Our Contribution to Climate Change: Greening Our Lives

As I pondered what my contribution to Blog Action Day might be, I think about what I might be able to do to contribute to a positive impact on the global issue of climate change. My contributions may be small, but I believe that a series of small steps eventually lead to big results. We've gotta start somewhere!

I'm sure we've all started to make small changes. Perhaps it's being more aware of turning off the lights when they are not in use, recycling, or changing our lightbulbs to compact fluorescent lightbulbs. I think we can crank it up a notch, though, as we move forward. Here are my thoughts about small changes that I (and all of us) can start to incorporate into our lives. Obviously some may take more time to implement, but at least we can put the intention and thought out there that it will be done in the future and start taking small steps to bring the plan to fruition:

Reduce:

• Reduce waste by using less disposable items.
• Conserve water by taking shorter showers and turning off the water when you're brushing your teeth and washing dishes.
• Walk more, drive less. Or, alternatively, ride a bike or take public transit. If you can do without, opt for a car share program and use public transit instead. (Yes, I know the conveniences are hard to let go, but you will lose weight if you take this approach! :) )
• Go to bed earlier so that you can wake up earlier. Use natural sunlight as your main source of light and you can naturally reduce the amount of electricity you use on lighting at home.
• Unplug appliances and other electrical plugs that are not being used. You reduce the amount of energy being lost through vampire energy and you save on your electric bill too!
  

Reuse:

• Use a reusable/washable water bottle rather than using disposable plastic water bottles.
• Reuse your old clothes to reinvent a new wardrobe by using your creative genius to come up with new ways of wearing old items.
• Use your food scraps and turn it into compost. This one requires setting up a composting station in your home. I've been contemplating using a worm bin indoors, but haven't taken the plunge yet since I have no garden to use the compost for (yet)!

Green the Planet:

• Plant an indoor herb garden.
• Plant an outdoor vegetable garden.
• Volunteer to pick up trash, plant a tree, or create awareness for environmental issues.
• Eat organic. Vote with your wallet and buy organic. The more we buy organic, the more demand there will be for organic products, eventually reducing the cost, and the less demand there will be for conventional produce and products that are laden with pesticides and harm the environment.
• Buy eco-friendly products: detergents, household cleaners, linens, bath products, cosmetics, and maybe eventually even clothes?
• Learn more about sustainable practices and teach others ways they can make changes too.
• If you have the budget and are able, green your home! Use sustainable materials for interior renovations, furniture purchases, or build a green home from the ground up. If this is in your plan you can think about creating alternative sources of energy supply for your home: solar, wind (if you live in the countryside, maybe), geothermal, etc.
• Simplify your life. If we clean the clutter in our minds, we will more readily clean the clutter from our homes and our environment.
  

Have more ideas? Let me know. I'll add them to the list!