Going Green Benefits You, Your Budget, and Mother Earth

Kermit once said, "It's not easy being green." Fortunately for the rest of us, it is now. Earth Day has passed and people are more energized about changing their habits for the environment. The media have printed countless articles about man's impact on global warming, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth won an Academy Award, and suddenly it's hip to be environmentally conscious.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American generates about 4.4 pounds of waste every day and every ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees and 380 gallons of oil. In terms of consumption, Jack Johnson best described what people can do to protect the environment for the future - Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle - the three R's.

There are many ways to reduce waste. Buying in bulk rather than smaller packets produces less waste, and is less expensive. Turn off the water faucet when brushing your teeth. This simple act can save 9 gallons of water every time you brush (www.epa.gov) and your water bill will go down. Re-use items. One man's trash is another man's treasure so look into Freecycle (www.freecycle.org), an on-line network that sets up local groups of individuals giving away unwanted items for free. Bring your own bags to the grocery store, buy used items at garage sales and retail stores, and bring your own to-go containers to restaurants. Used items cost less, and re-using items limits the overall consumption of resources. Recycle as much as possible. Paper, plastic, glass and aluminum can all be recycled from your home. Household hazardous waste, motor oil, cell phones, computers, and batteries can also be recycled at various locations including waste centers and retail stores. Contact your city's waste management department for information about how and where.

Following are several additional areas to "go green" and steps you can take.

Energy: Unplug "wall bug" appliances like toasters or cell phone chargers when they are not in use because they can use up to 40 percent of energy even when they are not on. Keep the temperature at a moderate level (78 degrees in the summer, 68 degrees in the winter) and program the thermostat for different times of day or when you are not at home. Use natural sources whenever possible such as opening curtains and blinds during the daytime in the winter to warm the house and opening the windows at night to cool the house in summer. Using compact fluorescent lights is an efficient and cost effective way to cut energy costs.

Use natural products: Experts agree that indoor air quality may be ten times more polluted than the outdoors, in large part due to toxins from cleaning products. Brands such as Method, 7th Generation, and Murphy's Oil Soap make detergents, cleaning supplies, shampoo and soap with formulas made with naturally-derived ingredients that are safe for people and the environment. Instead of cleaning products, try mixtures of vinegar, baking soda, ammonia, and/or water to remove stains, sanitize counters, and clean showers.

Transportation: Vehicles contribute to an estimated 60-70 percent of air pollution (www.epa.gov). Ways to minimize the pollutants is to car pool, drive a hybrid car, combine errands to minimize stop and starts and unnecessary driving around, use public transportation, or even ride a bike or walk.

Food: Buy local foods. This supports local farmers and fruits and vegetables from the region, and minimizes unnecessary energy use and travel. Or grow your own, shop at the local farmer's market or food co-op, and participate in a Community Supported Agriculture group. Buy organic; not using pesticides is good for both the environment and the body. Though organics generally cost more, the long-term benefit makes it worth the investment.

Get Involved: Participate and advocate in local, state and federal politics to cut carbon emissions, vote for environmentally-conscious leaders, and volunteer for clean-up projects and recycling initiatives.

It doesn't take much to integrate earth-friendly habits into daily routines that have long-term ramifications. Cleaning the dryer lint filter every time, composting to reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill, and paying bills on line to eliminate unnecessary paper piles all support Mother Earth. If every person did one or two of these conservation steps, the domino effect would help protect the environment.