13 Easy Green Living Tips For Everyone

By Damien Rogers

To live green means to help our environment from the dangers that are destroying it. Green living starts with each of us. Here are just few easy tips to help you get started.

1. Switch to fluorescent bulbs in areas where extended lighting is required. Though the initial price is higher than for incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights produce four times as much light per watt, last up to ten times as long and therefore cost one-third as much to operate.

2. Consider getting a laptop. Laptops use 50 percent of the energy used by a typical desktop PC when plugged in and just 1 percent of the energy when running on batteries.

3. Shut down and unplug idle electronics. Your computer might be asleep, but if there’s a light on, it’s still using energy. Turn off and unplug your computer, printer, television, radio – any electronic device that you’re not using.

4. Keep your car in great condition. Of course, it’s best to walk, bicycle, carpool or use mass transit for your daily commuting, but for those who must use their own vehicles, improving even the most inefficient of cars’ fuel mileage is as easy as keeping your tires properly inflated and changing your oil and air filters regularly. And follow those traffic laws – your car burns less fuel when you drive slowly and obey the speed limit on highways.

5. An idling vehicle burns more fuel than a simple restart. If it’s clear that a train or other barrier will block your vehicle for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine. An idling vehicle burns more fuel than a simple restart. And you won’t be polluting when the engine is off.

6. Laundry activities are the second-biggest water user in a home. New water- and energy-efficient machines can save big on utility bills, and the technologies employed in those machines also can be gentler to your clothes, help you use less detergent and reduce drying time.

7. Turn your thermostat down – Turning your thermostat down by just one degree can result in savings of up to 10% on your fuel usage.

8. Wrapping a water heater with insulation can keep as many as 1,000 pounds of global-warming CO2 a year out of the upper atmosphere.

9. Pipe insulation tubes will help prevent frozen pipes in winter. And properly installed, they will hold a hot-water pipe’s heat for up to an hour after the tap was last used, thus stretching your energy dollar and saving water.

10. Older showerheads can use three gallons per minute or more. New, efficient models can use two GPM or less. Also look for showerheads that deliver water in multiple small streams, rather than a fine mist; they keep water warmer and make rinsing easier. Avoid designs with multiple heads that compound water waste.

11. Reduce, Re-use, Recycle! – Its doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to reduce the amount of waste we produce or to recycle the waste we do produce. Paper products, plastics and metals are all easily disposed of by taking them to the local recycling centre. You can recycle old batteries to use again in the home and most of the food waste from the kitchen can be used to make your own compost, especially useful if your already growing your own vegetables.

12. Food grown or produced halfway around the world didn’t just appear in the supermarket – it was shipped by plane, boat, truck or rail, and no matter which method of transportation it took, greenhouse gases were emitted along the way. Pick the apple grown in your state instead of the banana grown in another country.

13. Plant a tree. It seems simple, but just one tree can offset tons of carbon over its lifetime. If planted appropriately, it also will provide shade on a sunny day, perhaps reducing the use of energy for air-conditioning in buildings and homes.

Damien Rogers, Big Green Directory Ireland, http://www.biggreendirectory.ie

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What is Sustainable Living and How Do We Achieve it?

By Paul J Martin

The answer would probably depend on the one who is speaking as there are numerous schools of thought as to the meaning of what is sustainable living. In a broad sense, sustainable living would mean embracing the principle of sustainability which is loosely defined as the capacity to endure or the ability to continue without lessening. Continuing of what? Life itself. Lessening of what? Earth’s natural resources. In a nut shell, sustainable living is adhering to a lifestyle that is fulfilling, satisfying, appealing and at the same time accountable to the environment.

Living more Simply

What is sustainable living? It’s living more simply where “simply” may be defined as “regular” or “unpretentious”. It does not, however, means that you go pack your backpack and tent and go live in the woods and be a hermit. It does not mean you stop eating meat and go vegetarian. It does not mean you forgo of the finer things in life and sulk for the rest of your natural existence. In plain words, living more simply is doing without the unnecessary clutter that you constantly surround yourself.

Environmental Friendly Lifestyle and Consumer Choices

Try to adhere to a more earth-friendly lifestyle. You can go on ahead and buy the car of your dream (if you must!), but go slow on the gas pedal. You can cook all the food that you want but make sure nothing goes to waste. Go on and buy organic veggies but wouldn’t it be better if you grow one in your backyard? Not buying anything ever again is not what sustainable living is. It is about weighing the pros and cons before buying any product with regards to: how much you need it, its impact on the environment and consideration about alternative products that are greener. Limit yourself.

