Go green!
Everywhere you look these days people are going green. From simple everyday people to politicians and movie stars, there is a huge movement to take realistic steps to conserve energy and protect the environment. There are surely steps that we can all take to help the planet we live on, but, as Kermit the Frog sang all those years ago, “It’s not easy being green.”
There’s just so much information out there about being more environmentally in tune that getting started seems almost impossible. Whose advice do you take? How far do you really need to go? The questions seem to pile up faster than aluminum cans at the local recycling plant. If this sounds familiar to you, it’s time to relax. There are some very simple “baby steps” that everyone can take – today – to ease into a greener lifestyle.
Start Recycling
Nearly all waste management companies have some sort of recycling program. The same people that collect your trash each week can provide you with special containers for all of your recyclable refuse. Call the company that bills you for trash removal and ask about getting started with their recycling program. Once you start, you don’t have to spend hours separating your trash. Start off small, by sorting aluminum cans, plastic and newspaper items from the rest of your garbage. Before you know it, you’ll be a human recycling machine.
Use CFL Light Bulbs
The new CFL light bulbs use less energy than conventional bulbs. By replacing all of your light bulbs with CFL bulbs, you’ll be preserving valuable resources and reducing your energy bill. This baby step for going green helps the environment, and it gives you a financial incentive at the same time. Going green and saving green – it doesn’t get any better than this.
Go Outside of Your Comfort Zone
Air conditioners and furnaces are huge energy hogs. We’ve all gotten so used to being 100% comfortable all the time, that we’ve forgotten just how much this type of energy consumption harms the environment. Start setting your heat a few degrees lower in the winter, and your AC a few degrees higher in the summer. Sure, you might not be as comfortable as you used to be, but you’ll be doing your part to be a smart steward of our natural energy resources.
These are just a few very simple ways to get on track toward being green. You don’t have to become a fanatic and try to do everything at once. Being “green” is really about changing your lifestyle.
Like any change, it’s easier to be successful with going green if you avoid taking drastic steps and take baby steps instead. A change here and a change there ; before you know it, you’ll be living the green lifestyle. The planet didn’t get into this mess overnight, so don’t try a quick fix to do your part. Make realistic, small adjustments to the way you live to make a difference that will last.
Sandra Stevens cares about her carbon footprint a little more than normal, also writes about being a nurse on her blog over at CNA Training Help.
You’re blogging has really come on when I look back over previous posts. Actually I arrived here from a forum on an unrelated topic. Worth surfing sometimes. Thanks.