Green Living Simplified

Green living is easier than it sounds, and you don't have to completely overhaul your lifestyle and give up luxuries to be good to the environment.

By Diana Rodriguez

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Do you want to have a positive impact on the environment, but are not sure where to start? It’s easy — right from your own home you can make small waste-reduction and recycling efforts that will help conserve the earth's resources. And the concepts are simple: use less, trash less, and pollute the earth less.

How to Start Living Green Today

Green living won't cost you more money; in fact, it might help you to save. When trying to make green living changes at home, consider these four basic principles of conservation and waste reduction:

Recycle. Recycle paper, plastic, electronics, batteries, and everything else you can, curbside or at a local drop-off.
Reduce. Overall, reduce the amount of material you buy, use, and throw away, and reduce your chemical impact on the environment by cutting back on household cleaners, pesticides, and more.
Reuse. Think of how many disposable products are cluttering landfills — paper plates and napkins, plastic cups, disposable razors. Stick to reusable materials and skip single-use products whenever possible.
Re-buy. You don't always have to buy everything new. Purchase used items, borrow materials from someone else instead of buying your own, or buy goods made from recycled materials as often as you can.

Living by these environmentally sound principles will get you thinking about — and changing — how you use consumer products and treat the environment.

10 Tips for Waste Reduction

Why aren't more people giving green living a try? Thirty-four percent of those surveyed by the Nature Conservancy said that they didn't quite know what changes to make to have an impact on the environment. And as many as 29 percent didn't think the changes they made would really have an environmental impact.

But everyday green-living changes are simple to make, and they do have an impact — a big impact — especially when many people adopt these changes. You can start by implementing these 10 effortless conservation tips:

Opt for e-billing. Just think of how many paper bills you get in your mailbox each month. No one is excited to see those in the mail anyway, so switch all of your billing to electronic bills that you receive via e-mail. You can turn around and pay them online, or even over the phone, to save paper (plus the ever-rising cost of stamps).
Change your lightbulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use significantly less energy than regular incandescent bulbs, and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and wattages to give you whatever type of lighting you need.
Walk more. Do you really need to get in the car for your weekly two-minute drive to the bank or drugstore? You'll save on gas, spare the environment from pollution, and get some extra exercise.
Be economical with your car. Carpool, skip unnecessary trips, schedule one day for all your errands, take the bus, and consider buying a hybrid vehicle. These are all great ways to save money, conserve fuel, and reduce air pollution.
Conserve energy at home. Using fewer utilities is a great way to conserve resources and save money. Turn off lights and electronics when you aren't using them, limit your water use, and be frugal about setting heating and air conditioning thermostats.
Carry your own reusable grocery bag. Instead of choosing between paper or plastic, take reusable bags to the grocery and other stores whenever you shop. Think of how much clutter and waste you'll save by using the same cloth bags over and over again. Keep an empty one in your car for unexpected purchases.
Buy local. One of the treats of summer is being able to shop at local farmer's markets for the freshest produce you can get. Buying local produce is a green concept because it doesn't take as much fuel to get them to you — they may be grown just down the street instead of across the country or in another country.
Reuse and borrow. You don't have to always buy new or buy at all. Check out books from your local library, borrow tools and yard supplies from your neighbors or use a tool library, and consider secondhand appliances, tools, and other gadgets.
Boot the bottled water. Maybe you think it tastes better, but think of all the plastic water bottles you go through in a year, then add up everyone else's, too. Consider using a water filter at home instead, and tote your water in a BPA-free reusable bottle.
Dine fancy. Who likes eating off plastic plates anyway? It may be convenient to toss them after a meal, but one moment of convenience equals a lifetime in a landfill. So purge your home of all disposable products (paper napkins, towels, plates, and cups, and plastic utensils) and use only the good stuff.

Green living is just that simple. In addition to easing pressure on the environment, conservation and waste reduction can save you a lot of money that will quickly add up over months and years, and who doesn't want that?

Last Updated: 09/03/2009

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