GREEN Living Tips
Use Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) typically use one fourth of the amount of energy as equivalent incandescent bulbs, and last 7-10 times as long. Replacing all of your bulbs with CFLs is one of the easiest ways to conserve energy and save money in your home.
Non-Toxic Paints
It's not just the paint on your walls that you should think about. The paint on your child's toys may also have VOCs (volatile organic compounds). There are a slew of new toys that use water-based and low-VOC or no-VOC paints (and nearly all of them will advertise this fact). This way a non-toxic toy gets the non-toxic paint job it deserves.
Use Non-toxic Cleaners in Your Home
Many kitchen cleaners are laden with harsh chemicals that can irritate your eyes and skin, not to mention Mother Nature. Natural cleaning products leave the kitchen clean and your health in check. Products can be found at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Target (Method) and even some grocery stores!
Take Your Own Bags to the Store
Canvas bags work well and are durable and long lasting. If you use plastic or paper bags, use them until they wear out. Most stores will give you 5 cents off the total for each bag you supply.
Second-Hand
Check out eBay, Craigslist, Freecycle, yard sales, or your local classifieds for perfectly good toys and furniture that have simply been outgrown. And, don't forget that you can always give that same toy or furniture a third life (and recoup some of the cost) by putting it up for sale right where you found it.
Reduce, Reuse & Recycle!
* Use your blue recycle bin to recycle magazines, newspapers, glass, and plastic.
* Reuse plastic containers and spray bottles for homemade non-toxic cleaners.
* "Pre-cycle" by opting for items you know are recyclable or reusable.
* Buy in bulk (lessens packaging that ends up in the trash).
* Recycling also includes buying products that are recycled. This is called "closing the loop", and is an essential component of creating a market for recycled goods.
Eat Organic and Locally Grown Food!
Most crops in the US are grown with the aid of various synthetic chemicals including pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides. Toxic residues from these chemicals are found on conventionally grown fruit and vegetables. The Food Quality Protection Act (1996) recognizes that many of the chemicals used present unacceptably high health risks, particularly to infants and children. According to the Environmental Protection Agency
60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides and 30% of insecticides are carcinogenic.
To increase yields, conventionally raised farm animals are also treated with hormones. These hormones may have harmful effects on human health. For example, treating cows with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) results in a two- to tenfold increase in levels of another hormone, IGF-1, in their milk.
High levels of IGF-1 are associated with an increased risk of cancer in humans.
Organic farming practices, which ban the use of such antibiotics and hormones, avoid these serious health risks. Buying produce that is organic is a good way to play it safe. The FDA has documented the average levels of pesticides in the foods above and found nearly 30 different kinds of chemicals in each serving.
Community Supported Agriculture programs reflect an innovative and resourceful strategy to connect local farmers with local consumers. Most food in our grocery stores travel over 1500 miles to get to us! Supermarkets leave the impression that every fruit and vegetable should be available year-round. However, in order to accommodate this demand, they stock produce that has been shipped cross-country if not from other continents. Eliminating the need for long-distance shipping, buying locally preserves both flavor and nutrients.
Unplug your chargers!
Your charger sucks energy when plugged into the wall!!
Unplug chargers (cell phones and iPods) when not in use. Only 5% of the power drawn by a cell phone charger is used to charge the phone. The other 95% is wasted when it is left plugged into the wall.
Have a great GREENday!
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