Green Lifestyle Wisdom – The Easiest Way to Avoid Waste
A green lifestyle has as its focus using resources wisely and reducing waste. Recycling plays heavily into reducing waste, but there is an even simpler way:
Don’t create waste at all!
Without a doubt, the easiest way to reduce waste is by not generating it in the first place. You could also think of it as pre-cycling.
You can achieve some significant reductions in waste by adopting a few easy-to-implement ideas.
Here are a few examples.
1) Buy in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging you bring home (and then recycle or reuse as much of that as possible). You will save money as well by purchasing items this way.
2) As a corollary, buy what you will use. If the bulk package contains more than you need, share with a friend or neighbor so as little as possible goes to waste. Making reciprocal sharing arrangements for bulk purchases will save money for everyone involved.
3) Use online bill-pay from your bank and combine it with paperless billing: Paper is saved, mailbox clutter is reduced, and you save the cost of a stamp and envelope with each bill paid.
4) Drive less. The easiest gas you save is the gas you never use. By combining errands, carpool, eating at home in place of going out once a week, and, if possible, taking a bike or walking occasionally in place of driving, you will reduce your carbon footprint and save both gas and money.
5) Set up a compost bin for you food and garden waste. Composting vegetable trimmings, banana peels, lawn clippings, and the like will reduce what goes to the landfill and, as a bonus, provide fertilizer for your garden.
6) Pay attention to how you use water. Conserving water is key to living a greener lifestyle. A few simple steps are to look for leaks around the house and fix them, take shorter showers, install low flow shower heads (older shower heads flow at 4-8 gallons per minutes, while the newer low flow shower heads dispense only about 2 to 2.5 gallons per minute), and turn the water off while you are brushing your teeth or shaving.
7) Avoid bottled water. I have been standing on a soap box on this idea for some time now. Not only is bottled water wasteful (about 80% of these petroleum-derived plastic bottles wind up in landfills); it is also about 100 times more expensive than tap water and no safer. If you dislike the taste of your tap water, install a filter rather than hauling home cases of the bottled stuff form the store.
Reducing waste is a crucial part of living greener. In addition to conserving resources of all kinds, you will reduce your carbon footprint and save yourself some money as well.
Want more ideas about how to live a greener lifestyle and save money? Go to Steve Stillwater’s web site at http://www.livinggreenandsavingenergy.com. Steve offers to easy-to-implement green living tips and ideas that allow you to live green and save money. Better yet, sign up for his free newsletter which gives you regular updates on green news and information you can use, and get 2 Free Bonuses just for signing up: 1) 10 Easy Ways to Save Gas and 2) 2010′s Top 20 Fuel Efficient Cars. Take an easy step toward a greener lifestyle at http://www.livinggreenandsavingenergy.com.
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All very important tips, we really need to cut back on wasting, the plastic water bottles is a huge one! I mean really it is so easy to buy a refillable bottle…
I use a water filter and have found that I don’t need bottled water anymore. Filtered water tastes great and is cheaper in the long run! Not to mention more eco-friendly. I also use shower filters to help soften water, along with a low-flow head.