How To Go Green In 2015

Many people start off the year with some lofty goals for how they will live a healthier lifestyle this year, and do more to help others as well as the planet. One great way to do that is to adopt an environmentally friendly, or "green" lifestyle. However, many people find the idea intimidating. Perhaps you think it takes someone special to live green, or maybe you believe it requires a certain personality type or income level. But in reality, green living is within everyone's reach.

This month, we will share some ideas for helping you live a cleaner, greener, healthier lifestyle in the year(s) ahead, starting with the 4 tips below.

Think Before You Buy

Eletrical wire reel used as an eco-design coffee table. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In our modern culture, it's tempting just to go out and buy something new, cheap, and (usually) plastic whenever we have a need. But used items are worth considering, either from second-hand stores, antique stores, or yard sales. And it might pay to look around your house for hidden treasures first.

For instance, you may decide you need a lemonade pitcher or a container for iced tea. Rather than getting a cheap plastic one, look around and see what you can reuse - maybe a glass juice container that you were going to throw away would work just fine.

Did you know it's considered "green" to buy pretty much anything second-hand? Clothing, furniture, lamps, appliances and so forth can all be purchased second-hand for a fraction of the cost, and it helps keep those items from being thrown away.

Shop Local for Food

If you've looked at the price of organic food, you might think you can't afford to go green with regard to the foods you eat. But you don't have to buy the expensive imported organic foods to be green; it's just as eco-friendly to buy locally-grown produce or foods that are produced near you.

Foods like honey, vegetables, fruits, breads, and meat can often be found at decent prices from local producers - and you're also supporting your local community (try a CSA for an even easier shopping experience). Organic whole grains and dried beans are still pretty cheap, and switching to those is a move in the green direction.

Plastic recycle logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Recycle

In addition to doing the usual "recycling thing," you can also look around and think of creative ways to recycle or reuse items around your home. For instance, use empty jars, cardboard tubes, and cereal boxes in crafts, or reuse plastic food tubs for storage (you could paint them or cover them with construction paper first if you want to pretty them up).

Look at yard sales and second-hand stores for your household needs - this is not only cheaper; it also means you're reusing (recycling) items that are already in circulation. Recycling means more than just shipping off your plastic, glass, and metal to the recycling center. It also involves reusing items to avoid buying new ones. That's budget-friendly for just about everyone!

Conserve Resources

From saving water, to reducing energy consumption via your heating and cooling system, to using blinds for passive solar heating and cooling, there are lots of things you can do to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint that not only don't cost you much money, but can even result in some significant savings!

Buy following these tips, at least some elements of the green lifestyle are within everyone's reach, and with just a few simple adjustments, you can live a healthier, cleaner lifestyle this year. Be sure to check back later this month for some more tips to help you live green in 2015.

One of our goals this year is to update our website to include even more helpful resources. Along with getting our little homestead going, we're going to be extra busy this year! For the time being, we are switching to a once-per-week posting schedule, so be sure to check back each Wednesday for more healthy green living tips.

How to Safely Recycle Batteries

This week we've reached the third "R" - the one that is the most talked about these days - and of course that's recycling (if you've missed the first two - reduce and reuse, those are especially important, so be sure to check out our earlier posts in the series). Once you've done everything you can to reduce your production of waste, and reuse or re-purpose whatever you can, now it's time to recycle whatever's left. (Oh yes, and of course don't forget when it comes to kitchen and food waste, the ultimate and best form of recycling is composting! We talk a lot more about that on our sustainable gardening blog, so be sure to check that out as well - just click any of the tags below the article to pull up more articles on that topic.)

By now, most people are pretty familiar with how to recycle plastic, paper, and glass, but what about electronics and batteries? This week we'll focus on these newer and trickier categories of recyclables, and how you can keep these items and their potentially dangerous chemical ingredients out of our landfills.

Batteries. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many people don’t think about it all that much and just throw batteries away.  This is not only bad for the environment, it’s also dangerous if kids or pets get into the garbage and get a hold of them. We all know not to even touch battery acid if it leaks, so why would we just throw these toxic chemicals out into the landfill where they can leach into the soil and groundwater?

In addition to battery acid, the metals of batteries can be dangerous when left to leak into the soil.  Heavy metals can get into your soil, water and even into your food. 