Conserve Earth’s Natural Resources

What is sustainable living? It is conserving the earth’s natural resources for the future generations. The earth’s natural resources have been on the decline since man came to be. It has been said that the price of progress is the earth’s natural wealth. Do you even know what the natural resources are? It is anything that is not manmade: air, water, land, plants, animals, fossil and more. As responsible citizen of the world, you must take measures on preserving and conserving our natural resources. This is not to say that you go picket the lumber mills and stop driving a fuel-powered car. Ask yourself these simple questions. Do you really need to take a long bath on a daily basis? Wouldn’t a quick shower do?

Guilt-free Living

What is sustainable living? It is not dwelling on the past but doing something for the future. Start conserving energy. Save Water! Aim for cleaner air! Buy only what you need when you need it. Use. Reuse. Recycle.

What is sustainable living? It is do-able. One baby step after another. Each constructive action at your personal and family level will eventually have an impact in the community you live and the rest of the world.

One Small step you can take now

We are all searching for ways to lessen our impact on the environment and do our bit for the planet. The best ways to achieve this are by taking small steps and doing things that are achievable and realistic.

http://www.greenysearch.com is an environmentally friendly website that lets you take one of these small achievable steps right now. It’s a browser powered by Google but with a dark page background. This causes your monitor to emit less light, reduces your electricity bill and saves the environment all in one. Just set it as your home page and you will save the environment every time you search. Try it now and see how easy it is to do your bit.

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This article came from: What is Sustainable Living and How Do We Achieve it? at Simple Living, Sustainable Living.

1. Family matters, a lot. You can generally depend on your family. It may be as dysfunctional as any US family, but it defines who you are, what is expected of you, and who you can turn to.

After seeing this in action among my Mexican friends, I began reaching out more to my own family. I had a great phone chat with a cousin I spent a lot of time with when we were girls. I haven’t seen her in decades, but I hope to see her one of these years! I also went along with my husband when he made a business trip to California. While he went to a conference, I spent lots of time with family and old friends. Loved it.

2. You are part of the fabric of community, through your family, through your school friendships even from many decades ago, through your neighborhood, through the church whether or not you attend, and more.  Even if you leave your hometown, you will be part of the fabric, for example, people from our Mexican town tend to go to Watsonville and Santa Cruz, California, and continue the ties.

This sense of being part of a community is at the heart of why we returned to the US. We came back to a small town in Colorado where we lived for ten years before going to Mexico four years ago. It’s lovely to be reconnecting with so many old friends and acquaintances, people I missed a lot while we were gone. It really does make up for the much worse climate.

3. If you want to eat, you can expect to work. Some of the wealthy Mexicans have a sense of entitlement but overall it’s rare. Most of our Mexican friends understand from childhood that contributing is needed. You often see kids and young teenagers helping out in family restaurants, market stalls, or stores. They often have fun doing it, but even if they don’t, they are learning that they have something to give. I think this is a hard one for kids to get here in the US.

4. Frugality is a deeply ingrained habit. For one example, Rosa came once a week for about four hours to clean our house. She and I became very good friends, and part of her job became to help us with our Spanish. Despite the fact that we had a cardboard box full of old t-shirts and such to use as rags, she would always wash out the same few rags that she used until they were in shreds.

Mexicans understand that their economic system can collapse. it has done so numerous times in the memory of older adults. In the 1990s, there was quite a severe downturn. One Mexican friend of mine lost her job and her car; others pulled their kids out of private schools and postponed dental work. People helped each other out and got by.

Not everything transfers well from one culture to another, but I think these things do.

This article came from: Four Things I Learned About Simple Green Living From My Years in Mexico at Simple Living, Sustainable Living.

Beginner’s Tips For Going Green – 5 Easy Things You Can Do to Get Started Now

By Tasha Enright

Does the thought of going green overwhelm you? Do you want to start living more consciously, but not sure how to begin? Are you immobilized by the seemingly enormous task of saving our planet? Take comfort and know that you are not alone. Making small daily efforts that minimize your impact on the earth adds to the collective effort, creating an effect on a larger scale. These beginners’ tips for going green shows you 5 easy things you can do to get started now!

#1 Recycle

If you and your family already do this in your home, great! Be sure to contact your local recycling company to see if there have been any updates to what they will recycle. Guidelines from a few years back may not prove to be accurate anymore.

If you do not have recycling setup in your home, there’s never been a better time to start. Many trash companies now have a recycling pick-up service for a reasonable price.

When you’re out and about, make it a priority within your family to take any recyclable items home with you if there are no bins where you are. Do the same with items from work and school and your recycling efforts will quickly begin to add up.

