little repliedtry to recycle and reuse things. like use reusable water bottles and lunch pails. try to do it often and don't get lazy.stick with it!

Jeff repliedThe EASIEST way to go green is weird and simple: Monitor your waste.

"What the heck? I'm asking about going green and you TRASH me?"

Yes. The three Rs really are in order:
A. Reduce
B. Reuse, and
C. Recycle.

First, reduce the amount of STUFF you consume. Consume less. If you DO have to consume it, use it again and again so you never need another - reuse. When a thing is worn out from reusing it or of no more use, recycle it. Recycling really is the LAST step in this process. (Lots of folks START there but that ain't good!)

Now, back to A) Reduce. Monitoring our waste is the way to monitor our consumption. The funnel through which all our waste passes is the trash can. (Yes, we could get gross here, chatting about the biological analog, but I won't.) Set a goal of trying to create no more than one grocery bag of trash per week per person. This really is a challenge. I know. I've been doing this for a few months. I don't succeed every week.

How can YOU do this? This is where the green becomes real.

1) Buy products without much packaging. If you avoid a product with packaging, contact the distributor and maker.

2) Shop the outside of the grocery store. This will make you healthier, save you $, and be better for the planet. If it is boxed, it is probably processed, less heathy, shipped, and subsidized. (Think high fructose corn syrup or soy from ADM.)

3) Put your food scraps (minus animal products) into your garden. Don't have one? Start one.

4) Recycle before looking at the trash can.

You'll notice you start making small changes in your life such as using your wash rag instead of paper towels or being really careful to put all recycling in the recycle can.

For your trash itself, don't buy trash bags. Use the bags you get from the grocery store. Paper or plastic? It doesn't matter, especially as all your wet food scraps will be going in the compost. :) And you'll be growing your own food, even if in a small way.

Those four steps are really simple but quite challenging.

Another? Buy used. See Craig's List.

Of course, not everything you consume ends up in your trash. The two biggest "other" sources of consumption are 1) your vehicle and 2) your house & utilities.

Vehicle?
1. Do without when possible. Bike. Walk. Consolidate trips.
2. Inflate your tires.
3. When purchasing a vehicle, consult www.fueleconomy.gov
4. Buy used.
5. Drive sensibly. If you have a vehicle with the fuel monitor, watch that...while watching the road.

Around the house?
Just monitor. I am in an all electric house and pay $81/month average. (This is in Phoenix. Those who live here know that is remarkable.)
1. Use the sun to heat in winter. Shade in summer.
2. Insulate the sockets and light switches.
3. Switch to CFLs. Better yet are LED lights.
4. Put your water heater on a timer if electric.
5. Water saving shower heads.

One other thing, eat low on the food chain - eat grains, fruits, and veggies, locally produced and in season when possible. Both you and the planet will feel better and you'll save $.

Sure, adding $36,000 worth of photovoltaic panels will help and give you some good karma, but NOT using the power in the first place is even better!

That's enough for now. These are fairly inexpensive and easy things that DO make a difference.

Keep trying and share what you learn!

Jeff

Ganesh K repliedthe five mantras for green environment is to- Reuse, Recycle, Reduce, Repair, Refuse.

adrien_pics repliedI answered this the same way on another question, but I recommend a living roof. If you easy access to your roof (and it is flat) build a living roof on it. What it is is basically a roof top garden. How does it help? Plants do produce oxygen. Here's what can make it worthwhile for you to stick with: You can save on energy bills with it. In the summer time the plants will absorb the heat (I live in Texas, so it's a lot) and keep it cooler in your home. In the winter time the plants provide an extra layer of insulation and will keep it warmer inside of your home. Considering here in Texas our utility bills can reach the triple digits+ this is a good idea to help alleviate the bills.

Ooohhh...Did you know there is such a thing as an electric bike? It'll help you go farther distances. I just saw it on TV.

Also, if you can replace your lights with LEDs, too. They use about 1 Watt each and last about twice as long.

If you have cable access, check out the planet green network by discovery channel.

Peter Reefman repliedMake it fun. Make it make you feel good.

Don't do stuff you hate just because it's green, for example if you hate gardening, then don't bother starting a permaculture garden.

Alternatively, if you like gardening, start a productive permaculture vegie/fruit garden!

If you like people, join a sustainability group and take part in their activities.

If you like exercising, use your bike or walk to go to work/school (I don't know how old you are).

Or, if you like animals, get some chickens. Their eggs are SOO much better than the supermarket pretend eggs.

Etc etc

A really good keyword on this is 'funrifices'. That is, something that at first looks like a sacrifice, but turns out to be such fun, so much better, that you want to keep doing it. And the thing is, you might only need a couple of these funrifices to get you addicted to being more green in a positive way for your whole life.

Good luck with it, and have fun!

hense@ymail.com repliedhey,you know there is a way of going green that i really love.Doing your laundry without use of detergents,or bleach or even hot water.You save the environment since no pollution and save energy since no hot water.This unit fixes to your washer and enables you to eliminate use of these harmful detergents.

Amanda repliedTry starting with small things that you don't constantly need to think about doing, like changing your light bulbs and using reusable shopping bags. Once you've done that, start making more small changes. Don't try to do everything at once, develop different habits slowly. Try shopping at farmer's markets for produce if you live near one, ride a bike, walk, or take a bus instead of driving when possible.