Green Living Recycling

What’s Green Living All About? Facts and Myths About Organic Living

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:21:33 +0000

When you hear someone say 'green living' or 'go green', are your eyes alight with curiosity? Or do you think that since you 'reduce, reuse and recycle', you're living green? If you're like most people today, you do the standard 'green' things, almost entirely unaware that there's a greener, cleaner world of options available to you. The truth is, opportunities to live better, cleaner and healthier abound. Cleaning green, eating organic, being kind to the environment, urban gardening and incorporating organic ingredients into your everyday life are all aspects that you can adopt in whole or in part. Even if you only chose to adopt one aspect of living greener, such as cleaning green, you're a leap ahead of where you were before. Let's discuss some aspects of organic living.

The biggest myth about eating organic is that, if you're eating organic, your diet consists of sprouts, roots and berries, in that order. The fact of the matter is there are different levels of eating organic, so your diet can contain a wide variety of foods, all of which will be healthy and good for you, without sacrificing taste. For example, if you eat organic fruits and vegetables, you're not ingesting pesticides and herbicides which commercial farms use on regular produce found in your grocery store, so you're already eating healthier having changed one thing. Most people who eat organic enjoy free-pressed juice, almond and other nut butters, home-made wheat bread and chocolate, too!

Cleaning green is another practical aspect of organic living. So, what does 'cleaning green' mean? In a nutshell, you're using natural ingredients to clean, thus eliminating harsh ingredients that require you to 'open a window for ventilation'. Did you know that salt, sugar, vinegar and lemon juice, among other common household finds, double as cleaning products? There are many recipes online for homemade, organic cleaning solutions as well as commercially available products for everything from cleaning the windows to cleaning clothes.

What does it mean to be kind to the environment? When you are being kind to people or pets, how do you behave? Offering a shoulder to cry on, an ear for listening, an uplifting hug and advice are all acts of kindness to those you love or care about. You reach for things that are out of reach for someone else or you stoop when someone cannot bend. You cuddle and feed your pets because you love them; these, too, are acts of kindness. Since you cannot hug the earth or give it advice, how do you show the environment kindness? Eating organic, pesticide-free foods and foods, planting trees, driving environmentally friendly cars or riding bikes or walking and simply recycling, which keeps plastics, paper and cans out of landfills, are just a few things you can do to be kind to the environment.

These are just three of the many different aspects of organic, green living that the average person can adopt without doing anything terribly life-altering. There are many websites that allow you to explore urban gardening, alternative energy, creative uses for various products to keep them out of landfills and many other so-called green topics that enrich your life and the world around you at the same time.

Marty Rich has been a professional chef for more than 27 years. He is dedicated to helping everyday people, like you and me, learn to create easy, simple meals with the freshest of ingredients. For more information on organic living please visit http://www.chefmartyrich.com.

The Green Living Lifestyle – Every Little Helps

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:45:33 +0000

When it comes to green living, many people may think that to live a green lifestyle you have to change everything all at once. This is not the case. You can gradually ease yourself into the green living lifestyle one thing at a time. After all, even the smallest bit of effort can go towards helping the environment. You can start off in small ways, by recycling paper, metal, plastics, glass and so on.

This is the most common idea of the way into greener living, and is a very valuable element in the journey we are taking to a better environment for all to enjoy. Once you've become acquainted with the idea of recycling various materials, you can move onto various other ways of incorporating green living into your own lifestyle.

In the home, you can make sure appliances are turned off at the wall and not just left on standby. You can recycle food waste and use it as compost to help your garden. You can insulate the home so that you don't lose heat, thus helping you to save money on bills as well as the environment.

You could look in local listings for any green organisations close to your home. These people will be full of advice to help you incorporate the green living lifestyle into your days, and may well be able to offer advice on issues that you had not even thought of.

Reduce your carbon footprint by driving less and walking more. This has been a major issue in the news in recent times, and is a very large part of the current green living movement. Gradually, you'll discover the green lifestyle will become second nature to you and that you will look back on the way you used to live your life and realise just how negative an effect that seemingly innocent activities can have on the environment around us. Green living advice isn't about telling you what to do -- it's about helping you understand what you individually can do to help the world around you.