#2 Reuse EVERYTHING

Before throwing anything away, ask yourself a quick question…can this be used for another purpose? Lots of things we deem as trash make an excellent transformation into another useful thing. Cottage cheese and sour cream containers make nice Tupperware or paint cups for the kids. Tin cans make wonderful planters once they are cleaned out and redecorated on the outside. Even your water from the night before can be re-used as plant or lawn water. Be creative, if you are at a loss for ideas, get online for inspiration.

#3 Take Care of Your Car

By keeping up on our car’s maintenance, we can make a big impact on the environment. Keeping the tires inflated, oil changes up-to-date, and the gas tank full are a good way to ensure your vehicle is running at its optimal level, and burning less fuel.

#4 Shop Your Local Farmer’s Markets

One thing that many Americans do not think about when they go to the grocery store is where their food is coming from. Was it shipped from overseas, driven across country in a semi, or flown in from some exotic locale? Many of our foods travel many, many miles from their point of origin to our dinner plates, creating unnecessary pollution and fuel consumption, not to mention diminished nutrient levels in the foods themselves. By shopping locally, you do the Earth a tremendous favor in cutting down on carbon pollution. By shopping local farmer markets, you also support local agriculture and family farms.

#5 Create an Energy Efficient Home

This is probably one of the biggest areas we can all improve on in our quest to be more green. There are tons of little things you can do around your home to make it more energy efficient. Simple tasks like unplugging small appliances when not in use, such as the coffee pot or toaster, or unplugging your computer at the end of the day can make a big difference over time. Turning off the lights as you leave a room, using cold or warm water for your laundry, and running things like the dishwasher and washer at night also help in the cause.

There are so many simple daily tasks that can be done to help in the race to save our planet. Following these beginner’s tips for going green is a great way to get started, but there is more to do. Head over to http://www.diygreenprojects.info for information on how to make a significant impact on the Earth for the better and learn how to get money in your pocket for your efforts. It’s a win-win situation, but only for those who are truly passionate and invested in making a difference. See you over there!

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This article came from: 5 Easy Ways to Go Greener at Simple Living, Sustainable Living.

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Getting Started With Urban Homesteading

By Jennifer Carpenter

The term homesteading is usually associated with the Homesteading Act that allowed certain Americans to claim land before the law was done away with in the 1970s. However homesteading as an activity is alive and well and moving into the cities and suburbs of America and many other countries.

Homesteading goes by many other names; simple living, country living, getting back to basics and self-sufficient living. No matter what you call it, it boils down to doing more for yourself and relying less on consumer goods and services. Urban homesteading is simply homesteading without the benefit of a large amount of land, such as in the city. Some of the ways people practice urban homesteading is by container gardening, sewing their own clothes, finding alternative sources of energy, and conserving water through the use of rainwater collection and greywater use.

The first thing you should do if you are interested in homesteading (urban or not) is plan. Plan, plan and then plan some more. The last thing you want is to be stuck not knowing what to do and wasting all your previous efforts. Following are four questions you should ask yourself after you have decided to try your hand at urban homesteading.

What Do You Want To Accomplish With Your Homestead?

Are you interested in just growing fresh herbs and vegetables or do you want to go as far as creating your own clothes, furniture and home furnishings as well as grown your own food? The answers to these questions will have a lot to do with the amount of time and effort you want to, and can, dedicate to homesteading as well as the amount of space and resources available to you. The best idea might be to write a list of your ultimate goals and then start by working towards one at a time.

What Supplies Do I Need To Get Started?

What you need to begin is going to depend largely on what you want to accomplish. To start container gardening you will need at least some large containers (they do not have to be flower pots, any container will do), some potting soil, seeds, and fertilizer if you decide to use a commercial product instead of going organic. Coffee grounds make a decent organic fertilizer if you do not want to but a commercial product.

If you are going to making your own clothes, obviously you will need a sewing machine, fabric, and other sewing supplies. Soap making has its own supplies as does candle making, canning, drying, etc.

What Types Of Alternative Energy Are Possible For Me?

If you own your home, you may be able to go whole hog and install solar panels. If you live in a small apartment or any residence that you do not own, you may have to settle for a small solar generator, or only a solar oven. You can usually hang your clothes outside to dry rather than using a dryer but some areas do not allow clotheslines to be hung so you have to check the local laws. Collecting rainwater is a good way to save water for watering your garden but you need to be careful that your rainwater bins have lids otherwise you will attract mosquitoes. To get started go to your local library and research some alternative energy methods, do not be afraid to think outside the box (the breaker box that is) and commit to whatever you decide.

How Will I Deal With Criticism?

