Are you part of the quickly growing “going green” movement? Do you look for an organic label on your food, energy saver sticker on your appliances and ways to lower your “carbon footprint?”
Reduce, Reuse Recycle
But what does it mean to be “green” exactly? It seems lately that being green is simply just a transient fad or a way to sell things. Rather, being green is a choice of living. Living green means keeping the environment in mind through smart, sensible, and practical ways in our everyday lives. Not only does it involve consideration of our actions on the potential impacts of the planet, but it also includes the choice of action that leaves a minimal footprint. The three R’s – reduce, reuse, and recycle is imperative to achieving this goal. Green is not merely a synonym for eco-friendly either. It means stopping to examine every single choice you make as it affects you, others around you, and the environment. This includes the affects of not only where you live, but everywhere, and at all points in the future as well as this moment.
Being Energy Efficient
Going green involves taking care of the environment which takes care of you. If you are ready to go green, investing in companies that engage in environmentally friendly practices is the easiest and most obvious way to show your support. Energy efficiency ranks first in definitions of green, and green energy offers the most benefit to our environment as well as yourself.
Yet, in an effort to making conscious decisions among this growing fad, you have to accept more than vague general claims like ‘We’re environmentally friendly’ and ‘We care about the planet.’ Living green means to know where the resources originate, and examining the details. Simply put, it signifies understanding the life-cycle of any given product, and properly restoring the nutrient to the cycle in which it belongs.
Making a commitment to do our part in order to take care of our earth can only be accomplished if everyday actions are taken into consideration. To see what savings you can make for yourself and for the plant, calculate these simple changes in your home and everyday activity with this exercise – Household Savings Calculator