Edgar is a long-term devotee of the green lifestyle, and is eager to help you learn how you can help out! Starting to live a little greener is easy with some basic green living advice which can help you on your way to a safe and positive future. You can find out more on becoming more environmentally friendly by visiting http://gogreenenergyforhome.com

Life Style and Green Living Are Closely Interlinked

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:45:33 +0000

Though green living is easy but without the right approach it is an uphill task. Many basic things you have to adopt before you embark on the important changes in the life style. Many of us will do certain things which are in the right track, i.e. to say to take the stairs up to the second floor or not using the car once in a week to take the public transport etc. These are all in the right direction. But that is not enough.

We have to amend our basic outlook for reaching the green living. We have to make sure about our food, our clothing, and the water we are drinking are all free from any possible contamination. The food we take is organically grown and healthy, the clothes we wear have to be less chemically oriented and the water is purified without chlorine base substances.

Besides the above, lowering of energy consumption is a task of prime importance. By adopting a balanced mix of solar energy and the power from the local grid, we will drastically reduce the energy consumption.

Within our home we have to take some introspection. If our washing machine is old fashioned, we have to replace it immediately with more scope for energy saving. If we are living in an independent house the roof our house has to be utilized for the harnessing of the solar energy as the roof otherwise is normally empty. With proper thinking we can make the green living less expensive.

It is very important for green living to understand the basics which we happened to overlook. We overlook the cleaning products which are the main cause for the contamination. Due to its convenience the chemical contents of the products are easily forgotten. Its effectiveness is apparent but its contamination properties are conveniently overlooked. We are using these materials every day in our sink, toilet and the air around you as the air purifier. Once they are used they are directed towards the landfills and allow them to progressively contaminate the water and the soil near the land fill.

The solution for this progressive land contamination is to change the products with the bio degradable ones. The bio degradable product breaks down itself and becomes part of the earth and the environment will be saved. The choosing of bio degradable products helps us for a perfect green living.

We can do many cost effective things for a lifestyle of green living. It should be our second nature to recycle anything which is possible by making sure of discarding the least.

When we are going for the packaged food make sure to select those products which are less packaged. Nowadays it is an accepted practice to use wraps which are recycled ones. There are different choices for a better environment.

William Suburn
Green living guide and more info on green living.

Green Living Ideas: 5 Ways Not to Live A Greener Lifestyle

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:20:33 +0000

Going green is increasingly popular as a way to reduce energy use, conserve water, and recycle and reuse materials to avoid overburdening local landfills. Not everyone has adopted a greener lifestyle, and some people seem to have rejected green living outright. I find this attitude peculiar, as living greener is also a way to save money. However, if you are one of those people who prefers not to live greener, then this article is for you.

Here are five tips on how not to go green.

1) Keep burning incandescent light bulbs. They are only about 5% efficient in creating lights, releasing 95% of the energy they consume as heat. The incandescent bulbs will also heat up your home more in the summer, forcing you to use more air conditioning, but no matter. You are not interested in saving energy anyway. There is no reason for you to consider installing compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) even if they last longer and use 75% less electricity than incandescent bulbs.

2) Drink lots of bottled water. After all, bottled water only costs about 100 times more than water from your tap. Then there is the matter of all those plastic bottles. About 85% of them are not recycled according to the EPA, so why should you bother. Just throw them in the trash and they will go to the landfill with all your other garbage.

3) Take baths and extra-long showers. A typical bathtub takes 40-70 gallons to fill, and all of that water has to be heated. Even though an 8 to 10 minute shower would use only about 15-20 gallons, that savings of water and energy to heat the water doesn't concern you. If you decide to opt for a shower, just stand there under the warm flow of water and enjoy it for a while. Maybe you can work on your singing while you are standing there.

4) Fall asleep with the television on. You don't need a timer for this. Just let the TV run, even if you are not awake to watch it. The background noise might even help you get to sleep.