Simple living is not looked upon highly by most people in our consumer goods driven society. Odds are you will have friends and family members that will think what you are doing is pointless and over the top. Consider how you will deal with people criticizing the changes you are making, even going so far as to say that homemade goods are not safe or as good as those bought in a store. Above all, stick to your guns and do not let naysayers make you doubt that you are doing the right thing.

For more information on urban homesteading, visit http://www.tryurbanhomesteading.com

Jennifer Carpenter is a work at home mother of three, two teens and a preschooler. She is a writer and Internet marketer who is currently working towards financial freedom through working online. Read more about her incredible journey at http://www.livingmybigdream.com

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The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City is a good book to get you going on urban homesteading. Click on the title or on the image below to find out more at Amazon:

This article came from: Getting Started With Urban Homesteading at Simple Living, Sustainable Living.

Eco Friendly Products

By Ethan Le

The term biodegradable is associated with environmentally friendly products. What exactly does this mean? The meaning of biodegradation is breaking down of organic substances by the help of other living organisms such as bacteria and microbes. It helps out greatly in waste management and keeping the environment clean.

Now the trend of being eco-friendly is booming all over the world. Small and big companies are trying to contribute towards this cause. Going green is the new mantra. Eco-friendly products are becoming popular in the industrial as well as the corporate sector. These products not only help in promoting effective campaigns but also help in spreading the word about the company’s social awareness and values. There are lot more benefits attached to it!

Eco-friendly products provide the imprinted brand related message also; this in turn elevates the brand image and reflects a positive impression amongst existing and potential customers, along with the repeated exposure of your logo.

Going green does not make money for you; but it saves your wealth, that’s for sure. So it wouldn’t be a foolish decision at all. These biodegradable products are not only meeting high standards of quality, durability and beauty, but they are also cost effective. There are compostable products like compostable plates, straws, containers, hot cups, cold cups, soufflé cups, bowls, etc.

Biodegradable party supplies are those products which can be thrown in the regular garbage. The compostable plates, straws, containers, hot cups, cold cups, souffle cups, will naturally biodegrade over time. These biodegradable tableware products replace non-biodegradable plastic and Styrofoam products that will NOT biodegrade and will fill our landfills forever.

Biodegradable tableware is as affordable and safe as it is environmental friendly. When disposed off with a commercial compost facility, biodegradable tableware takes only 50 to 100 days to completely compost. Disposable tableware is made from sugarcane fiber leftover after juice extraction. Normally, this residue is burned after pulping, thus creating air pollution. But this sugarcane fiber can be re-used – by being made into disposable products normally made from plastic or virgin paper. The tableware has no plastic or wax lining applied to it and can be used for both hot and cold items. Though, the tableware is soak proof, hot items will cause moisture/precipitation to form at the bottom of the tableware.

The best thing is that biodegradable packaging can reduce the amount of litter. All around the world, biodegradable packaging is moving into the mainstream. Progress in bio-technology means that plant based starches, for example sugar cane and corn, can be used as a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional, petroleum based plastics.

If you are concerned about the durability of biodegradable shipping supplies, do not be. These types of shipping supplies may be biodegradable, but that does not mean that they are of a lesser quality and construction than shipping supplies that are not biodegradable. Biodegradable packaging is packaging that after use simply biodegrades harmlessly back into the earth.

Ethan Le is the author of this article on Eco-friendly Products. Find more information about Biodegradable Party Supplies here.

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This is an area where you can be as conventional or as purist about ingredients as you wish. Some recipes that you will see do  use petroleum-based oils, some don’t. Some use dairy products, some don’t.

Here is a book at Amazon that includes a lot of easy formulations to make your own cosmetics: Organic Body Care Recipes. I looked at quite a few books before choosing this one to feature. It has some of the best ratings, yet there is also criticism of it. People will always disagree, I know, and opinions run strong on the topics of what is natural and suitable! I also looked around at some of the top websites listed for this subject, but none of them really jumped out at me.

These recipes are evidently pretty easy. To find out more, click on the book cover:

This article came from: Make Your Own Cosmetics at Simple Living, Sustainable Living.

So is my husband. He is admittedly a bit less excited about it but we are in agreement about our plans.

We have been living in Mexico, by Lake Chapala, in an ideal climate, for four years now. We fill our VW Jetta up with gas about every three months because we drive so little. We walk down to the town plaza every Tuesday to load up on veggies and fruits — except for what we grow in our own year-round organic garden. In the brief winter, we use a couple of radiant heaters by our desks now and then. In the summer, we cool off with the breezes from the lake, sometimes augmented by a window fan.

