Category Archives: Environmentally Friendly

How to Jumpstart Your Eco Friendly Lifestyle

Making the initial changes to a more eco friendly lifestyle may not be the hardest part of your journey to be more green, but it’s often one of the most intimidating. There are so many options that it’s really hard at times to know just where to begin.

Make a List and Prioritize

If you’re ready to be eco friendly, you probably have some idea as to what changes you would like to make in your lifestyle. You just don’t always know which to make first. Some steps may seem to be too big to do right away while others may feel too small to make a real difference.

This list should be the things you think you want to do. You may not be able to make all of these changes right away; that’s why you prioritize them.

You can also assign a cost to the various steps. If some will take a bite out of your budget, you should plan for that. But remember that many eco decisions will save you money. These are great for getting started.

Some simple steps are:

1. Drive less.
2. Change to CFL or LED light bulbs.
3. Eat less meat.
4. Buy a programmable thermostat.
5. Check out local thrift stores.
6. Buy a stainless steel water bottle instead of plastic.
7. Review what can easily be recycled in your community.

These aren’t particularly expensive for the most part. Switching to LED bulbs can be expensive as they aren’t that common yet, but even those should pay for themselves in time.

For many of us, more expensive options such as installing solar panels may not be possible right away. If that’s what you want to do and you can afford it, go for it! But if it’s not in the budget, be realistic enough to admit that it’s not time for you to do that yet.

How Fast Should You Make Changes?

It’s tempting to just plunge in and make all the changes you know you should make right away. It’s great if you can manage it, but most people will have a lot of trouble that.

That’s fine. None of us are perfect.

Start with some simple changes, and add to them over time. I won’t say to go really slowly, but make changes at a rate where you can accept the new habits. Otherwise it’s far too easy to slide back into bad habits.

Some changes you’ll be amazed at how comfortable they are. Others will challenge your resolve. We’re all human and there are things we all want in life. Choosing a slightly different lifestyle isn’t always going to be easy. You will find that it gets better with time and you’ll find new ways to enjoy yourself and what you’re doing. A more eco friendly lifestyle is worth the effort.

What About Skeptics?

Unless you’re extremely lucky, you’re going to have some skeptical people in your life who don’t see the need for such changes. Some don’t believe in protecting the environment because they don’t believe in climate change while others don’t think they or you can make a difference.

Talk to them as you find appropriate. Some people are really great for having spirited, respectful arguments with. Others respect only their own opinions and aren’t worth the trouble. Still others may find what you’re doing interesting and decide to give it a try themselves.

Remember that when you’re talking about living an eco friendly lifestyle that you do not need to focus just on climate change. Talk about pollution in general. Talk about ocean acidification. Talk about decreasing fresh water supplies in many communities. These are areas that give a different angle to the usual environmental arguments many skeptics are used to.

How Can You Make Your Summer Road Trip More Eco Friendly?

Summer is a great time for family vacations. The kids are out of school in most areas and the weather is great… so long as you aren’t after snow or something. Now you just need to find that balance between a fun vacation and being good to the environment, particularly with the Gulf oil spill much on our minds. You have a few options.

Staycation

A staycation is often the most environmentally responsible choice. Check out the fun things to do in your own area. Often people skip the tourist destinations in their own area because they’re always there. You know you can visit them eventually, and often eventually is really far away.

Use your staycation to do the fun things in your area. Visit local historic sites, parks, beaches, trails and so forth. Try out unfamiliar restaurants.

Local Road Trip

Next best is a local road trip. Find some nearby areas you can drive to visit and stay there. This can include camping, exploring sights a bit further from home, staying in a hotel and so forth.

Longer Road Trip

A long road trip can be a lot of fun for the family. Mine someday wants to do a long road trip up the California coast on the 101, camping whenever we need a break. It’s a great way to appreciate the natural beauty of a place.

If you’re driving for your vacation, short distance or long, make sure you inflate your tires correctly, remove excess weight from your car, use your cruise control and obey the speed limit. These tips should improve your fuel efficiency.

What About Buses, Planes and Trains?

