Green Living Guide for 2015
Happy Green Living New Year! It is officially 2015 and time to make resolutions.
Having Green Living as your goal is admirable as well as necessary in order to sustain the needs of both man and Earth.
But where do you start? Being green isn't easy as Kermit the Frog told us years ago.
The extreme Green Living ideal of the granola-munching hippie in the woods just isn't feasible.
When you contrast that to the millions of us with 1.
5 children who drive an SUV through the Starbucks drive through, well, being 'green' doesn't quite jive.
But it can as Green Living is truly no more than simple, actionable steps you can take to be in balance with our planet.
Here are three guiding principles to be a friend of the Earth: 1.
Waste Not, Want Not.
Eliminate waste! Every time you throw something away, stop and think - how can I eliminate this trash? Rather than a disposable napkins or paper towels, use cloth that you can wash.
Use real plates, not paper.
Can I compost this trash? Make a conscious effort to minimize what you throw away and you'll be amazed at the waste you eliminate.
2.
One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure.
This is another way of saying re-use, re-cycle, re-purpose.
Don't trash anything that is still useful.
Donate, recycle, consign, use things a different way.
As you purchase items, think about the packaging, the product and the potential afterlife of that product so that you can make purposeful decisions.
3.
Stop using poisons.
Toxic, synthetic chemicals, and life altering poisons bombard us every single day.
Consider pesticides - everywhere we go, odorless, colorless chemical pesticides have been sprayed to eliminate bugs.
In exchange for the absence of pests, TONS of toxic, synthetic chemicals are used so that the earth and our bodies are being poisoned a little bit every day.
Stop that! Consider the 'beauty' industry - cosmetics, shampoos, and perfumes are petri dishes of poisons and preservatives and we are the guinea pigs.
The 'Cleaning' industry has chemical scents like 'lemon fresh' and 'spring breeze' which are nothing but false, synthetic fragrances that never break down.
And then there are solvents, petroleum based plastics, and caustic chemicals in everything down to the products used to feed babies.
Natural is the only way to go.
As you move into 2015, make conscious decisions on purchases, activities, and the companies you support by choosing 'greener' options.
Eliminating waste, re-using items and taking small steps to stop poisoning the Earth will add up to a shift in your lifestyle and benefit the world we live in.
Here is to 2015 - may it be the Year of Green Living!
Having Green Living as your goal is admirable as well as necessary in order to sustain the needs of both man and Earth.
But where do you start? Being green isn't easy as Kermit the Frog told us years ago.
The extreme Green Living ideal of the granola-munching hippie in the woods just isn't feasible.
When you contrast that to the millions of us with 1.
5 children who drive an SUV through the Starbucks drive through, well, being 'green' doesn't quite jive.
But it can as Green Living is truly no more than simple, actionable steps you can take to be in balance with our planet.
Here are three guiding principles to be a friend of the Earth: 1.
Waste Not, Want Not.
Eliminate waste! Every time you throw something away, stop and think - how can I eliminate this trash? Rather than a disposable napkins or paper towels, use cloth that you can wash.
Use real plates, not paper.
Can I compost this trash? Make a conscious effort to minimize what you throw away and you'll be amazed at the waste you eliminate.
2.
One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure.
This is another way of saying re-use, re-cycle, re-purpose.
Don't trash anything that is still useful.
Donate, recycle, consign, use things a different way.
As you purchase items, think about the packaging, the product and the potential afterlife of that product so that you can make purposeful decisions.
3.
Stop using poisons.
Toxic, synthetic chemicals, and life altering poisons bombard us every single day.
Consider pesticides - everywhere we go, odorless, colorless chemical pesticides have been sprayed to eliminate bugs.
In exchange for the absence of pests, TONS of toxic, synthetic chemicals are used so that the earth and our bodies are being poisoned a little bit every day.
Stop that! Consider the 'beauty' industry - cosmetics, shampoos, and perfumes are petri dishes of poisons and preservatives and we are the guinea pigs.
The 'Cleaning' industry has chemical scents like 'lemon fresh' and 'spring breeze' which are nothing but false, synthetic fragrances that never break down.
And then there are solvents, petroleum based plastics, and caustic chemicals in everything down to the products used to feed babies.
Natural is the only way to go.
As you move into 2015, make conscious decisions on purchases, activities, and the companies you support by choosing 'greener' options.
Eliminating waste, re-using items and taking small steps to stop poisoning the Earth will add up to a shift in your lifestyle and benefit the world we live in.
Here is to 2015 - may it be the Year of Green Living!