10 Ways to Go Green Today

For many of us, Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” was a wake up call that was loud and clear. Even more compelling (and scary) is Leonardo DiCaprio’s film “The Eleventh Hour”.  As the news keeps coming in, my guess is we’re actually in the last ten minutes if we’re going to stop the runaway devastation of our planet. For me that means, making smarter, eco choices has become a mandate and I’m no longer too shy to educate friends and family. The problem is that we have all become so habituated to a world that’s been redesigned for our convenience. Changing these bad habits can be challenging, but they are definitely worth the effort.

1. One of the biggest ways we can use less energy are in our home is switching from incandescent to compact flourescent lights. CFLs will use up to 75 percent less electricity than incandescent light bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. This one simple change will help you cut your utility bill, while you reduce greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming. The shocking fact is that if every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars. I had over 20 incandescent lights in my home and as they go out, they are being replaced by CFL’s. You can do the same.

2. Another way we can use less energy in our home is to make it more energy efficient. That means, checking that you have adequate ceiling insulation, double or triple pane windows and snug seals to all your outside doors. When we switched to dual pane windows years ago it made a huge difference. Not only did our heating and cooling bills go down dramatically, but our home was also insulated from traffic noise. Old appliances use more electricity so when you need to choose a major appliance, consider upgrading to a super efficient model. It may cost a bit more, but your long term cost of use will be less and your ‘carbon footprint’ will be smaller. And, definitely donate any large ticket item that still has life in it to a charity group where it can be used a little longer before it’s journey to a landfill.

3. Living in sunny CA, it’s easy for me to throw my laundry on a line, especially sheets and towels smell so fresh after being out in the sun and wind. But I was amazed to discover when I traveled to England (a not so sunny place) that most homes didn’t have dryers but hung their laundry up in their kitchens! The British went through a long period of post war austerity, as did our grandparents during the depression, and many of the economies that were necessary then, are needed now – if not for financial reasons, then to put less strain on our eco system. Granted, line drying may not be practical for everyone, but there truly seems to be an infinite number of ways to use less energy when we put our minds to it.

4. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is a healthy practice, but not when the water comes in plastic bottles. Investing in a good home water purification system will give you water that is free of toxic chemicals, tastes good, costs a lot less than packaged water and is better for the environment. Use a stainless steel water bottle to take water with you and refill as needed. Get mini ones for your children’s lunch box and explain why your family doesn’t drink bottled water. Bring your own travel mug to work or Starbucks and wash and reuse it during the day.

5. Our kitchens generate an amazing amount of landfill and some simple changes here can make a huge difference. Instead of using paper towels for every wipe and paper napkins at every meal, substitute cloth napkins and towels. Create a rag bag by tearing up old towels and sheets to be used for wiping floor spills or dusting. Create a small compost pile if you have any outdoor garden area at all. I use a gallon plastic juice jug to collect fruit and vegie scraps and when it’s full, it goes into a heap in the backyard. Grass clippings and leaves get added along with some water and earth worm castings and as it ages, it shrinks and becomes a great soil amendment for garden pots or better yet, for your veggie garden! You can also buy a compost bin or box or even just use a large, extra sturdy plastic trash bags. For more information on easy composting check out: http://thegardenersrake.com/organic-gardening-different-ways-to-compost

6. If you haven’t already, invest in a good number of reusable shopping bags. I try to keep at least 4 in my car at all times so I don’t have to choose between paper or plastic. If you do have to choose plastic, stash it until you get a bundle then drop it off at the recycle bin in most supermarkets. Paper bags get recycled in my house as coloring paper, place mats for messy projects and book covers. In fact, plastic packaging of all kinds is a major energy cost and when I am shopping for something I try to choose items that are not excessively packaged. Buying a concentrated laundry detergent in a cardboard box rather than a plastic jug is a little less cost for the environment. Our consumer choices do get noticed.

7. While some cities provide different colored containers for different recycleable materials, if your town doesn’t, take a trip to your local dump and discover what they recycle. We have a bin each for aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles in the garage. Paper and cardboard can be stacked as well. The kids know where the soda can goes and dad knows where the empty wine bottle goes. Once a month we drive to the dump and end up getting paid for our recycling efforts. This, plus our compost bucket cuts down our household garbage so much, that even with a family of 6, we rarely fill our small garbage can. Little changes make a big difference.

8. Driving a fuel efficient car can save you money and save the planet from global warming. But reducing all driving is also important. Consider car pooling, ride sharing to work, and shopping with a friend. Every Saturday morning a girlfriend and I share the ride to our local Farmers Market. We try to save on gas by combining trips and plotting our errands in a giant loop. I always try to buy organic, but when I discovered that organic food in the grocery store travels about 3,000 miles before it reaches my store, I was horrified. This probably negates the carbon saving of buying organic. The problem is that food is required to first go to a distribution center before it is shipped out to individual stores. So, apples grown in Seattle may have to be trucked to Atlanta before they get shipped back to your local store in Seattle! Ironically, non-organic foods are shipped an average of 1,000 miles before they get to your store. However, your veggies at the farmers market, are local – a huge carbon saving and fresher than store bought by about 2 weeks.

9. With a large family and a tight budget, I got over the stigma of shopping second hand. Today, consignment shops and thrift stores are doing a great job of cleaning, sorting and making it easy to cut your clothing budget way down. Underwear, socks, shoes and the occasional must have items are still purchased new, but by sharing baby clothes with other moms, taking advantage of the occasional rummage sale or trip to a charity shop, you can save money while doing your bit for the environment too.

10. Another tip that can save money and safeguard your family from a long list of toxic chemicals, is to use the old fashioned cleaning ingredients that our grand parents used. It’s amazing how much you can clean with some combination of white vinegar and baking soda.

In fact, it’s amazing to realize that most of the products that fill the shelves of our stores, didn’t even exist a hundred years ago. We have been seduced into a world of artificially generated needs and an assumption that convenience is always better. It may be easier for us, but it’s certainly not been better for our health or our environment. Making these changes and more will demonstrate to your children the values you hold. It’s time we all practiced the Native American values of asking how will this affect my people and the land in 7 generations. Our daily decisions do make a difference.

Share ways that your family saves energy or reuses or recycles with us!

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