Tuesday, April 21, 2009

10 Simple, Cheap Ways to Start Changing the World for the Better

Every Day is Earth Day
make a promise to small changes each and every day


1. Say NO to bottled water
Purchase a stainless steal water bottle and carry your own. Great ones here from one of my favorite green companies, Gaiam.

2. Walk or bike to at least 1 destination per week.

Save emissions, gas and get some exercise while you are at it! Once you start, you may want to do it more and more. Love multi-tasking!

3. Think about how you get rid of things
Once it goes in your trash or the dumpster it's not gone for good. Utilize freecycle, craigslist and ebay. Check out The Story of Stuff to learn more.

4. Change to energy efficient bulbs, and turn off the lights!
Easy to do, and save some green while you are at it. They use less energy and last longer. The last part was a reminder for me- I'm the one who's always leaving lights on all over the house!

5. Make a household pledge to replace any appliance, vehicle or home repair in an earth friendly way, as needed

Don't go out and do it all at once, you can go greener with every choice and purchase you make. That means buying energy star qualified appliances, gas efficient cars, and using supplies and goods that are good for your household and the environment.

6. Install a shower head that saves water while you wait for your shower to heat up

Under $30, install on your own in 10 min. Simple, and lower water bills too! Read more here

7. Bring your own bags with you whenever you shop
Not just the grocery, but the drugstore, Target, Costco, the farmer's market... wherever you will be picking things up. Tip: store the bags in your car and they will always be with you!

8. Go paperless
Whenever you have the option, chose paperless: bills, catalogs, emails, issue checks online, banking... I need a whole additional post for this one. Eliminating paper saves trees and your sanity. There's less to file, you can keep records on your computer or external hard drive and/or with the source you are paying/banking from. We started this process back in 2000 when we traveled for 2 years. Life is simpler, easier and greener this way!

9. Buy local
For oh so many reasons, local is where it's at: less transport means fresher food that is richer in nutrients, support local growers and businesses, eliminate excess packaging needed for shipment, cuts down on emissions from the planes, trains boats and automobiles that bring "stuff" to us. Read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingslover to really wrap your head around this one.

10. Make a commitment to leading a GREEN lifestyle as a family
When you make simple choices daily, it's no longer a challenge, it's a lifestyle. Plus, the benefits are good for you, your family, the earth (and your wallet!)
Around here, we live by the Golden Rule and the Green Rule: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! It really is that SIMPLE.

1 comment:

  1. all amazing suggestions! thanks for the link on story of stuff!!

    ReplyDelete