Save the Environment Without Going Green

Going Green is the newest fashion statement. 

Like any other fashion trend, we show our allegiance through the acquisition of material possessions.  We purchase clothing proudly proclaiming our solidarity with the Earth.  We trade in our Clunker for a more fuel-efficient car.  We buy, buy, buy…all in the name of saving our Earth.

What we don’t consider is how our consumption, as “green” as it may be, is affecting the world.  Sure, the good intentions are there.  We think that buying an organic cotton t-shirt is the smart choice because it is ”organic” yet we fail to understand the full scope of the textile industry & its affect on the environment.

As consumers, we believe that we can buy our way out of our environmental problem.  Buying more Stuff isn’t the solution to saving our planet.  Snarky slogans emblazoned across the chest of our new shirt aren’t the solution.  If you want to be green, I suggest not buying anything proclaiming your “Green Prowess”.  We don’t need to “Go Green” in order to BE green.  What we need to do is much easier & requires no fashion statements.

All we need to do in order to BE green is to consume less & be conscientious of the purchases we are making.  Here are some tips you can use in your own life to help bring the Green revolution into your home; no slogans required.

Buy Quality:  Most of us can’t escape the need to buy entirely so we try to find the best deal.  For many of us this translates to whatever is the cheapest.  The problem with buying cheap is that the products you are purchasing may not be well fabricated.  The cheap option suddenly isn’t so cheap anymore & now you are stuck replacing that item.  Spend the extra money to get items that are of higher quality that will last a long time.  Quality items are durable & you will not have to replace the item as often, reducing the volume of waste you generate.  The average American generates 1,600 pounds of trash annually.

Buy local produce:  The average food item in the United States travels 1,500- 2,500 miles before it reaches you.  That transportation requires a huge amount of energy to get from the fields where it was grown to your table.  You can offset a lot of that wasted energy by purchasing local produce.  Farmer’s Markets are a great way to get your hands on locally grown vegetables.  Not only do you reduce the amount of energy used to transport your food, you are supporting your local economy.

Eat lower on the food chain: “Roughly 70 percent of the grains grown in the United States go to feed animals, who eventually become food. This takes up much of the arable land that could be used to feed people directly. It takes ten times the fossil fuels to produce a calorie of animal food as it does to produce plant food.”  Eating lower means eating more fruits & vegetables.  Its a good idea for the environment & for your health.

Take shorter, colder showers: The average person uses between 80-100 gallons of water each day.  Multiply that number by the population of the United States (304,059,724) and you can imagine the impact that our water consumption has on the environment.  When we look at the Earth from space we see a world of blue.  In fact, 71% of the Earth is covered in water.  The problem is that only 0.3% of that is actually available for our use.

Wear a sweater:  Instead of cranking up the thermostat during the winter, turn it down a couple of degrees and wear a sweater like Jimmy Carter.  When you aren’t home, turn the thermostat even lower.  There is no sense in heating the house when no one is home.  Now you are not only saving energy, you’re saving money too.  Smart!

For more practical tips on ways to save the environment and your money, check out my article “Go Green While Saving Some Green“.