This is a complex calculation. Which is the best depends on what’s available for your transportation, the distance and how many people are in your group and sharing the transportation with you. A full flight is going to be more efficient per person than a half empty one, after all! Depending on where you’re going, you may still need to rent an efficient car to get where you’re going. Most of us aren’t going to spend a vacation in the immediate vicinity of the airport.

Time is also a factor. Planes are fast, but may not be the most efficient option in terms of direct fuel cost. If you don’t have the time to drive, take a bus or train to wherever you’re going, that’s the option you’re going to pick, regardless of efficiency.

There’s a good review of the options at Scholars and Rogues that discusses the lifecycle cost of each type of transit. It has a lot of food for thought. It covers the issues from more than just the viewpoint of fuel consumed by each vehicle. There’s the entire complex lifestyle, and the results go against the usual calculations done based on fuel expended per person. It’s an interesting perspective.

Don’t Forget Bicycling

Bicycling isn’t an option for all family vacations. Kids can only ride so far, and may not be able to do distance riding safely. But of all options, it’s the most energy efficient and the best way to appreciate nature. If you’re going on your vacation by car, consider taking bikes along, remembering that the bike racks will decrease your gas mileage.

No option is perfectly environmentally friendly, but then living isn’t perfectly environmentally friendly. Think about your impact before you pack.

11 Eco Friendly Ways to Keep Cool During the Summer

Summer’s here in full force and it’s not always easy to keep cool without using the air conditioner. While sometimes that really is the only way, there are other ways you can cool yourself and your family that won’t add so much to your power bill.

What works best for you will depend on the conditions you live in. Some tips aren’t so great for areas with high humidity, for example. Try things out and see what’s right for you.

1. Damp Washcloth on the Neck

Soak a washcloth or bandana with cool water. Drape it on your neck. It feels great.

You can also wipe the cloth across your face and wrists to feel cooler. It’s amazing how much of a difference such a small thing can make.

2. Turn on the Fans

Before you resort to your air conditioner, turn on your ceiling fan, standing fan or any other fan you have. The motion won’t make the air any cooler in reality, but the moving air will help you to feel cooler. Plus fans are cheaper to run than air conditioners.

3. Eat Spicy Foods

It may sound contrary, but it works. Spicy foods can help you to feel cooler due to your body’s reaction to them.

4. Get Your Hair Wet

Damp hair helps you to feel cooler too. Use the coldest water you can stand, and towel dry as little as you can stand. Most people aren’t going to enjoy going dripping around the house, but on a really hot day that effect won’t last for long.

5. Spray Yourself with Water

Fill a clean spray bottle with water. Spray yourself lightly with water wherever you have bare skin. The evaporation of the water will help you feel cooler. You can even spray a fine mist into the air and walk through it.

6. Cover Your Windows

Windows are a major source of heat for your entire house. Let the sunlight through them and you’re going to heat up.

Closing curtains and blinds should be a basic step, but you can do more. Cardboard boxes look ugly, but they block a lot more heat. Covering your windows with blankets is an alternative, as is using mylar sheets to block out more sunlight.

7. Open the Windows

Different times of day, different solutions. If your nights are cool enough, an open window can cool your home nicely while letting in a breeze.

8. Eat Raw Fruits and Vegetables

These won’t cool you directly, but they’re quite refreshing on a hot day. Keep them in the refrigerator until it’s time to eat. Cucumbers are particularly popular with my family.

9. Enjoy a Frozen Treat

I make popsicles out of fruit smoothies, but any sort of frozen treat is going to feel good on a hot day.

10. Wear Cool Clothes

Dress right for the weather. Wear lightweight cotton clothes as much as you can. If not, at least go for short sleeves.

11. Adapt

Your body can adapt wonderfully to a range of temperatures. It can cope well with hot days if you don’t always demand a thermostat set at 72 degrees F.

Are You Greening or Greenwashing Your Life?

Going green is pretty popular these days. Many people are aware that we need to think about the impact we have on the environment in our daily lives. That doesn’t mean we all get it right.

It’s not an easy thing to make your life more eco friendly. There are a lot of challenges that really complicate things. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try our best.

Can You Go Completely Green These Days?

