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When I hear about the all the people, the media and special interest groups all clamoring on about going green, being green and wanting to be green- it somewhat amuses me. While it's great to hear all the interest, living green shouldn't be a new movement or something that's trendy- rather it should something we're all doing on a daily basis without really thinking about it, a lifestyle, something that we're teaching our children about when they start pre-school or kindergarten. While it's admittedly a major change in lifestyle for some, it's just a how things are done for others. In this article, I'd like to touch on the basics- some simple things we all can do to become more socially responsible and better stewards of our planet. The following are three central themes that serve as the fundamental building blocks for becoming and then living green. The hope is, when you see how easy it is to make these three behaviors a regular part of your life, you'll see how easy it is to build on this foundation and before you know it, you'll be well on your way to being a responsible eco-friendly member of the 'green movement.'
Conservation
This is rule number one and should be common sense but unfortunately for most, it just isn't because I think we are a nation who take what we have for granted. The basic principle is that "these are all finite resources that won't be around forever" just hasn't really sunk it or even worse, has never been taught. Specifically, utilities water and fuel. We have always had these commodities at the flick of a switch or a turn of a valve and there's little thought ever given to what if they are not someday.
How often do we turn on a light in a room and just leave it on because we're likely to return to that room in an hour or two? It's been reported recently the amount of electricity we waste by leaving our phone and computer chargers plugged in for extended periods. If your laptop computer will fully charge in 90 minutes, why do we leave it plugged in overnight or for 12 hours or more? If we could stand in the shadow of an electricity generating plant burning tons of coal everyday and see firsthand the carbon emissions that are spewing into the air I think we'd see things differently.
Water is a scare resource and people are beginning to run out of it all over the world including our own country, but how many of us take the 30 min shower, water the lawn for hours on end and rinse the dishes with gallons of water before we put them into the dishwasher. We do it because it's always been there when we demand it and we assume it will always be.
Would it be so difficult to combine the five or six trips we make running errands to the grocery store, going to our friends house, the dry cleaners, the gas station or the countless other stops we 'need' to make. Try and combine all these little trips into one and think of the gasoline you'll save. Or better yet, ride your bike or walk to your destination. You'll save gas and the energy spent making the gas, and even get in better shape as a result. We seem to think if we can afford it, we can do it- it's not like the gas pump is ever going to run dry right?
Recycling
Recycling has come in vogue recently and thank goodness it has. How easy is it to collect your paper, your plastic, tin cans and glass containers? The idea of reusing these containers and thereby saving the additional energy required to make new ones should appeal to everyone but sadly, some folks throw it all away in one container and assume someone else will do it and if they don't, oh well. Recycling should be a mainstay in our world because it's hard to argue with the benefits. There are some earth friendly companies that are so focused on this concept, they not only manufacture their new products with recycled products but in addition, offer their customers a discount on new products if send their old, used up products back to them at the end of their use and the company will recycle them again or donate them to needy groups. This is a great alternative instead of throwing it in the garbage to end up in a landfill somewhere. There is an entire new world of eco-friendly products in our world today that are recycled and on their second time around. Less is more.
Sustainability
This is something that requires a bit more foresight but is something we as consumers should be more in tuned to. Buying products made from sustainable materials. My pet peeve is all the Styrofoam we consume- everything from disposable food product containers to packing materials. This material not only requires huge amount of energy to produce, but is the furthest thing from biodegradable on our planet- well except for plastic which never goes away. Bamboo for instance regenerates itself every 90 days, where wood products take anywhere from 40-60 years to regenerate. A little thought going into researching your next acquisition can make the difference in a landfill and can cut the amount of energy we use and greenhouse gasses we put into our atmosphere in the production of these products. Once we're aware of the benefits or drawbacks of a product, we can all make a better informed decision. It's really not a big hardship to eat a sandwich you purchase wrapped in paper as opposed to a plastic or Styrofoam container is it? To gain more insight into sustainable products, shop green products websites for a list of the best selling green products and rest assured, someone has already thought about sustainability and your research has already been done for you.
My point is it's really not harder to live a green, eco-friendly lifestyle than it is to live a disposable life of waste with little or no concern for the future and those who will follow our paths. It is naive to think that the resource we use everyday are infinite, and don't have any cost or consequence associated with them but yet we seem to behave that way. The electricity is always there and the light always turns on because it always has. Our supply of fresh water will ever run out because it never has- and if it does, we'll be long gone and it will be someone else's problem. Once you become aware that every resource we use costs something to make and has an impact on the future health of our planet, things begin to look different and that clarity is rewarding. The water tastes a whole lot better after you've had to carry it from the stream a mile away. Once you put these three easy fundamentals in place, it become even easier to build on it and make your footprint you leave on earth even softer and lighter.
Kelley Murphy, the author, owns his own media production business in the healthcare vertical market, as well as a new e-commerce business owner of gottabgreen.com promoting and selling a responsible lifestyle and eco-friendly green products online. Looking to rid the world of plastic, follow his blogs and shop for the best selling green products online Visit GottaBGreen.
