Living Green has grown in popularity over the last decade to the point where even all mighty Wal-Mart has bowed to consumer demand and started carrying certified organic foods. The phrase “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle” has become so commonplace that it no longer needs to be advertised. Global ecological disasters are happening so often that the BP spill was not only not a surprise, but expected by many experts and laymen alike. In a world where the people and the planet are both spiraling out of control, what are the rest of us supposed to do? Well, Gandhi said, to “BE the change you want to see in the world.” In that spirit, let me tell you what I’m doing. Maybe you’ll find something you’d like to start as well.
After watching the documentary “Food, Inc.,” (which was very well done and very eye opening) our household is cutting back drastically on our meat consumption and what we do buy will be local and organic. I did a little digging after watching the film, and the sheer amount of pesticides, herbicides, chemicals and random fillers that are in the food we eat is disturbing to even the most steadfast of stomachs. It’s not a stretch to see the connection between the hormones given just to our cattle to make them produce more milk or meat and the obesity rate in this country. With the lobbyists and litigious companies that run the show, forget living green for the greater good. In this age, you should be living green just to stay alive. Yes, it will cost a bit more, but the portion sizes that we are used to in this country are a bit skewed from reality. Eating less in general is a good idea for most of us, but you’ll be amazed at how much more free your body will feel after just a short time of decreasing your ingestion of all that crap.
Also, the amount of garbage that is in landfills is insane and is getting worse every day. With non bio-degradable items that will outlast every living person on this planet—and their children—it is physically impossible for this to continue without drastic consequences. Recycling all of your plastic, paper and glass is a great first step, and something we can all be zealous about. We’re going to take it a step further and start repurposing our cloth waste as well. Between clothes and linens, especially if you have growing children, we have access to mountains of material. Even the least capable crafter can turn an old pair of jeans into a reusable grocery bag (which they are GREAT for, btw). I have an old sheet with a tear and another with a stain. They are about to become summer robes and when those are too worn to carry on, they’re going to become aprons. Turn t-shirts into rags and men’s dress shirts into pillows, napkins or quilts. If you’re not one for all this stuff, then at least donate your old clothes to a local shelter or Goodwill store so they can get one more run.
If you can afford it, installing green energy products in your home is definitely the way to go. They help the environment and pay for themselves over time. Nearly every roof can support a solar panel and every lamp can take an energy saving bulb. If you can’t afford these upgrades, or are renting, there are still things you can do to help out with that. Info can be found everywhere about saving energy from simple things like unplugging appliances when not in use to which appliances are the most energy efficient. I like the simple home remedy type info. We put aluminum foil over the West-facing window in our bedroom and it is about a thousand degrees cooler in there as a result. Think about how something like that could lower your AC bill too.
I started my first-ever, very own garden this summer. I murdered most of the seeds the first time around, but it’s cheap to try again. If you want a full scale, fence enclosed, raised-box garden with a gate and structured pathways, more power to you. We have a few pots on our little patio. Having even one tomato plant will help reduce the amount of unnecessary chemicals you ingest. If you can get your neighbors in on the act, then you will always have someone to give that extra produce to or even start a veggie swap in your building. Down here in SoCal, there is at least one Citrus tree on every block, usually more. You’d be surprised how many of these folks would be happy to let you take some of these off their hands for nothing. You don’t have to do a lot in order to get a lot out of a garden.
Part of living life, and a large factor in what we are doing to the ozone layer, is driving our cars. It is a part of the way we live. We have relied on these vehicles for years, and even with the advances in telecommunications, our lives would be severely hampered without them. Pick up a copy of “Farewell My Subaru” by Doug Fine to learn how to turn your car or truck into a green machine that runs on cooking grease. You can go a little less extreme by purchasing a hybrid. For those of us who need to stick with our trusty “normal” cars for the time being, regular maintenance will go a long way. Make sure your catalytic converter, air filter and exhaust filtration systems are all working properly. This will help you save on your gas bill too. Making fewer trips will also save you time and save on emissions.
Lastly, some thoughts on entertainment. Between TV’s, computers, cell phones, gaming systems and every other electronic device in our homes, there are enough contaminants to give your entire county another eye or two. Luckily, there are places that are designed to repurpose or responsibly dispose of these devices so we are not leaching those contaminants into our soil, to be later ingested with our food. I haven’t owned a TV since 1999 because I didn’t think I’d have time for one in college, and then just never bought another one. I do love movies, though. Rather than buying a bunch of DVDs, I have discovered the awesomeness that is the Internet. Between file sharing, live streaming and kind folks posting all manner of things, nearly every movie I could ever want is out there and won’t end up in a landfill when the next storage device (VHS to DVD to Blue Ray to…?) hits the shelves.
As consumers, we have a lot of power in the decision of what gets produced and how. Whether you use this power for good or evil is your choice every time you shop. Like 90% of Americans, I live on a budget from one paycheck to the next. I can’t afford to go all green all the time. I can afford to improve, however. That is what this whole movement is really saying. It’s not about depriving yourself or sucking all the joy out of food or even about living life to the green extreme. There’s always room for improvement. As far as our bodies go, you might be surprised to find out how little improvement it takes to feel the difference. I certainly was.
Photo courtesy of kino-eye
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