Going Green - 10 Easy Ways to Get Started

By Jen Brown

Don’t know where to start going green! Simple and easy ways for anyone to start saving the planet. Start today can make baby steps add up to big steps when you make it a habit. Here are a few tips to get you moving towards a brighter future.

Using a reusable bags

Take a tote along when you go shopping. All that plastic & paper has a cost and also ends up in a landfill. If you bring your own bag or tote to the grocery store or shopping mall with you will save the need to use over 100+ bags a year. There are many stores that offer reusable totes very inexpensively, as well as nylon sacs that can be neatly tucked into your pocket or purse. Some stores even offer a 5 to 10 cent refund to you when you bring your own bags instead of using theirs.

Separating Bottle and Cans

Start separating your bottles and cans. Start paying attention to your waste. Make sure they have the recycle symbols on them. Invest in recycle bins and start using them if you can in your area or find out where your local recycling center it and start making an effort to visit them with your recyclables. This ensures that the glass, plastic, and metal is re-purposed, saving both the planet and product cost.

Car Pool

Hitch ride with a fellow co-worker and share split the cost of gas. Or organize a group to go shopping, or to events together in one or two vehicles. Whether it be one day of the week or every day, if you car pool you save money and it decreases the amount of automobiles on the road. Less traffic equals less emission and less wear and tear on roads, autos, and your wallet. Everyone wins when we share a ride.

Donate Unwanted Items

Don’t throw it away if it is still useful, donate it to your local charity. There are many people out there that can use what you don’t want anymore. Whether it be clothing, household goods, hardware, someone out there can benefit from your toss aways. It create re-use, and less waste. Most charities have a pick up service available as well as drop boxes through-out many neighborhoods. Check your local yellow pages for locations.

Take Mass Transit

Take the metro or bus one or more days a week can make a major difference in waste, energy use, and maintenance of your auto as well as save on packing hassles and fees. Many major city have easy to navigate transit systems, take the time to find out information and services in your area. Public transit is fair less expensive and a safe convenient mode of transportation. Call your local transit authority in your area.

Have a Swap Party

Get all those unused gifts you may have receive but never had a need for or clothing that you have bought and never wear, double amount of stuff you will not get around to using and invite some other friends over that have gone through their belongs to trade and have a swap party. This can be a very fun, productive, social party that helps recycle and reuse perfectly great items.

List Unwanted Items on Freecycle

A wonderful free organization you can join where you can find other who need what you don’t want anymore and they will pick it up is freecycle. Freecycle is very easy to join and is determined by your location to which group you will be in. The group is in every major city and it is an online network group. You can find and offer any unwanted items, supplies, products here. Look out the one in your area code and join.

Use Biodegradable Products

Look for recycled packaging and container when you purchase your product. These goods and becoming more and more present in retail, most are marked as such. They are easily process and cut down and don’t create as much pollution in processing. Safer for our environment. Look at the label and educate yourself.

Dispose of Electronics Properly

Don’t just throw away those batteries, T.V., computers, in the garbage or dumpster any more. There are special ways to dispose of electronic waste. Most states have standards in place of the the disposal of most electronic or items with components to them and they have places you can take them for free disposal. Also there are organization that can use and refurbished item so that they can live on and serve a purpose even longer so check out information for your area online or in the yellow pages. Some of these items can last over 100 years in a landfill and have the ability to be toxic.

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