Best Eco Stuff

Living sustainably doesn’t have to mean giving up all the modern comforts and conveniences you’ve gotten used to. In fact, in many cases, choosing a greener way of life can save you money, get you into shape and improve your overall quality of life. It really doesn’t take much effort to reduce your ecological footprint, which is your personal impact on the world. As the saying goes…”just take it one step at a time.”

1. Recycle! Before you throw anything away, check whether it’s recyclable. Don’t toss out items that are still usable - donate them to charitable organizations, or have a yard sale.
2. Reduce the use of disposables in your household. Items like paper towels, paper napkins, disposable diapers, cleaning wipes and plastic utensils are building up the world’s landfills at a staggering rate. Choose long-lasting, reusable items instead.
3. Be conscious about your use of energy in your home and workplace. Open the windows to let in a cool breeze rather than using the a/c, don’t keep the refrigerator door open any longer than necessary, and turn off the lights when you leave a room.
4. Make different travel choices. Walk or ride a bike to your destination whenever feasible - you’ll get some exercise and save a lot of energy over time. Choose public transportation when it’s available to cut down on the amount of vehicles on the road. When it’s time to purchase a new car, nix the guzzlers - choose one that gets good gas mileage.
5. Replace energy-wasting items in your home with energy-efficient ones. You can start by tossing out your current light bulbs and switching to compact fluorescents. Change to solar, motion-sensor or timer-activated outdoor lighting, and choose energy star appliances.
6. Buy food that comes from local sources whenever possible. It will keep resources circulating in your own community, and save a lot of energy that would have been used in transport. Go to your local farmer’s market for fresh, delicious produce and other grocery items - you’ll often save money and get higher quality food than at the grocery store.
7. Waste not, want not. Get every little bit of use out of every item in your home and workplace. Print on both sides of every sheet of paper, use old calendar pages or junk mail flyers as scrap paper, and squeeze every last bit of toothpaste out of the tube. You’ll end up purchasing less over time, saving you money and reducing the amount of trash your household produces.
8. Unplug yourself once in a while. Ahhhhhh, it feels so good. Promise. Go ahead and spend more time outdoors, reading, playing with your kids or other activities that don’t require electricity. Set a goal for your family to watch less TV and spend less time on the computer. You might just improve the quality of your life.
9. Get involved! Support community efforts to help the planet. When you do things like take part in a beach clean-up, plant community gardens and buy local produce, you help reduce your entire community’s global footprint and raise awareness for the ‘green’ cause.
10. Purchase responsibly. Choose items with minimal packaging that have been produced in an environmentally sensitive manner. Look for products that are organic, natural, recycled, hand made, fairly traded and sustainably harvested.