4 Easy More Environmentally Friendly Summer, Save Money, and Feel Better Too!

You don't have to be a member of Green Peace to live a greener life. These four easy steps don't require large changes, but by following them you can do your part to aid the environment in addition to taking advantage of your Karma! These steps will reward you with better health, more savings, and social opportunities too!

1) A Greener Way to Drink!

With the heat of summer comes the need to continually quench your thirst. Though soft drinks like Kool-Aid and a variety of sodas often tempt the taste buds, they contain unnatural ingredients like flavors, dyes, and even acids. Not only is this unhealthy for the body, but it is unhealthy for the earth as well, since they often come in plastic and styrofoam containers. A healthy solution, for all parties involved, is to drink tea brewed from tea bags. Iced tea is even more refreshing on hot summer days since it does not contain sugar, and tea bags are 100% natural, and they come in biodegradable cardboard boxes. If you just can't get your friends to give up drinking soda, you can at least help them recycle their plastic bottles. Make sure your friends have a recycling bin, or cut the bottles in half. The bottom, with a few holes poked in it, makes a perfect starting planter for seed-growing. The tops make excellent funnels for pancake mix, changing the oil in your car, watering plants, or even brewing that iced tea. No matter what you like to drink, thinking ahead will not only save you money, but will help the earth as well. Drinks on the road are usually expensive, come in styrofoam containers, or even if they come in plastic, recycling bins are often few and far between. Carrying a water bottle or Nalgene filled with your beverage of choice will solve both money and green issues.

2) A Greener Way to Cool Off!

Out comes the sun and on come the air conditioners, and only a heater can drive an electric bill up further than an air conditioner! Try not to turn on your air conditioner unless you are truly uncomfortable. Usually, a room with open windows and a fan or two is more comfortable than one with central air, in which everyone is wearing a sweatshirt because of the cold. If you hit a day when it is very hot, and AC is needed, instead of adding your air conditioner to the others already running in your neighborhood, share the air! Take your work to a Starbucks or Library, catch a movie, or meet your friends in a bowling ally. You won't waste money on your AC bill, you'll have a great time being social, and you'll still get cool!

3) A Greener Way to Shop!

One of the refuges for cool-air seekers on a hot summer weekend is often the mall. An easy way to live a greener lifestyle is simply to refuse the plastic bag the cashier attempts to fill. The most difficult thing about this is simply remembering. So, get a large tote bag and put it in your car right now! Now you won't be stranded at the checkout counter only to wish you ha your tote. It's in the car! It goes wherever you do! Not only will you stop the proliferation of dangerous plastic, but you'll also relieve your closets and cupboards of those hoards of plastic bags you haven't been able to recycle, but you feel to guilty to throw away!

4) A Greener Way to Travel!

Auto emissions are one of the largest pollutants in the United States, so walk!! Sunny summer days are often a great time to take advantage to the favorable environment and take a walk. The exercise will help you burn up calories, and the effort will bring about a bit of cleaner air!