5) Keep that old toilet. Don't even consider replacing it with a low flush model. Your old standard model probably uses 3 to 4 gallons of fresh water with every flush, compared to one of those newer toilets, that only requires 1.6 gallons per flush. That is an extra amount of water flushed away equal to about two thousand gallons per toilet each year. You will pay more on your water bill each month, but this is part of the cost of not going green.

Are any of you ready to reconsider your decision about not going green yet?

And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to two of my Living Green Reports when you subscribe to the Living Green and Saving Energy Newsletter at http://livinggreenandsavingenergy.com/
The newsletter brings you practical tips and information on how to create and enjoy a green lifestyle and save money. The newsletter is absolutely free!
Would you like to save up to $1000 per year for life by going green? The Ebook "6 Weeks To A Greener Lifestyle" shows you how. And "How To Take A Green Vacation" gives you all the information you need to travel in a more eco-friendly manner. Get all the details here: http://livinggreenandsavingenergy.com/ebooks

Green Living – Solidarity and Inner Peace

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:57:33 +0000

Green Living

Going green is included in just about everything these days. There is green food, green clothing, green homes, green energy, green gadgets, and just about anything in existence being classified as green. What this means is that the products are sustainable and make a small imprint on the earth. For example, you might use less oil based products and more plant products because it is sustainable and healthier for humans. This is a great trend that has caught on because of the growth in high educational attainment and in the recent trend of huge price increases in poor quality commodities. Additionally, the recent gas spike, alone, helped a ton of people decide to go green.

The trend is heavily product focused. You need the right green food because you will live longer and be healthier. You need some hemp fabric because it is so much better for your skin. The list goes on and on. It is great that we have green products, but you can get lost in all the details. We need to remember that being green is more than just buying the right things. It is a way of life that brings solidarity and harmony to one's life and society.

All Living Things Connected

Can you see the happiness of a child compared to that of an adult? How can you feel the joy of a baby or a puppy? The joy of each living thing comes from being connected in a spiritual way. It doesn't always make sense. For example, babies and children have little control over their surroundings and yet they are so happy. What makes sense is that we are learning through our culture that happiness comes from a certain way of life. We might call it the good life. It usually has something to do with a house, an education, a nice car, and family vacations.

Fortunately, there are true green enthusiasts that understand connection to the earth in a different way. In the movie, Into the Wild the main character says that life was the most exciting when he was penniless. This is a true story of a man who gave up all his possessions and burned his money on a quest to connect with God.

Native Americans have long understood the relationship between connectedness to earth and joy in life. The earth gives to each of us and in return we should give back. Many cultures believe that God rewards Good for Good and Evil for Evil. You do something good and it comes back to you. Hence, do a lot of good things to and for people.

How Does Green Living Connect Us?

First and foremost green living gets you to think about how we all interact in society. It is more altruistic because you main focus is not maximizing every dollar. You focus changes from consuming as much as possible to consuming what you need responsibly and giving of yourself. Many people in this trend will say that one day it just hit them that the only thing they will leave on the earth when they pass on is their legacy. And, how do you leave a legacy? You need to connect with people and make a difference to those around you. You're not going to do that sipping cokes, and watching 35 hours of television a week.

Living Simple and Green

It all starts with little changes. One good thing to do is to sit down and make a list of all the items your regularly purchase and put a w (want) or n (need) by the item. If you are truly honest, the needs are not really all that high. Many of us are struggling because of our wants without realizing it. It's still fine to plan for wants and to have them. The important thing is where your focus lies. Does your focus help you connect (happiness) or disconnect (unhappiness)? At some point, many in the green movement will actually feel a sense of relief from not purchasing items. There is that rush and good feeling from shopping that a lot of people get. However, the more connected you feel, the less your desire will be for shopping. And, in fact, many will eventually feel a sense of true peace without longing for any one thing. Some people in the green movement actually feel sorry for these obsessive materialists. They don't do it mockingly, but sincerely want everyone around them to feel the same connectedness.