Instead of throwing out your batteries, you can simply recycle them.  This keeps those dangerous poisons out of the environment and reduces the amount of trash in landfills.  In fact, many places now consider batteries a form of hazardous waste and prohibit them being thrown away; however, even in these areas, very few batteries are being recycled.

If you get a large battery replaced, like in your car or boat, make sure you know what’s happening to your old battery.  While it may cost you a small fee, you should be able to ensure your battery is properly recycled after it’s taken out of your vehicle.  There are many companies that now offer services to help companies recycle batteries.  You can find a place that already recycles, or encourage your mechanic to do so.

Other batteries might take a little more effort to recycle.  You will likely need to take them to a hazardous waste recycling station.  While you may not have a clue of where to find them, a quick online search will help you find local drop offs where you can take your batteries.  If it’s far away or a bit of a hassle to get to, you can have a place in your house to store dead batteries until you have enough to take over.  Just remember not to let them sit too long because they can begin to deteriorate and become dangerous.

You may also find that local businesses will recycle batteries for you.  There are companies that will set up recycling for businesses for a low price, so they may offer to recycle for you if you can get your batteries into the store.  If you look around, you may find a convenient location so you don’t have to go all the way to a recycling center.

Rechargeable batteries. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And when it comes to household batteries, why not just use rechargeables?  Sure, you’re going to eventually have to throw them away, but throwing away one set of batteries is a whole lot less of a mess than throwing out fifty.  It used to be the case that rechargeables were a pain to charge up and didn’t last long, but technology has improved significantly.  Now you can get speed chargers that get your batteries fully charged in just a few minutes and last as long as a regular battery.

Once you’ve safely recycled your batteries, keep going.  Everything in your home from electronics to fluorescent light bulbs can be recycled to provide us with a safer, cleaner world.  So start researching and get recycling!

For how to recycle electronics, be sure to check back Thursday.

Reduce: Five Ways to Cut Down On Packaging

This month we're doing a short series on the "3 R's" - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Growing up surrounded by nature, even as a little kid I was very environmentally conscious. I read environmentally aware magazines, from Ranger Rick to National Geographic, created artwork on environmental themes, and pasted stickers about recycling in my notebooks and on my bedroom walls. I knew about the three "R's" from about the age of 8!

The waste hierarchy refers to the "3 Rs" reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify waste management strategies according to their desirability. The 3 Rs are meant to be a hierarchy, in order of importance. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These days recycling has become somewhat of a buzz word, but we shouldn't forget the first two - reducing your waste and reusing what you can are even more important. Recycling uses energy and can create its own waste products. So be sure you check off the first two "R's" before you move on to recycling as the last resort. (See the waste hierarchy example to the right.)  This week we're talking about the first and simplest step in terms of energy consumption and effort - reducing your consumption and production of waste.

It’s amazing how much packaging it takes to ship something.  Even something as simple as a book takes a box, shrink-wrap and something to fill the empty space between the box and the book - typically bubbles, foam peanuts or shredded paper.  Where does all this packaging go once you’ve received your item?  For most people it goes in the garbage - unless you're like me, and you save most of your packaging to use the next time you ship something (we'll talk more about reuse next week).  And we haven’t even mentioned the packaging of food and items purchased locally in your every day shopping.  Here are five ways to cut down on packaging and save resources.

#1.  Buy in bulk.  Whether you’re buying books online or cereal at your grocery, when you buy in bulk you cut down on packaging.  Think about it - if you buy one book at a time online then you’re going to receive a box for each book and all the packaging that goes along with shipping that item.  When you buy a regular box of cereal, you consume it and toss the box.  However if you buy a bulk box of cereal it may last as long as three regular boxes of cereal - you get more cereal and less packaging.

#2.  Buy from retailers who package using reusable or recyclable materials.  And when you’re shopping, use reusable or recyclable containers.  This trend is really catching on.  Stand in any grocery store line and you’ll see people shopping with reusable shopping bags - that’s an example of cutting down on packaging because you’re not taking dozens of plastic shopping bags home.  As a mail-order small business owner, I save packaging and reuse it for shipping items to our customers as much as possible. In fact, I haven't bought packing material (other than boxes) in almost 10 years!

