Green Living
Small investments for a greener life
Want to contribute to the environmental movement and help our planet out with smaller steps? Green living is a great place to start! It is not as much of an investment as green architecture but it is still a great way to start being more environmentally mindful without investing too much money or having to hire contractors.
Easy Ways to Live a Greener Life
Use less plastic water bottles
Americans consume around 13.7 billion gallons of bottled water a year. Even though tap water is generally clean and meets the EPA's standards, convivence is what drives the consumption of one-time plastic water bottles. Consider purchasing a reusable water bottle and avoiding purchasing unnecessary plastic bottles.
Shut off the lights and unplug electronics
Shutting off the lights and unplugging electronics when you're not using them is a simple way to save a little bit of energy every day that can really add up.
Don't waste food
Around 25% of food and beverages that Americans buy end up in the trash. This means wasted money and food that ends up in the landfills unnecessarily. It also means wasted energy from transportation and production costs. When at the grocery store, try purchasing only what you need, and do not waste leftover food. Consider composting excess food.
Ride bikes or use public transportation
Each vehicle on the road emits around 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. By biking places, carpooling, or using public transportation, you are keeping another car off the road and keeping your own carbon footprint down.
Save water
Conserving water saves energy and lowers your water bills. You can conserve water in your home by keeping the water off when you're not actively using it, shortening showers, mulching your garden, and adding plants that conserve water to your lawn.
Donate used goods
Donating used goods in good condition is a great way to keep them out of the landfill and give them a second life.
Get a clothesline
Dryers are one of the most energy-consuming household appliances. The average family's clothes dryer emits more than a ton of carbon a year. Air-drying clothes can reduce a household's carbon footprint by 2,400 pounds a year.
Avoid plastic grocery bags
Plastic grocery store bags take hundreds of years to decompose and are incredibly detrimental to our wildlife. Hundreds of thousands of animals in our oceans die after consuming these bags or getting stuck in them. Try recycling the plastic grocery bags that you have and purchase a set of reusable bags for your groceries.
Buy second hand
Try purchasing goods from thrift stores or furniture resellers. This can not only save you a lot of money but function just as well as new items and cut the item's carbon footprint in half.
Recycle
Recycling is an easy way to conserve resources and reduce pollution by saving materials and not having to make them from scratch every time. Consider recycling more aluminum in particular. About 40% of the United States' aluminum supply comes from recycled aluminum.
Avoid disposable
Around 20% of our waste (~50 million tons) is from disposable utensils, disposable diapers, paper towels, napkins, and nondurable goods. Using more durable products can not only save money in the long run but also keep disposable products out of the landfill.
Invest in green technology
If you're in the market for a new computer, look for the Energy Star label. This means that the computer saves 35% - 65% of the energy in use. Keep in mind that Laptops also use much less energy than desktops.