Some Green Steps

The first thing for many of us is that we start to recycle things. We find a certain joy in knowing that we are being good stewards of what we have. Then, the big jump might come from purchasing a green car or a green wardrobe. Some of us might just think it's a cool thing to do.

The biggest step, perhaps, is when you start to simplify your life. It's different for everyone. You might want to drink out of one cup instead of using several every day. You may go through your home and eliminate items not being used. In fact, you may start finding joy in getting rid of things because you realize that the less stuff you have the more easily you can be connected. You begin to feel a sense of freedom in spirit that goes beyond the norm. Your style becomes minimalist and purchases are based on holistic ideals that increase connectiveness. You will no longer crave, but will instead find intense joy in just being alive. How do you find that joy?

Know Thyself

Some spiritual teachers believe that the greatest knowledge of happiness is to know thyself. As William Shakespeare said, "To thine own self be true". How can you be true to yourself unless you know who you are? This is a hard question, but on the face of it, there are some certain things I am sure of. I can connect with living things. I can connect with people much better in person than through television. I can connect to natural products much better than man made products. The concept of knowing me comes through serving others.

Consumerism and materialism tend to drive much of our culture. The focus, for many, is on self. This inward focus blinds the true self. In some cases, self concept is stripped away and the void is filled with countless hours of television, food, and shopping. The bigger the void the stronger the feeling of getting more grows because people unconsciously think that the void can be filled with things. It is logical because that is what the culture has taught them from birth. Corporations spend billions of dollars reinforcing the idea that things will make us happy and defining our needs for us. Many of us erroneously believe that we are immune to all the clever advertising.

Wouldn't it make more sense that we determine our own needs? It is vital that we listen to our own hearts. Don't ignore the little voice inside you! Pay attention to it, follow it, and the voice will get louder. In time, you will become more connected.

We haven't focused much on product here, but going green is about a lot more than buying the most fuel efficient car, wearing bamboo clothing, or eating organic foods. Green living is ultimately about solidarity and inner peace.

For further information about green living, please visit Solar Home or another favorite site called Green Energy

Green Living Motivations: What Makes Someone Go Green?

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:12:33 +0000

Green living is a popular subject. The green economy is anticipated to produce new jobs and alternative energy technologies is being developed to replace fossil-fuel based energy sources. Ultimately, thought, a green economy is field by consumers who are willing to buy greener products and technologies. So, a fair question to ask is the following: "What makes a consumer go green?"

I ask this question myself frequently, as my web site is dedicated to showing people that it is in their best interest to live greener lifestyles. There are several possible answers to the question.

For example, would the desire to do less harm to the environment be a good motivator? What about giving someone a good feeling about living a more efficient and less wasteful life?

Maybe the idea that living greener will also save money would be a strong motivational force.

Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, the answer is none of the above. Rather, the strongest motivating factor to cause someone to go green is good, old-fashioned peer pressure.

Consider the following experiment that was done recently. Two different placards were placed in hotel bathrooms to encourage guests to reuse their towels. On the first was written "Show your respect for nature." On the second placard were the words "Join fellow guests in helping to save the environment" while further noting that 75% of guests participated in the towel reuse program. The guests exposed to the second placard and the fact that many other guests were reusing towels were 25% more likely to reuse their towels than guests who saw the first placard.

A follow-up study tweaked the wording on the sign a bit more, making it specific to the room. The sign said that "75% of the guests who stayed in Room 331 reused their towels." This sign achieved an even higher compliance.

Clearly, peer pressure works, and it is more effective than simple rationality about the benefits of reusing towels.

The results of this study have implications on companies marketing green products and services to consumers. Peer pressure and creating s guilt complex, eve a subtle one, may produce the best results. I found these results somewhat surprising initially, but on reflection, less so. Being singled out as not being willing to go along with most other people in protecting the environment is much more powerful than just quietly going green because you think it is the right step to take for the environment.

These results also beg the question of how best to implement such a peer pressure strategy. I am still thinking about that one.