On The Environment: Thirty Go Green Tips…
“The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become…” Lady Bird Johnson
On The Environment: Thirty Go Green Tips... Help reduce our environmental carbon footprint
“We all moan and groan about the loss of the quality of life through the destruction of our ecology, and yet every one of us, in our own little comfortable ways, contributes daily to that destruction. It’s time now to awaken in each one of us the respect and attention our beloved Mother deserves.” Ed Asner
What do you do to conserve energy, reduce your carbon footprint, and support the planet? By now most of us are aware of the need to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle our stuff to ensure the longevity and sustainability of our planet. Every day, even in small ways, we consume and discard billions of stuff that add to our landfills, waste energy and deplete our environment. Did you know that at 18 mpg, a gas guzzling car emits about 6 tons of carbon dioxide per year? Below are thirty commonsense, easy to remember tips to help us go green and protect our environment.
♥Buy local produce from your farmer’s market.
♥Fix water leaks
♥Share rides by carpooling
♥Turn lights off when not in use
♥Choose to walk
♥Bring your own grocery bag to the supermarket
♥Use energy efficient “energy star” appliances
♥Do an energy audit of your space
♥Take short showers
♥Buy food items with the “Fair Trade” label
“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” Aldo Leopold
On The Environment: Thirty Go Green Tips... Our carbon cycle
Annie Leonard: The Story of Stuff – Conversations
The Story of Stuff
This afternoon, I went to the post office to mail off a package. As I stood talking to the lady behind the mail room counter, she suggested I look at the new selection of novelty, forever stamps on file. The one on the environment (see first picture above) caught my eye because it was easy to read and offered practical, smart tips that we often forget. I bought a booklet, took some pictures, and created this post… The muse was working overtime reading up on biochemical cycles. Of course, the irony is that while we are encouraged to conserve energy, protect the environment, pay bills online, and cut back on mailers and paper usage, our post offices continue to offer commemorative stamps for our enjoyment and use. The day will come when we’ll have specially designed, reusable, receptacles for our mail…
♥Create compost with leftovers and use it for gardening/farming
♥Hang clothes out to dry and let nature do the work
♥Recycle more
♥Ride a bicycle
♥Plant trees
♥Pay bills online
♥Use cloth instead of kitchen paper towels
♥Check if your utility company offers green power options
♥Switch off & unplug unused appliances including your computer
♥Stay educated and informed: subscribe, watch, read important information on the environment; Story of stuff, Food Inc, TreeHugger, Worldwatch Institute, Simple Organic, Keeper of the Home, The Daily Green, The Freecycle Network
Happy Australia Day! Read more on it on Barb’s blog. More on going green below. 😉
“Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.” John Muir
On The Environment: Thirty Go Green Tips... The water cycle
Water is one of our most precious elements and also a commodity that has helped create multimillion dollar businesses around the world. As we abuse and pollute our water supply, waste it on excesses, we will slowly but surely be creating a future shortage that could have a deleterious global impact. It’s not enough to drink water out of taps/faucets instead of plastic bottles, we must also reduce the many wasteful ways we use water in our homes and businesses; running the faucet while we brush our teeth, endless trips to the car wash, watering the garden without a timer and more… What are you doing to change?
♥Insulate the home properly
♥Use public transportation
♥Use energy efficient light bulbs – 14 watts instead of 60 watt bulbs
♥Adjust the heat thermostat in your home and office
♥Maintain the pressure of your car tires
♥Buy reusable water bottles not disposable plastic ones
♥Turn your car engine off while you wait to pick up the kids
♥Wash clothes in cold water to save 90% of the energy spent heating the water, don’t keep faucet running while brushing your teeth
♥Dump Junk Mail by registering on the Mail Preference Service on the Direct Marketing Association Website
♥Print copies on both sides and save on paper waste
What are your thoughts? What is your carbon footprint? Does the environment matter to you? What do you do to conserve energy and support the planet? Do you have other tips to share? If you could change the future to make the world a better place, what would you change first? Do share! Thank you. 😉
Positive Motivation Tip: The environments matters not only because it sustains us, but also because our children will bear the brunt of the environmental legacy we leave behind.
Related articles
- Have You Watched The Story of Stuff Project? (ellefeeney.com)
- Annie Leonard and her Wonderful Stories of Stuff (oneplanetsustainability.wordpress.com)
- Towards a green new deal on the island of Ireland (slideshare.net)
- Saving more green (goerieblogs.com)
- Story of stuff (hed320.wordpress.com)
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos: Forever Stamps on the Environment from my personal collection. Carbon cycle, Water cycle, via Wikipedia. And/Or via Flickr
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
I’ve been recycling one way or another for at least twenty years. It has been a huge help since we had a tight budget, as well as being good for the planet.
Good post.
Oh, those stamps are beautiful! Thanks for your tips. I’m already doing quite a few of them — woohoo!
Since everyone here complains about high electricity costs, I started to unplug everything — except the refrig — when I’m not using them. My big concern though is all the plastic shopping bags that everyone uses. (They’re given an adorable nickname, scandal bags, because they’re mostly black and can hide anything – including scandals, I imagine hahahaha!) I’ve started buying bottled water because I don’t like the taste of the water at my current location but I’ve been passing on the empties to a family member who uses them as food and water receptacles on his chicken farm. They recycle in his location.
