Live Green by Example

By Janet Harriett

There are countless ways to go Green. Many are hardly noticeable, like adjusting the thermostat or taking shorter showers. Others, like carpooling, require you to involve other people in the effort, whether or not they participate for ecological reasons. When trying to set an example of eco-mindedness for others, do not be afraid to make your Green lifestyle show. Here are some easy, high-visibility ways to set an example of Green living for family, friends and complete strangers.

Bring your own bag when shopping. Many stores have started selling reusable canvas shopping bags and encouraging their use. To be even more eco-friendly as you shop, you can reuse a tote bag you already own instead of buying a new one. Bringing your own reusable shopping bag sets a particularly good example in stores that are not actively encouraging reusable bags. Seeing you with your own bag could inspire fellow shoppers to follow suit, and bring Green living to the attention of store owners. While bringing a canvas shopping bag may not be practical for a supermarket trip to stock up on a week's worth of groceries, you can set a Green example even then by requesting that your milk not go in a bag.

Ditch the bottled water. Staying hydrated is important, but shipping all those bottles around the country, and the world, pollutes. Stick to refilling a bottle from the tap. If taste is an issue, use a tap filter or a water bottle with a built-in filter. To go the extra mile without having your water do the traveling, petition your officemates and employer to get rid of the water cooler and switch to the tap. While the 5-gallon bottles are often refilled and generate less plastic waste than individual bottles, delivering the bottles still requires a truck, and the pollutants it emits when hauling hundreds of full 5-gallon bottles of water around town.

Turn food miles into food feet by planting a garden. Make it organic by choosing non-synthetic fertilizers like compost, and integrated pest management techniques to control rodent and insect pests without synthetic chemicals. To make an extra-bold example, put the garden front-and-center in the landscape. Many vegetables like peas, peppers, potatoes and kale, are quite attractive and can be incorporated into flowerbeds or be arranged as a display garden on their own. No land? No problem. Most vegetables have varieties that grow well in containers on a balcony, patio or even in front of a sunny window.

At the office, cut your paper use by printing and copying on both sides of the paper whenever possible, and only print when a hard copy is absolutely necessary. The paperless office may be far in the future, if it ever happens, but you can help start a culture of a less-paper office.

Green living choices that are highly visible are not always the most effective. For example, going vegetarian one to two nights a week will prevent more greenhouse gas emissions than growing a vegetable garden. Nonetheless, setting an example for others requires choosing some of the most visible components of a Green lifestyle, in addition to the smaller daily efforts. Whatever you choose to do to set a good example of green living, the most important thing is to get out there and do it.

Did You Know?
"Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water!!"

07/01/08  By Janet Harriett