How to Go Green a Little at a Time

I recently decided to start living greener, but it was a large task to undertake all at once. So I decided to make small changes over time to make the transition easier. Becoming Eco-friendly overnight is just not possible, so decide what small changes you can make that will help the environment. The first thing you can do is to stop buying anything in Styrofoam cups. I love Starbuck's too but the cups take forever to break down in a landfill. And they are made with chemicals that are not good for environment. If you must have that morning cup of joe, consider a paper cup, which is bio-degradable or bringing your own cup from home. Make the decision to buy only recycled or re-usable materials.

Stop taking home all those plastic bags from the grocery store. A lot of grocery stores now sell re-usable shopping bags. Or you can make your own from an old tote bag or if you are resourceful, I found an article online about how to make a shopping bag out of an old t-shirt. You cut off the bottom of the shirt if it is longer than you'd like for your shopping bag, turn it inside out and sew across the bottom to close the bag. The straps are the handles and you can use it to carry light to med weight bags.

Another area of concern is baby diapers. We throw away 18 billion diapers a year. There are a lot of moms out there who use cloth diapers, and so did I for awhile.But I hated the rinsing and stinky diaper pails. But moden moms now have another option available:bio-degradable diapers. Pampers and Huggies, can take as long as 300 years to breakdown in a landfill. The new bio-degradable diapers take an estimated 6-8 months. If you're interested check Google for G diapers, and Safeties Nature Nappy, two websites with info on bio-degradable diapers. Or just do a Google search using the keywords :bio-degradable diapers.

In the area of transportation of course there is always the option of walking, bicycling or carpooling to work. Not only are you helping the environment by lessening pollution, but you're saving yourself a little money that you would have been spending at the gas pump. If you walk or bicycle, you get the added benefit of a cardio-vascular workout.

Other ideas include using less of our resources like electricity and water.We can save energy in our homes by replacing your standard light bulbs with energy saving lower watt ones, turning off lights when not in use and lowering the temperature on your thermostat during the times you're away from home. Take quick showers and use your clothes washer and dishwasher only when full to save water usage. And we can also recycle our newspapers and soda cans, as well as some other items that can be re-used to reduce the amount of trash picked up.

Bottom line is that there are a lot of things we can do to help the environment, and we don't have to make big changes all at once.Just a few simple changes done over time can make a big difference.And once you're in the habit of living this way, you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Remember: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!