What is going green?
- Going green is making conscious decisions to live environmentally friendly. For example: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."
- Going green means you want to live a sustainable and renewable lifestyle.
- A green lifestyle is trying to be as aware of Earth's natural resources as much as possible.
- Knowing that you can choose how little or how much you want to engage in the green lifestyle and you don't need to change your whole life at once. That there is a large difference between green living and sustainable living. Green living is a pathway to sustainable living, but to live a sustainable lifestyle you need to be fully committed, and it's totally okay if you don't get to that point.
Why should I go green?
- Going green is a choice you should want to make and not let other opinions shadow you. But there are many reasons why someone would want to transition to green living and I have compiled a list of reasons why someone would convert to a green lifestyle.
- The dangers of:
- Nuclear Energy
- Pesticides
- Herbicides
- Fertilizers
- Genetically Engineered Food
- Climate Change
- Oil
- Environmental Impacts
- Health and Wellness
- Frugal Living
- Economy
- Minimalism
- Religion and Spiritual Beliefs
The list of why someone would go green goes on and on, choose what is best for you and evaluate the reasons you are wanting to become green. Some examples I have listed more in-depth below:
2. 1.5 acres of rainforest are lost every second to deforestation. With this, there are losses to habitat and biodiversity.
- Deforestation: the action or process of clearing forests
- Biodiversity: the biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different plant and animal species
- 137 plant, animal and insect species are lost every day to rainforest deforestation, which means there is roughly a loss of 50,000 species per year.
3. Less than 1% of the world's fresh water is readily available for human use. Pollution and contamination are large contributors as well as 87% of our water resources are used for agriculture and 60% of that water is wasted. By mid-century we will be fighting over water. An average American household will use about 300 gallons of water per day, and citizens of other countries only use about 550 liters per day.
4. Everyday America produces enough trash to equal the weight of the Empire State Building.
- On average we throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
- We produce enough styrofoam cups to circle the earth 436 times.
- Throw away enough paper build a 12-foot wall from Los Angeles to New York City.
- Throw away 570 disposable diapers each second.
- Toss out enough aluminum cans to rebuild commercial air fleet every three months.
- Each year we fill enough garbage trucks to stretch from the earth halfway to the moon.
- The Pacific Ocean is believed to hold almost 100 million tons of garbage.
- 17 trees
- 2 barrels of oil
- 4,100 kilowatts of energy
- 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space
- 60 pounds of air pollution
7. If the entire world lived like the average American we'd need 5 planets to provide enough resources.
How do I start?
- Stop receiving junk mail. When you opt-out of junk mail you save 69 lbs of junk mail sent to your home each year.
- Give up bottled water. Nearly 30 billion plastic bottles are sold in the U.S yearly, and less than 20% is being recycled.
- Conserve energy.
- Turn off the lights
- Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs such as LED
- Open your curtains and shades during the day to avoid using light energy.
- Close the fridge
- Get a freezer that is on the bottom of the fridge
- Fill all fridge/freezer space
- Do not place hot food in the fridge.
- Pre-rinse dishes in cold water
- Skip the dry cycle
- Only wash full loads
- Consider hand washing
6. Use your washing machine sustainably.
- Wash only full loads
- Wash less often
- Wash in cold water
- Purchase a front load washer
7. Drying clothes and use your dryer sustainably.
- Line dry whenever possible
- Keep lint filter clean
- Don't overload dryer
- Don't over dry clothing
- Dry light weight clothing separately from towels or jeans
- Dry loads back to back
- Stop using dryer sheets
8. Electronics.
- Use power strips
- Buy all in one electronics like a tv with built in DVD players
- Laptops are more efficient than desktops
- Turn off your screen
- Use energy saving settings
- Use sleep mode or shut down
- Unplug chargers when not in use
9. Use your stove and oven sustainably.
- Avoid pre-heating and stick food in right away to use all the heat
- Consider a slow cooker
- Use oven light instead of opening the door
- Turn oven off early, the heat that is captured will finish the job
- Warm the kitchen, after cooking in the winter let the heat out into the kitchen
- Use lids on pots and pans
- Use the correct size burner
- Use an electric kettle
- Invest in a convection or toaster oven
10. Recycle.
11. Take your plastic bags to a recycle station.
12. Buy reusable grocery bags.
13. Take your own mug to a coffee shop or buy their refillable cups.
14. Get E-Tickets to events like movies and concerts as well as for traveling.
15. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
16. Bring your own container to a restaurant for leftovers to avoid plastic or styrofoam.
17. Walk or ride your bike to places nearby.
18. Shop at a local farmers market.
19. Use cloth instead of paper to clean
20. Repurpose and upcycle things, Pinterest has great DIY ideas.
Resources and more about these topics:
- http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/
- http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/definition-going-green
- http://www.treehugger.com/htgg/how-to-go-green-why-to-go-green.html
- http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2008/11/26/amazing-frightening-green-facts-environmental-statistics/
- http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/807479/52-cheap-ways-to-go-green
- http://theartofsimple.net/tips-to-go-green-at-home/
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