Are you interested in going green this year? Do you know what it means to go green? This post is simply to discuss what going green is and a few ways to do it.
What is Going Green?
Going green does not only involve recycling. Going green involves much more. Basically, going green means to live life, as an individual as well as a community, in a way that is friendly to the natural environmental and is sustainable for the earth. It means contributing towards maintaining the natural ecological balance in the environment, and preserving the planet and its natural systems and resources. It also means taking steps, whether big or small, to minimize the harm you do to the environment (including the carbon footprints you leave behind), as a result of inhabiting this planet.
Going green is pretty much five things:
- Reducing pollution
- Conserving resources
- Conserving energy
- Reducing consumption and waste
- Protecting the earth’s ecological balance.
How can you go green?
Going green can seem like a daunting task, BUT it’s really simple. Here at Alicia In A Small Town, we’ll talk about ways to go green that will actually save you some green… I.e. keep money in your pocket instead of in someone else’s!
This week, I would like to challenge you to do 5 simple things that will help you go green, and save you some cash!
- Brown bag it… Well, not necessarily. But pack your lunch in reusable containers (bonus if they’re eco-friendly!) each day you leave your house. No more fast food lunches. This will not only save you money, but it will create less waste AND will most likely be healthier for you!
- Turn out the lights! This one is simple, turn out all lights before leaving the room. If no one is in there, why do you need a light on? This will save electricity, which will also save you money.
- Get a reusable water bottle. Did you know that the average person uses 167 water bottles per year? And they typically don’t recycle them either. By getting a reusable water bottle, think about how many plastic bottles you are saving. Pat yourself on the back! If you’re not a water drinker, you’re doing something AMAZING for your health by drinking water now and cutting out all the extra sugar from soda and energy drinks. PLUS, you can put lemon in your water for extra flavor.
- Brew your own coffee and get a thermos. Americans throw away 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups every year… By remembering to brew your own coffee every morning and putting it in your travel mug, you are helping to cut that number down. Also, take advantage of that coffee pot at work too! I KNOW that Starbucks is AWESOME, I love their coffee too, but it is honestly better as a treat than as an every day thing. And think of how much money you’ll save a year from now if you stop going every day!
- Line dry. Why use the dryer when you can line dry your clothes? Don’t have a clothes line? Get a drying rack and you can put it outside or keep it inside. This will save you electricity yet again. As a bonus, it can be considered extra exercise, AND your clothes smell sooooo much better when they are dried on the line.
Are you going green?
If you did one or all of these things this week, please write in to aliciainasmalltown@gmail.com or comment below to let me know how it went for you! I can’t wait to hear from you!
