Simple Tips for Going Green, Ways to Be Eco-friendly

On a recent trip to Japan, I was amazed to see how environmentally conscious the population was over there. They recycle just about anything that is recyclable! I was visiting the corporate headquarters of my employer, a large Japanese company. While I was in one of my meetings, I was offered some bottled water. After the meeting I was looking for the trash can and noticed that there was a recycle bin next to the trash. As I was about to place the plastic bottle in the recycle bin I was politely corrected by an associate. What I failed to realize (since I don't read Japanese) was that there were several recycle bins next to the trash cans. One for plastic bottles, one for cans, one for office paper, one for a different type of paper, etc. In fact, there were about 6 different recycle bins for different types of recyclables...all color coded and labeled. But since I didn't read Japanese, I was about to place my plastic bottle in the office paper recycle bin. They definitely take their recycling seriously over there.

But ok, I don't have 6 different recycling bins at my house or office. But I do consider myself somewhat eco-friendly. I try to do my part, however small it may be. You may also be thinking about ways to be more environmentally conscious, but maybe you are not the "extreme" environmentalist type. You just want to start doing what you can to help with the environment. So here are some easy and simple things that you can start doing right away.

Recycle

This is obviously the first thing to start doing. Just keep it simple...keep a bin right next to the trash can so you can toss those plastic bottles in it. You can also have another bin for aluminum cans. I'm not at the point of keeping 6 types of recycling bins, but I do have one for plastic and one for aluminum. I also save up the paper I would normally throw out and bring it into the office to place in the recycling bin there. This is only because I'm not sure where to take my paper for recycling.

Switch to Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

I've seen reports that show that those new energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs can reduce your electricity consumption by 75% compared to the old incandescent bulbs. When these first came out, they were really big and ugly spirally things that stuck out of the lamp. But these days, they have energy efficient fluorescent bulbs that fit all sorts of lighting fixtures. Sure, they are a bit more expensive, but they last longer.

Use Your Water Efficiently

Now days, you can buy all sorts of environmentally friendly products...and your toilet is no exception. The same goes for shower heads that use less water too. But what if you don't want to spend the money for a new toilet, especially if your current one is working fine? Well, here's a trick. It is estimated that each flush uses up three to 6 gallons of water. That's a lot of water over the course of a year. Displace some space in your toilet by placing an object (like a brick) in the tank. This will use up less water per flush. By the way, toilet flushing takes up 20-30% of your water bill. So this could save you some dough too.

Use Green Cleaning Products

Like I mentioned above, there are environmentally friendly products for just about everything. So use the eco-friendly cleaning products. I mean, does it really make sense to clean your house but leave a chemical residue? Plus, you won't be breathing in those toxic fumes they always mention on their warning labels.

Get a Bike

Use a bicycle more often and save the air from all those exhaust fumes. Instead of driving 5 minutes to the store, why not try riding a bike? It's great exercise and you'll be saving gas too.

Use Tupperware

Instead of packing your sandwich in disposable bags, try packing your lunch in reusable containers. Obviously, it doesn't have to be Tupperware. But whatever containers you use, you'll be saving paper, plastic, and space in our landfills.