Easy Ways to Go Green Part I

Hey guys, I wanted to give you some tips on how you and anyone you know can help our environment.  I firmly believe there’s no reason why any of us can’t lead a less wasteful lifestyle.  The good news is there are a ton of easy ways to help our planet and all of it’s inhabitants.  Please remember that everything you do affects our environment and thus affects everyone.  So please be conscious of how you live…that said, let’s get into the easy ways to go green.

In no particular order:

1.  Use reusable bags when you go grocery shopping.  One of my pet peeves is when I see people coming out of the grocery store with a basket full of double bagged plastic bags.  Come on!  There is no reason for this.  Spend $10, buy 10 reusable bags, leave them in your car so you always have them on hand.  Plastic bags are such a waste.  Sure most of us use them at home for trash, but chances are you have way more than you would ever use.  If you do have a bunch at home, most grocery stores have recycling cans for bags so recycle them and then use reusable bags.  You’ll be making a world of difference.

2. Unplug devices that you are not using.  Devices like phone chargers, televisions, dvrs, and hair dryers still derive energy from our energy grids when they are turned off, but still plugged in.  Not only will you be saving energy, but you’re also saving yourself money on your electric bill.

3. Eat less meat.  18 % of greenhouse emmissions are from all the crap that comes from factory farming and I’m not just talking about the meat.  I’m talking about literal crap from the billions of animals slaughtered a year from factory farming.  Animal waste is put into manure lagoons where bacteria thrives.  These lagoons often get so full that there are manure spills like the one in New York in 2005 where 3 million gallons of animal waste spilled into the Black River which was normally used as the public water supply.  How nasty is that? For more info on that spill click here.  That animal waste also produces 18 % of the worlds’ greenhouse gases, mainly methane and nitrous oxide.  And back to the crap that we actually eat from factory farming, think of all the emissions from fuel used to transport meat.

4. Buy local produce from your local farmers markets.  Buying local fruits and veggies cuts down on emissions from fuel used to transport food.  Not only that, but you’ll be supporting your community and you’re buying directly from the source so it’s cheaper!

5.  Use a company like Earth Friendly Moving when you move.  Think of all the wasteful cardboard boxes we use when we move.  Most people end up tossing them when they’re done.  At Earth Friendly Moving you can rent boxes made of recycled plastic delivered to you and picked up by bio-fuel trucks.  According to Earth Friendly Moving “for every hundred box order, the company keeps more than 350 pounds of cardboard and 500 pounds of trash out of the landfill, spares the atmosphere from 2,500 pounds of carbon dioxide and saves three trees, 50 gallons of gas and 300 gallons of water.”  How awesome is that?

Tags: Animal Waste, Billions, Dvrs, eco friendly, environment, Factory Farming, go green, Greenhouse Emmissions, Grids, Grocery Shopping, Grocery Store, Grocery Stores, Hey Guys, Inhabitants, Lagoons, Manure Spills, Pet Peeves, Phone Chargers, Plastic Bags, Public Water Supply, Recycling Cans, Reusable Bags, Saving Energy