Baby Steps to a Green World - Part 3

Wanting to live more green doesn't mean you have to become a certified environmentalist or a registered activist. You are a citizen of this planet who cares about its quality of life as well as your own. The irony about the rallying cry "Save the Planet" is that nothing we can do will actually destroy the earth. What we can do is make it unlivable for the likes of ourselves. The planet isn't what we need to save.

Get green in the laundry

With your next load of laundry, run a test. Do everything you normally do, but don't add any detergent just yet - only the clothes and water. After the machine has agitated for a few minutes look inside. If you see suds, that means there was detergent left in your clothes the last time they were washed. Add just a little more and finish the load. Now you know you can use less. Besides the obvious benefit of spending less money on detergent, you will be sending less of it back into the closet or down the drain into the waste water system. With less left in the clothes, you may even clear up some minor skin irritations in the family, and use less body lotion and skin medications. More green in the pocket.

Manufacturers and green advocates alike recommend measuring cleaning products you add to water. Who really bothers? You just pour a slug and get on with it. Okay, train your slug pouring. Pour your usual slug into a measuring cup. How does it measure up to the required amount? Probably too much. So practice a little to get the feel of the right amount. Learn to slug just a quarter cup if that's what's called for. Don't be surprised if you feel a tiny surge of pride when you can judge a quarter cup or a tablespoon just by controlling the slug you pour.

Get green at dinner

Don't you love paper napkins? You wipe your sticky hands on a paper napkin after eating something messy like ribs, and you get shreds of paper stuck to your hands as well. You end up using two or three but never feeling clean. But who's going to get all la-di-da with cloth napkins? Buy a bundle of cheap white wash cloths or dishcloths - they're soft, absorbent and effective. They won't slide off your lap and don't need ironing, either.

Get green in the shower

Try using less shampoo and more water to work up a good lather. A nickel sized dollop should be enough. With facial cleansers, make a game of seeing how little you can use to get the job done. Watch the size of the dollop - is it a nickel, a dime, a penny? Funny how thinking of it as a coin could well save you considerable coin when you shop. And don't fall for "New and improved." It's usually just a sales gimmick. Stick with what works.

Get your hands green

All those antibacterial soaps and gels and wipes may be doing more harm than good. Bacteria evolve and become resistant, which means the products really must continually be made "new and improved" to be effective. Which they seldom are because few people leave them on for the two minutes they need to work so they're wasted. Antibacterial products are useless against viral diseases like the common cold or flu. In fact, some recent studies are showing that plain soap and water is still the best safeguard against bacteria as well as everything else.

Get green on line

You found this site about living green, didn't you? Search for more. You will find everything from the most dedicated greenmongers who advocate producing your own energy and achieving a zero carbon footprint to light green helpers like this one. Read lots of them. Take what you can use and don't worry whether you're doing enough. Do what you can.

If lists help you get things done, make a list of steps to take. Prioritize them. If you are goal oriented, plan to start a new green thing every Monday. Make contracts with your kids, your sister-in law, whatever it takes. Do what you can.