Eat Well, Be Well, Live Well

If you’re like me, you’ve thought about making a few New Year’s resolutions, but haven’t necessarily nailed them down precisely. Your resolutions might include losing weight or exercising more, or maybe you’re looking to start a new hobby or pursue and old one. Well, why not help Mother Earth by throwing in a resolution to live greener this year?

No one I know lives completely “green.” Most of us fall somewhere along a very broad continuum. And that’s OK. If everyone picked just one or two things from the following list, our world and everyone in it would automatically live healthier lives.

I certainly don’t live super “green.” For example, I can be a bit of a clothes horse, and I love fashion too much to stop buying trends. But I’ve committed to buy less this year, and I keep a worm bin and chickens to feed my kitchen scraps to, and I haven’t acquired a single plastic shopping bag in too many months to remember.

Let’s be straight, since there are some people who won’t manage even one thing off the following list, why not take up their slack and commit to three or four?

25 Ways to Live Greener:

1. Buy organic.
2. Buy local.
3. Carry a collapsible/reusable bag at all times so you never have to take another shopping bag home.*
4. Power down all your electronics when you’re not actually using them.
5. Drive less, walk more.
6. Grow your own herbs or veggies in a garden or garden box.
7. Recycle everything you can.
8. Buy less to begin with.
9. Rinse out jars (e.g., applesauce, pickles, etc.) and use them to store food instead of buying plastic containers.
10. Turn your thermostat down at least 2-4 degrees.
11. Don’t buy anything containing synthetic fragrance (anything other than essential oils).
12. Don’t buy products containing sulfates or parabens.
13. Only buy cleaning products that are biodegradable and phosphate-free.
14. Switch to LED light bulbs. They’re the most energy-efficient.
15. Make sure your freezer is filled to capacity. It’s more energy-efficient than a half-filled one.
16. Only run the washing machine when you have a full load, and never wash on hot.
17. The same goes for the dishwasher; fill it up before you turn it on.
18. Shorten your shower and make sure you’re using a low-flow showerhead.
19. Don’t wash your car at home. Find a car wash that recycles the water.
20. Stop buying bottled water. Use/install a filter and use stainless steel or glass bottles.
21. Reduce the amount of junk mail you receive. Visit http://www.DoNotMail.org.
22. Sign-up for on-line bill pay.
23. Don’t use chemical fertilizers or pesticides on your lawn.
24. Have less lawn.
25. Eat less meat, particularly beef!!

Happy New Year, and happy greener-living!

* I carry a ChicoBag in my purse at all times since it holds a ton and easily stuffs down to the size of my fist!

Photo: Bruce Irving, Flying Singer

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