Be Better, Be Cleverer
Posted by: Simon Skinner in Education, tags: eco friendly, Education, environment, fitness, green, Health, Home, home improvement, lifestyle, money, personal, referenceUnless you live off the grid in a remote area (and if so, you’re probably not reading this anyway), you no doubt hear a lot about the need to reduce our carbon footprint and to live a greener life. It’s important and almost everyone will acknowledge this, but it can feel like you’re being lectured at times.
However, there are some easy ways to live a greener life. Curbside recycling is in place in most cities, where you can simply place your recyclables out with your trash for pickup (in a separate container, of course). It’s easy to separate your plastic, aluminum and other recyclable materials. The recycling pickup service takes care of the rest – all you have to do is to take it outside!
Joining your local Freecycle list is another great way to live greener. Don’t throw things away – put them on the list and look there for things you need instead of buying new items. Odds are, someone will want what you’ve got to give away. By the same token, if there’s something you need, it is more than likely to be found for the taking there as well. This keeps these items out of landfills and saves everyone money.
You can substitute some of your household items for more green friendly items. One such item is compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs are much more energy efficient, which means that they use a lot less energy (and save you money) while being about the same price as any other light bulbs – they also last much longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
You can also get rid of your existing yard lights and replace them with solar powered lights. These do just as good of a job of illuminating your outdoor spaces, but use no electrical power. You can find solar powered yard lights in a variety of pleasing designs and you can install theme yourself without the assistance of an electrician. Solar powered holiday lights are also available, letting you save money on your electric bill while dressing up your home for the holidays.
Do some recycling, cans, bottles, plastic, and anything they will take will save you money and help the environment. You may even get a little money back if you have aluminum cans. Use your own bags when shopping instead of the plastic ones they have at the store. Some stores even offer discounts for doing this. Every little bit helps and perhaps will encourage others to do the same.
It’s actually pretty easy to live a greener lifestyle. You can benefit the environment and your pocketbook at the same time. You may soon find yourself looking for more ways to add a little more green to your life.
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