How to Go Green — 6 Easy, Cheap Ways to Protect our Planet Today
Patagonia raked in $10 million for Black Friday, and they plan on donating 100% of that to grassroots environmental groups. This is an amazing step towards protecting our planet, but don’t think that there’s nothing we can do as average, non-$10million citizens can also do to help out.
There are a lot of posts out there that just list out 50, 100, 200 ways to go green, but I find getting exposed to that much can be overwhelming. Here are 6 insanely easy-to-implement ways you can start helping out our environment today:
1. Don’t forget your water bottle!
That’s what they used to tell me at summer camp, but now I follow that rule closer than ever. I’ve been carrying my water bottle around for about 2 years now, and I’m barely ever seen without it. Crazy to think how much plastic I’ve avoided by toting around a reusable bottle. During his speech at our wedding, my father-in-law even said I convinced him to start bringing one with him (but he also said I still can’t convince him to drive a Prius….small steps, small steps). It’s so easy and can make a huge difference! I’m a die hard fan of Hydro Flask — they create fantastic, BPA-free stainless steel bottles that keep water cold for hours.
2. Drop the beef
This one surprised me. Tons of studies have shown that the livestock sector is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases. First try going meatless just one meal a week where you’d normally eat meat. It’s tough for sure, but I try going meatless for either lunch or dinner each day.
3. Enjoy that local food
It’s important to eat food that’s sourced close to you. Take a second and think about the extra resources it takes to eat something that was grown or raised in another state — that’s a lot of gasoline. Try going to restaurants that serve farm-to-table food because they almost always feature nearby farms and ranches. Also instead of getting your produce at the grocery store, maybe try going to your local farmers’ market and supporting local farms. Go to http://www.localharvest.org/ to check out what’s around you!
4. Buy secondhand
There are a TON of things you can buy used that will save you a TON of money and prevent a manufacturer from using resources to create something new. I definitely prefer opening up a physical paper book rather than using a Kindle, but I never get them new. I’ll swing by my local Half Price Books almost always when I’m in the area. Bikes are another great secondhand purchase — I got mine for half the price of a new bike, and only had to spend about $20 in repairs. There are so many options out there now (Craigslist, letgo, swap.com), that it’s hard not to find great things secondhand.
5. Watch your water
I’m over at someone’s house, they put their dirty dish in the sink, turn the water on and just walk away. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THAT BUGS ME! I can’t just watch water running without being attended to — it’s truly peeves me. Water’s a finite resource people, we need to watch how we use it! Teach your kids not to leave it on while brushing their teeth, don’t let water run before you shower, only run full loads of laundry….these are easy steps that could make a huge impact.
6. Ditch the car
I’d say this is the hardest of the 6 to implement, but won’t be too bad if you just spend a little planning time. I started mapping out my drives for the week by figuring out where I need to drive each day and how to shorten or completely eliminate a trip. By doing this I now save about 10 miles a week. Do you find yourself making extra, unnecessary driving trips throughout the week? Think mid-week grocery store trips, workout classes, meeting friends for happy hour. I do my best to line these up with the trip I already make from my office to home in the evenings.
I hope these ideas can show you just how easy going green can be! Do you have things you love doing to protect our planet? Please let me know in the comments!
-Morry and Lauren
