Practical Ways for Women to "Go Green"
Going Green sounds like some radical "tree hugger" activity to those unfamiliar with the concept. Our upcoming workshop is designed to educate everyone about small practical steps that can be incorporated into the most busy lifestyle--and save money to boot!
Living green is often a matter of becoming informed about simple steps that can be taken to save money and our planet. Most people are familiar with the word "recycling", but do not realize there are many ways to reduce our consumption of energy, prevent filling landfills, and provide new life for many products we might otherwise throw away.
Additionally, there are many resources for obtaining more nutritious foods that will enhance flavor and help save carbon emissions by avoiding transport of produce from far-away places. Buy locally grown food. Many local farmer's markets or organic food cop-ops are available and increase the nutrients and tastiness of foods, but also reduce the fossil fuels it takes to get your food from the farm to your table. Try your hand at a small "organic" vegetable or herb garden.
For occasional small cleaning, choose green household products, which populate home supplies shelves in natural stores, or create your own home-made mixtures. When buying, select more concentrated solutions, thus saving on the packaging. Reuse plastic containers. Common ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, borax, lemon juice, and oil.
Researchers show that the average family brings home 1,000 bags every year. Most of those bags end up in landfills. That really adds up - 100 billion plastic bags are sent to landfills in the US each year and can take up to 500 years for a bag to decompose. This practice continuously generates a large volume of waste plastic bags posing a serious environmental problem.
Use canvas bags to tote groceries each week, rather than using disposable plastic bags. Pack lunches in re-usable containers to further reduce plastic consumption. Use cloth napkins or hand towels rather than paper towels or paper napkins. Recycle clothes and shoes to charities that can re-use them.
Recycle your cans, bottles, plastics, and paper waster whenever you can. Encourage your employers to install recycling containers near refreshment or break areas. These activities keep landfills from being needlessly cluttered, but also can generate revenue for your favorite charity.
In the break room, switch to reusable cups, plates, and silverware that employees can wash and reuse. Avoid buying single servings of anything such as coffee, creamers, and sweeteners to reduce excess packaging. Rely on filtered tap water instead of bottled water. It is hundreds of times more expensive than tap and has a high environmental impact.
Lower the thermostat a few degrees in the winter and move it up a few degrees in the summer and replace furnace and air conditioner filters to save fuel and money. Change your light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use one-quarter the electricity of regular light bulbs and last several years longer.
Pay bills online. This saves paper by not writing checks and mailing envelopes, and also reduces fuel consumption by the trucks and planes transporting the checks.
Consolidate trips to reduce gas utilization or car pooling will also reduce the expenditure at the expensive gas pump.
Investigate products for the home that are inexpensive to install that can reduce water utilization with each flush or shower
Green living may start with a few simple ideas that you feel you can comfortably adopt--that can save you a little of your hard-earned money.
Small steps count -- they're the ones that will make the planet a better place to live for years to come. Come to the "Practical Ways for Women to Go Green" workshop on September 30, 2008 to learn more, see displays, learn local vendors and resources and gather resources for your own tailor made "go green" activities. If everyone takes one or two small steps in a community, the effect can be cumulative and phenomenal!
Send Mail to:
Women's Information Network, Inc.2 Downing St.
Rome, GA 30161-8002