The world is getting more and more crowded by the day – and in the United States alone, there are over 310 million people trying to live side by side, all in harmony. Simple peace and harmony is kind of hard to pull off when it is so darn crowded and there are only so many resources to go around. Not a day goes by when we are not reminded in some form of this common ecological truth.
Each year more people adopt a greener life style – or at least practice smart common sense when it comes to taking care of our planet. The more people who practice good green common sense – the better off we will be and the better off we will leave our Earth for our children and our grandchildren for generations to come.
If you have not already started living a more eco-friendly lifestyle, listed below are a few simple tips where you can help contribute to getting us on the road to green.
Wear recycled clothes. Each time you purchase a new article of clothing, you are using recourses that might have been saved or reduced if you had thought instead of selecting recycled, vintage or even remanufactured apparel. Some clothing manufactures are even coming up with practical and attractive shirts, slacks and dresses manufactured solely from recycled textiles. Also, when washing your clothes consider drying your wash outside on a clothes hanger and let the lucky old sun do the work for you. Your energy hungry dryer does not have to be abandoned – save it for rainy or cold winter days when you can’t dry outside.
Be smart about your lighting. Turn off the lights when you leave the room or simply do not need them. Switch out bulbs to high efficiency CFL (compact fluorescent light bulbs) and you can save up to $40-$50 of energy cost per each light bulb’s life.
Go paperless when it comes to your bills. Take the email billing option for all your billing payments and eliminate the junk mail and bills that clutter your mailbox. Opt out of catalog subscriptions from retailers you no longer shop with. Receiving and paying your bills online is fast, easy and saves paper and money spent on postage each year. Save a tree – Receive and pay your bills online.
Become informed when selecting household cleaning products. There are many substitute cleaning products that are more eco-friendly than the ones our parents used when we were growing up. Today, there is no need to purchase aerosol cleaning products or chemical based cleaners that are harmful to our water tables and environment. Many people have found success using everyday household ingredients for simple cleaning jobs by using such ingredients as vinegar, lemon juice, or even baking soda.
Turn the water off. Stop wasting water by letting it run when you are not using it. Never operate your dishwasher unless you have a full load – take quicker showers and for goodness sakes, turn the water off as you brush your teeth. Keeping the faucet open and running when you are not utilizing it washes huge amounts right down the drain.
As you can see, it is the little things that are very meaningful and can add up to saving money, resources and our planet. If we each take small steps and adopt a greener lifestyle we can extend the beautiful life we share on this planet.
