Five Ways To Become More Green

The first step to living a more eco-friendly life is deciding you want to do so. Next you must grasp the fundamentals like reducing waste production and recycling. From this point you are ready to integrate even more green practices into your daily routine. As you gently introduce new habits they eventually take hold and you begin to live a green lifestyle rather than having to remind yourself.

Try these five little strategies for making your life greener. Both you and the Earth will be glad you did:

1. Shop with a canvas bag instead of using plastic or paper bags. Most every supermarket sells their own reusable bags near the register area. They can cost as little as a couple dollars and can be used over and over again. Made for sturdiness, these bags hold more than you might think and are quite strong. Once you teach yourself to grab your shopping bags before heading to the supermarket it will be an automatic habit. You could even keep your bags in the car unless you are walking to the grocery store.

2. Trade in your old-fashioned light bulbs for compact fluorescents. These twisty-looking bulbs last as long as five years each, approximately 15 times as long as a regular light bulb. They cost a bit more, but are worth it because they last so much longer.

Another thing you should know about compact fluorescent light bulbs is that one of these bulbs saves approximately five pounds of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas per month. Not only will switching to compact fluorescents help your wallet and the planet, you won't be changing blown bulbs all the time.

3. Taking advantage of public transportation can help reduce the amount of pollution in the air caused by vehicles. You could car pool, use the subway or take the bus. If you live in an area where it is possible to bike or walk to work or the store do this instead. You'll be helping save the Earth while getting a healthy dose of exercise. Like everything else worth doing, there may be a period of adjustment until traveling in this way becomes second nature.

4. Turn down the thermostat in the winter by a few degrees, and turn it up by a few degrees in the summer. Even two or three degrees can make a big difference and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Not only that, but it leaves more money in your pocket. If you can, use fans for cooling instead of air conditioning which are much more energy efficient.

5. Wait until your dishwasher is full before running it. Do the same thing with your washing machine. By reducing the number of loads you are saving energy. Switch your washing machine to cold to wash your clothes, as the warm and hot settings use more energy.

More Articles

Four Ways To Reduce Electricity Costs - Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Create Your Own Green Energy

Earth4Energy - Detailed Review