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Living the Green Life

Simply put, green living is conserving and using resources effectively. People who live green make environmentally friendly decisions aimed at reducing waste and reusing materials.

With the number of environmentally conscious stores growing every year, people are finding it easier than ever to focus on green living and green living shopping. By shopping green, consumers can wield their power to help the environment. Here's how green living can help us take the stomp out of our ecological footprints.

Living Green on the Road
There are a number of things people can do to live and work greener. For example, automobiles are major contributors to global warming and pollution. Simply by choosing our cars more carefully, we can help cut back on pollution. Here are some other things you can do to advocate green living and cut back on car dependence:

• Advocate local planning for more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly streets and areas.
• Choose a fuel-efficient car, which might include a hybrid gasoline/electric car or an alternative-fuel vehicle that runs on biodiesel, ethanol or hydrogen.
• Cut down the number of miles you drive daily.
• Maintain your car with tune-ups, oil changes and properly inflated tires.
• Participate in carpools.
• Use mass transit, bicycles or walk when possible.

Living Green at Home and in the Workplace
Simple actions can lead to improved energy efficiency around the house or workplace. Here are some green living tips for the home and office:

• Adjust the thermostat, water heater and refrigerator to optimum temperature settings.
• Check with your utility companies for energy-efficiency incentive programs.
• Choose an electric utility that uses renewable energy (e.g., solar, wind or geothermal).
• Exchange incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Make the most of the sun's light and heat.
• Purchase appliances, office equipment and electronics with the Energy Star label.
• Turn off lights, appliances and gadgets when you're not using them.
• Weatherize by properly sealing and caulking windows and doors and adequately insulating.

You can also save resources by following these green living tips:

• Compost at home to relieve landfills and generate natural fertilizer.
• Decrease junk mail by keeping your personal information off mailing lists.
• Purchase products with less packaging and packaging that can be recycled.
• Recycle and buy recycled products.
• Use durable goods such as cloth shopping bags and dishrags, ceramic mugs and reusable food containers.

With water usage and concomitant pollution increasing, conservation steps and green living measures are required at the individual level. Here are some green living items you can purchase:

• faucet flow restrictor aerators
• low-flow toilets
• low-flow showerheads
• water-conserving landscaping items (sprinklers, shrubs, etc.).

Individuals can also live greener by investing in socially responsible companies that look out for the environment and by supporting organic and sustainable farming.

The Three Rs Of Green Living
At the heart of living green lies the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Reducing waste entails consuming and discarding less, which relieves pressure on already-overburdened landfills. You can reuse materials by repairing them, donating them and reselling them, which will save natural resources and energy, prevent pollution and save money. Recycling converts trash into valuable resources. In addition, it creates jobs and stimulates green technology development.

Shopping Green, Saving Green
As consumers, people can live green by shopping green. Green living shopping requires that you think about the effects your purchases will have on the environment. When shopping green, consider the following questions:

• Can the packaging and/or product be recycled?
• Does the product use excessive packaging?
• Will you be able to use the product multiple times before you will need to discard it?

Not only does green shopping help the environment, it can also save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per year. Whenever possible, shoppers should shun products packaged in single-serving sizes and buy the largest sizes available. They should also learn which materials are recyclable. Common recyclable materials include: 

• aluminum
• cardboard 
• glass
• No. 1 and No. 2 plastic
• steel.

Purchasing durable and long-lasting products is an important part of green shopping. Rechargeable batteries, cloth diapers and dishtowels and razors with replaceable blades are all products that you can use multiple times.

Shopping green also means identifying products manufactured with the least environmental impact, made of the least toxic materials and that are organic. Here are just a few green products on the market:

• biological pest control products
• compost tumblers
• eco-fleece clothing
• herbal soap-based cleansers
• recycled plastic furniture
• solar-powered radios
• zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint.

Living Greener
Green living may be a lifestyle choice, but living greener doesn't necessarily mean you have to completely overhaul how you live. By simply shutting off unused lights, fixing a leaky tap, recycling newspapers or bottles, you take a big step toward living greener.

Maybe you can buy organic fruit or some recycled boxes, or perhaps you could write your congressperson to advocate a pedestrian mall in your hometown. Whatever the case, the more green steps you take, the lighter the ecological footprint you'll leave.