We are leaving this tropical paradise to go back to Crestone, the remote small town in Colorado where we lived before. We will be driving a lot more, heating a house for the very long winter, and all the rest of it.

I’m thrilled because that’s where my heart is. Much as I have loved Mexico, my tribe is back there. So many dear friends I have missed so much.

Decisions must include the heart.

This article came from: Why I Am Going to Live Less Sustainably at Simple Living, Sustainable Living.

Be Mindful of Bees

By Ruth Hadikin

Do you know we rely on Honey Bees for a third of our food supply? Among that are some of the foods we love most: vegetables, fruit, nuts, juice, smoothies and… ice-cream! (One ice-Cream manufacturer is so concerned that they have launched a campaign)

Whenever we see a bee we should fall on our knees in deep gratitude and flow oceans of love. Most of us are unaware that our food supply depends on bees, and so we fail to acknowledge their importance in our lives, and we even mistreat them.

Bee numbers are falling rapidly. Bee keepers globally are aware of a problem called ‘colony collapse’ where whole colonies of bees die, or mysteriously ‘disappear’. The Almond crops in California depend on bees for pollination. No bees = no almonds. Bee-keepers in the USA are already importing bees in vast numbers from Australia to pollinate essential food crops. Australia is the only remaining continent that has so far escaped the blight. America, Africa, Asia and Europe are seeing drastically-falling bee numbers.

So where are the bees going? There are some virulent viruses that attack bees. Varroa destructor virus -1(VDV1) is an old suspect and even though it has been around for some time it is usually fatal to a bee colony. More recently scientists discovered Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV), which most bees are susceptible to, although Australian bees seem to have developed immunity. This may explain why Australian bees are not falling down with colony collapse, and it gives cause for hope to develop bee immunity in other continents.

As with humans, the ability to develop immunity depends upon good health. Stress weakens immunity and makes us more prone to illness. Believe it or not, commercial bees are often ’stressed’ which compromises their immunity to disease. You might wonder: what could ’stress’ a bee? Well, we do: humans.

A bees day is busy, and they do different jobs in a hive. Depending upon your job, as a bee, you might spend your day creating wax to build and repair the hive, or producing honey to feed the larvae and other bees, or nursing and feeding the larvae, or going out to collect pollen, which is needed for food and making honey, and bring it back to the hive.

As bees go about their business of gathering pollen from blossoms, they also collect whatever chemicals have been used on that crop. One study found 25 different pesticides in a single bee. This is fatal chemical overload. Their bodies are working overtime to remove chemical toxins, so they have no resources left to build their immune systems and resist viral infections.

As if to add insult to injury, we then transport our weakened bees in trucks, over thousands of miles, where we expect them to pollinate extensive agricultural crops. (Exposing them to more chemical pollution).

Overworked, in unnatural conditions, and poisoned by pesticides, our little bees have no chance when they come into contact with these deadly viruses.

We need to take much better care of our bees. Make sure they are healthy, and develop sustainable ways to work them, keep them healthy, and support them in developing resistance to disease. If not, who knows what we will lose. We may not even realize until it’s too late.

How you can help:

The good news is that in some areas, bees are surviving better in towns where they are safe from crop spraying. This means we can make a huge difference in our own back yards.

• Respect the role of bees and let them live.
• Educate others of bees’ importance and vulnerable situation.
• Teach your children how special bees are when it comes to our food.
• Share your awareness and gratitude for bees.
• Let’s agree, bees need our help.
• Plant more flowering plants, plan and refrain from using chemicals in your own back yard. There are many alternatives to spraying. (For example: ladybug larvae will eat greenfly and other aphids, and you can purchase them from specialist suppliers)
• Do a little research about alternatives to spraying.
• Consider buying or making a bee house to support bees.
• If you enjoy unusual hobbies you may consider bee-keeping. In London, UK for example ordinary people are setting up bee-hives in their back yards and on rooftops! In towns and cities there are fewer chemicals, and more people who can make a difference. It could be town and city-dwellers who save our bees.
• Get involved! Support organic farmers.
• Buy organic produce as much as possible to send a clear message that you don’t want crops that have been sprayed.
• Support groups, companies and charities that are helping bees.
• Write, campaign, petition your political representatives to raise awareness of this issue.

Movie “Vanishing of The Bees” See the trailer at: http://tiny.cc/1GSqt

Ruth Hadikin supports people in reducing stress in their lives.
She is author of “Effective Coaching in Healthcare” and co-author with Muriel O’Driscoll of “The Bullying Culture”. She writes regularly for http://www.lifecoachingmagazine.net/LCM/Contents.html

Website: http://www.dreamcoach.co.uk

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