear in mind it takes time. You've been living your life a certain way for so long that these changes can't be expected to occur overnight; as much as we'd all like them to - and really, the planet is crying out for us to as well. ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u-pb2NA-lHP1TVb924tnwGkWT7_3nSvIVHvWXYh1nbM8WDl_7S4gvsKhBqkgPZX5559vcGrURyNZe--q15bMi7wkJYgfSs3lfaqRNJqd4kfkK82WZ8wjtZ4pgOo_go46ryNFH6BvEjXSSS48Yh8AFP=s0-d)
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