✕
☰

Get into the Green Routine

by

Earth is the third planet from the sun and the only planet we know to host living creatures. It’s said the earth is made up of roughly 30 percent land and 70 percent water. Each day this amazing planet spins, though, everything on it—plants, wildlife and people—is exposed to all sorts of harmful chemicals and so many other things. So, here’s the challenge: How can we make this world a greener place? I’m sure you can find a few solutions here.

Turn off your electronics

As silly and simple as it may sound, turning off all your electronics when you aren’t using them can save you hundreds of dollars each year and also help your family save the environment. Think about it—how many things are running when you aren’t home? Things like your computer, gaming systems or your TV should be off when they aren’t being used.

Turn out the lights

We’re all guilty of leaving the lights on every now and again. I’m guilty of leaving the bathroom light on after I curl my hair. Most times it just slips my mind. Other times, I’m in a rush and I just dart out of the bathroom. Your light hang-up may be leaving on the front porch light all day or the garage light. You can easily save money and the environment by setting a timer or going out of the way to make sure you cut off those lights. As parents, we have to be cautious of the things we expose our children to and the things we do in front of them. Kids mimic everything, so do yourself a favor: Don’t start a trend in your house that you’ll end up yelling at the children for later.

Buy Eco Friendly

A nice segway from turning the lights off is putting the lights in. When you’re replacing bulbs, consider buying energy efficient ones. Energy efficient bulbs on average cost about 4 dollars more a box than normal light bulbs, and that four-buck jump is for the really pricy ones. What most people don’t know is that energy efficient bulbs last three times longer than average bulbs. So not only do you save money, you save energy and you keep less trash from going into landfills.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Most people don’t know that it takes decades for glass to naturally decompose. Glass bottles, especially, are items that can be used over and over again! Recycling glass and plastic bottles can reduce up to 70 percent of air and water pollutants. Can you say green? Reducing the amount of glass and plastic you use daily, reusing what you can and then recycling combine for savings for you and saving the planet.

Eight Things You Can Easily Recycle   

  1. Disposable cups (most are biodegradable and easy to recycle)
  2. Crayons (melt easily and can be used over and over)
  3. Ink pens (can donate to office supply stores like Office Max)
  4. Razors and toothbrushes. (Hard to recycle, but Whole foods has a way and collects the donations.)
  5. Ink and toner cartridges (Can donate to office supply stores.)
  6. Clothes (Resale shops and revamping oldies to goodies.)
  7. Electronics (Electronics stores break them down and reuse the parts.)      
  8. Aluminum Cans (Recycle centers will pay you to recycle them.)

Eat Raw

Eating green for a day or even a week can dramatically help you, your body, your   household and the environment. Eating green can cut costs on the bills because you don’t have to turn on the oven. It saves money for your pockets, energy for the environment and the gallons of water it takes to preserve the meats we love so much. And in today’s world, there are so many vegan, dairy free and gluten free options available for everyone to try and enjoy. Don’t be afraid to introduce your family to a little something meatless!

Don’t waste napkins

Guilty as charged. If there were a prison sentence for the misuse of napkins, I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only person doing life! Think about it—have you ever used more than one napkin to dry your wet hands? Have you ever used more than one to wipe your mouth? Guilty! So, here’s a tip: Try to cut back on unnecessary double napkin use! If everyone on this earth used one less napkin a day, we would save billions of pounds in landfill space.

Save on the paper

Office spaces alone waste up to 21 million tons of paper each year. Post-it made an amazing $2.9 billion last October according to MarketWatch.com. So businesses like 3M are making loads of money, and we use their products to contribute to landfills. If you can save the notes and save the paper, do it! You’ll be grateful later.

Shorten your shower

Who doesn’t love a good, long hot shower? Showers are a great way to save time, and they use less water than a tub bath, but did you know you can save 10 or more gallons of water each month by taking a two-minute shower? Try it out for a month and watch the difference in your bills. You’ll also notice how much higher in the sky the sun is when you wake up those extra minutes later. 

Plant something

Gardening with your family can be so much fun, especially when it’s done right. Start by planting something. You can plant a tree or even start a garden with all the things you know and love. One of the best parts about building a garden or planting a tree is that you can dedicate it to someone. Some other bonuses of a garden are the grocery savings you’ll harvest—plus, it’s closer than the grocery store when you need a cucumber for your dinner salad. Gardening is also a lot of fun. Kids love to get down and dirty, and when parents jump in, fun rises to the next level. Invest in the idea and see it through. I know you’ll thank me later.

Knowing these facts and tips can dramatically change the way you live, and it can dramatically change the future for your children. Let’s make the planet and our children whole again!  

 Jessica Samuel lives in Kansas City and is a freelance writer and photographer.

Back to topbutton