Additionally, some retailers who manufacture and distribute processed foods are beginning to package them in reusable and/or easily recyclable containers to minimize landfill waste. And when it comes to books, why not go electronic and buy books with Kindle or another similar reader. You can even download e-books for free from some public libraries now! Not only will you reduce packaging, you'll also cut down on clutter from all those stacks of books that tend to accumulate around the house.

Food Packaging (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

#3.  Don’t buy prepackaged foods.  Juice boxes, for example, are incredibly useful; however, a large bottle of juice is a more sustainable practice and you can just as easily pour a serving into an aluminum water bottle for your children to enjoy.  You throw away less waste. Obviously we talk a lot here about the impacts of processed foods on your health, and the importance of preparing your own meals at home, so this is just another reason to learn to cook from scratch yourself! When it comes to groceries, shop as much as possible at local farmer's markets and CSA programs - not only will you be consuming much better quality food, but you'll drastically cut down on packaging materials.

#4.  Buy used.  Used products rarely come packaged.  You just pick them up as is from the store.  No packaging, no waste. And you can often save quite a bit of money as well.

#5.  Barter and/or trade items rather than shopping.  Bartering and trading for products is a great way to save money and conserve resources.  Many people are forming book swap groups to save money and materials by simply sharing books.  And some people are banding together to share clothing and other items. This can also be a fun way to connect with other like-minded individuals, which is important in helping you feel connected and supported in your community.

Packaging does more than fill landfills; it costs money and resources to produce - and even to recycle.  When you take a few simple steps to cut down on packaging you’re having a significant effect on your environment.  You’re making it a better place to live for you and for future generations. 

Recycling and Today's Teens

Recycling has been around longer than any of today's young teens have been alive and maybe that's why it has never been a question for them as to whether or not they should recycle but has always been more of a "How else can we help when recycling," kind of thought process.   The previous generation, having grown up in the 70's has a different mind-set.  In fact, I have to remind myself the reasons we recycle, when to recycle and how to keep my family and household up-to-date and aware of the reasons to recycle.

Image via WikipediaThis new, younger generation, is an impressive one, to me.  They seem to be more aware of humanity on a global level.  Lessons they've been taught in school on a consistent basis have always had a common theme; take care of the Earth or we may lose it.  They are keenly aware of how wasteful prior generations have been and seem to be of one mind when it comes to solving those problems.

When we recycle we are taking a step away from ourselves and begin to think about the Earth as a whole.  It has become obvious to us that by recycling our waste we are going to be leaving less waste for future generations to have to deal with and we are taking an active step in keeping the planet 'around' for a longer period of time.

Today's teens have inspired me by their dedication to helping others who have less than they do and how wasting any commodity or resource we may have, the idea of wasting it is simply not an option.  They are forever coming up with new ways to reduce production of an item or they are constantly thinking up ways in which the item can be reused; they do this without needing to "think" about it, it's the only way of life they've known.

Image by sierraromeo [sarah-ji] via FlickrThere is an organization that has taken something many of us take for granted and figured out a way to pass on to those who are unable - to feel a little normal.  Locks of Love takes hair donated by people and has that hair made into wigs for people who have had their hair fall out due to chemotherapy treatments or as the result of another disease or condition.  How brilliant to think of those of us who grow our hair without thought or effort, to be able to have the privilege of helping another!  It's beautiful to me, how this new generation is always thinking about how they can help others.
   
There are two teens that I know of who took this idea of growing their hair in order to donate it, and dedicated this past summer to doing just that; and the week before school opened in September, sat together and had their hair cut.  What is remarkable about these two teens is that only one is a girl, the other, a young man knew there was a need for other boys his age to have wigs made for them and took on the challenge valiantly.   Boys don't have to have their hair quite as long in order to donate it, but it does have to be grown-out.  My awe at teens like these two, who at such a volatile age, where self-image is so very fragile, would step out of their comfort zones of following the crowd, in order to do grow their hair long enough for it to be recycled and reused by others, is overwhelming.  By stepping out of those comfort zones they leave themselves in a vulnerable situation, where they can become the targets for some of the ridicule that goes on in Middle school; and yet they still do it.

Maybe they are less likely to go against the idea of recycling because of the timing of their birthdates; it's just refreshing to know that the idea of recycling is strong in this up coming generation and if we continue to foster that innate responsibility in them, we may just keep this planet around a little longer.