Most of us can’t do all of the green things we’d like to do. Going completely off the grid is financially impossible for the average family. Most of us don’t have enough yard space to grow enough food for our families for the entire year. Avoiding all plastic is next to impossible.

Most of us
can’t do all of the green things we’d
like to do.

Just go to the store and look at how hard it is to be green, even when you’re trying to shop with the environment in mind. So many companies advertise their products as eco friendly when they really aren’t. So many basic household cleaning supplies come in plastic, even if you use eco friendly cleaning supplies.

To top it all off, many of the people who want to go green don’t know how to see past the greenwashing practices that so many companies have enthusiastically adopted to make themselves look better. Much of the terminology they use is completely unregulated. They can make claims about their products which sound eco friendly but really mean nothing at all.

What Can You Do?

The most important step you can take in making your life truly more eco friendly (aside from getting started) is to educate yourself. Find great resources that will help you to know when a product claim means something. Learn how to make some of the simple changes in your lifestyle.

Really think about the things you’re changing and the things you’re not. Why does your family need two cars? Is mass transit in your area good enough that you could maybe get by on one car? Is a backyard vegetable garden a good choice in your area or are watering restrictions too likely to kill it off? What can you do about that darn lawn anyhow?

Look at your shopping habits. When do you buy? Why do you buy? Do you ever ask yourself if you should buy? Do you really need more or newer electronics in your life?

Not buying things you don’t need is one of the best things you can do for the environment.

Not buying things you don’t need is one of the best things you can do for the environment, especially once you understand how big the “don’t need” category is even in modern life. If you’re shopping to keep up with styles or the hottest technology, ask yourself why. Be sure you have a good answer.

Sometimes your answers won’t be perfectly eco friendly. Your circumstances won’t always allow you to do what you know is the greenest answer. But try. Find ways to break your non-green habits. Keep at it even when it’s not easy.

The environmental effects of the changes you make usually aren’t apparent. But they’re present, not only in your home but in your ability to encourage others to do likewise. The difference one person can make won’t solve all our problems. The example one person can make can encourage others, who can encourage others, who can encourage others as the ideas continue to be accepted. That’s where the big differences may someday come in.

When Was the Last Time You Walked Your Errands?

Driving to run errands is very much so a habit for most people. It’s easier and faster. But if the places you need to go are within walking or bike riding distance, it’s perhaps not the right choice. How often could you do errands without using your car, and how often do you?

It’s a question worth thinking on.

Distance

Whether you want to walk, ride a bike or drive depends in part on how far you need to go. If it’s under a mile, walking is often not a bad option, weather permitting. Biking a few miles each way can be a reasonable choice too. There’s certainly a point where driving or taking mass transit makes more sense.

Weather

Some weather is better than other weather for walking or riding. Extremely hot and humid days can be a poor choice, especially if you aren’t used to doing a lot of walking. However, you could carry a water bottle and wear a hat and sunscreen on hot days to make things safer. You do not want to overheat or suffer from heat stroke.

Personally, I like walking on rainy days, but not quite so much for shopping errands. It depends on how much rain you’re talking as well. Snow is probably not the best for walking errands unless they’re pretty short.

Safety

Not all areas are safe for walking or riding a bike. You need to use your common sense.

A lack of sidewalks is a big part of the problem in some areas. There isn’t always a safe shoulder for pedestrians to walk along on busy roads that they need to use to get where they’re going.

How Much You’ll be Carrying

Some errands, even over a short distance, really don’t work as walking or biking, or even mass transit errands. Sometimes you need a car to carry everything you buy or are disposing of.

Reusable Bags

Having reusable shopping bags is wonderful when you don’t drive your errands. They can have much more comfortable handles for carrying purchases. They also go well in bicycle baskets or folding shopping carts if you want an easier way to lug things along.

Gear

You don’t need a lot of gear to walk your errands. The main things you need are comfortable walking shoes. Good shoes are worth the money.

I also recommend a hat for sun protection. My mother’s been serious about hat use since having a skin cancer removed from her scalp. That’s good motivation for me too.

If you think you might take a bike for some errands, it’s worth the money. They cost much less than cars (obviously!) and need only a little maintenance here and there. Include a basket on the bike to make running errands on it easier.