I recycle my plastics and papers. My area requires it. This was very informative and the links and video were excellent.
B
I started bringing my own cloth bags to the grocery store a few years ago, primarily because i LOATHED how the store baggers put only one or two items in each ridiculous plastic bag!!!!!!! When you bring your own bags they’re forced to actually think about how to do the job they were hired to do, ie., heavy products on the bottom, lighter on the top, etc.
You don’t want to get me started on this bagging topic…..trust me!!!! 😉
what a wonderful post.
you should be getting a green award 🙂
I was wonderfully surprised to find on my recent trip to Hawaii that they no longer permit plastic bags in any store. You better have a reusable bag, buy one of theirs, or have your things packed in a paper bag. The rest of the United States should follow suit!
I love those postage stamps. Hadn’t seen them. They’ll be my choice next trip to the post office.
I’m proud to say I do most of the things on your lists. As Maya Angelou says, When you know better, you do better. Great advice to share and I’ll spread the word!
Thanks Elizabeth!
b
One thing you might be interested is The Freecycle Network at
It’s a network of recyclers where old stuff that is no longer used, usable or needed can be OFFERED to the group in order to keep stuff out of the landfill. People can REQUEST things, too. No money is exchanged and it’s a good thing if you’re cleaning out your house or garage. You’d be surprised at some of the things that change hands.
There’s bound to be one near you. They’re pretty much everywhere.
And, feel free to visit me at f-stop fantasy
Thank you for the tip. Sounds like a terrific resource. I’ve added it to the post and highlighted it above. I also added your blog link to your name. Gracias! 🙂
I do ALL the gogreen stuff! I was brought up on a cattlefarm in Mississippi during the 50s and 60s to do all this stuff,anyway! My mother asked back in the 70s, “What is organic gardening.” When we told her, she guffawed, “That is what we have always done, anyway. We are not city folk, after all!’ Today, I walk around town to perform errands(including paying bills in person in cash!) and get offered rides “back to the group home”. (I own my own home and surrounding creek, woodpatch,small orchard here in town! All paid for, thank you!) You can see why I am one of the town’s beloved, yet eccentric, citizens!
I’m always looking to increase my awareness. I think I’m strong in areas of eating locally, I am part of a CSA and support local farmers, and compost…that kind of thing, but then I use my car with reckless abandon. I am a work in progress, but desire doing better. Thanks for the reminder! Debra
I always use cold water to wash, and I have always recycled…it just makes sense. It is something all communities should do, but don’t always choose to do. I am glad I stopped by for the link to the unsubscribe to junk mail. I am finally working my new job, so far so good. Thanks Eliz
I do man/most of the things on your list . . . plus I reduced our carbon footprint by (1) not having kids, (2) adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, (3) driving a car that gets 40 mpg (and driving it LESS), and (4) not flying.
Very responsible and informative post! I don’t do nearly enough of the things you listed. My HOA won’t hear of hanging clothes out to dry (!) I want to compost but just haven’t started yet… I need to do more this year. Thanks for the reminder.
Great post Elizabeth! I didn’t know about buying food items with the “Fair Trade” label. Thank you.
I like your 30 stamps collection – though it gave a flashback to the song “50 ways to leave a lover” by Paul Simon …
It’s amazing how simple a lot of these things are. We just have make it a habit to always consider how we affect the environment with things we do on a day to day basis. Keep it top of mind.
I have never understood why stores moved away from paper bags–a newable, recycleable product that will break down in the environment to those horrid plastic bags that breed like rabbits in your cabinets.
The comments on this post are quite…interesting. I’m still trying to figure out how “not having kids” helps the envirnoment? Oh, well.
What a great post! 🙂 I always make sure I’m aware of how I behave and interact with “energy” everyday. That way, I waste less and learn more. Great too see that here too 🙂
Thanks for the tips 🙂 The global warming and all environmental disasters are becoming a serious threat to mankind. And little acts as such can help overcome those, if everyone does participate.
Great post! Thanks for the tips! We do our best to recycle everything we can. Our condo complex does not have recycle pickup, so we have to drive our “stuff” to the city’s central recycling collection spot. Have to wonder if we’re really helping or hurting!
These are all wonderful tips! It pains me to.see that there isn’t 100% participation on recycling day. Many condo complexes (see above) here in NJ do not recycle!!@XX*!! It should be mandatory. My mother’s town of Pensacola, Fla., just started recycling a few years ago. I don’t think there’s a sense of urgency for many of these concerns.
I admit, most of my conservation measures stem from lowering bills rather than for the environment at this point in my life.
Yes, the environment matters very much to me. Here we have a VERY SMALL garbage bin and a VERY LARGE recycling bin. We are expected to recycle as much as possible and it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a bigger garbage bin unless you have twins in nappies.
I am careful about the detergents I use and we do not use disposable plates or paper towels unless we are having a large BBQ. I drive a fuel efficient car and the children walk to school. Mr O’s car is probably our downfall, but we can’t afford a replacement right now.
Oh, we also pay extra for wind farm electricity.
Such a great list of things to do! I would so have a hard time with shorter showers, but I’m working on it. Lol!