Everyone Doing Something – Ten Ways to be Green

| Posted: 23-07-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 9 | Rating: (124)

(?)

Everyone doing something – ten ways to be green

Laurie David, who produced Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," once stated that saving the planet is not about everyone doing everything, rather, "It is about everyone doing something."

Some scientists are predicting that unhindered, human-caused, global warming over the next century is expected to raise sea levels and cause extremes in temperatures. Thankfully, there is a great deal we can all do to counter this and the impact of small actions by millions of people promises to be huge.

When it comes to the environment, being a good global citizen starts at your doorstep. From recycling to using alternative cleaning materials, minor changes at home can add up to real benefits for the planet, not to mention your own health and happiness. Being earth-friendly does not necessarily require major changes to your life such as growing all your own vegetables, there are plenty of little and very easy ways to make a big difference -here are just ten of them.

1. Toilet paper and paper towels are commonly made of virgin wood. When a 100-year-old tree is cut down, just so that we can have disposable paper products, is this okay? Switch your home and your business paper products to 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper, saving countless trees and five pounds of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

2. Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) use 66 percent less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last up to ten times longer. Replacing a 100-watt incandescent bulb with a 32-watt CFL can also save you money in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

3. Use cold water in the washer whenever possible.

4. Unplug electronics and chargers. Mobile phones, Blackberry devices, MP3 players, digital cameras and other electronics use energy if their charger is still going, even if the gadget itself is turned off.

5. Use less water by adding aerators (available for a few dirhams at your local hardware store) to your sink taps and change over to a low-flow showerhead. Take shorter showers too and remember that water for bathing accounts for two-thirds of all water-heating costs.

6. Use cloth bags to the supermarket. Think of all the plastic bags we have used on this planet in the last few decades, and then imagine this – not one of them has yet started to decompose. It takes 10,000 years for a plastic bag to even just begin to break down.

7. Do not use electrical appliances for things you can easily do by hand, such as opening cans.

8. Filter your tap water for drinking rather than using bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it produces large amounts of container waste. Next, buy reusable water bottles that you can take to the office or pack in your family’s lunch boxes.

9. Store food in re-usable containers, instead of using plastic wrap or aluminium foil.

10. Take unwanted, re-usable items to a charitable organisation or thrift shop.

The responsibility for sustaining our world as a healthy environment for future generations rests with us all. By implementing even just a few of these ideas, you will not only reduce your ecological footprint, but in many cases, you will save money too.

Rate this Article:

Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Tags:

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/everyone-doing-something-ten-ways-to-be-green-493917.html

Print article

Send to friend

Publish this Article

Author feedback

About the Author:

Dominique has been writing for over a decade and contributes to various newspapers and magazines worldwide as well as online.

An Anglo-Italian hybrid, Dominique has lived in Italy, England, the USA and spent twelve years in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates before emigrating to Australia in 2002.

She lives with her architect husband Bryn and their two teenage children and thoroughly enjoys her life Down Under in their home among the gum trees.

Writing, the Internet, travel and the theatre are all pursuits that bring her joy while her dislikes include cruelty, offal, rudeness and all of Australia’s deadly fauna!

Dominique's quirky blog can be found at www.pomsinoz.blogspot.com.

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Add new Comment

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Q&A Powered by:

Latest Environment Articles

Positive and Negative Aspects of Radioactive Elements
By: Dr.Badruddin Khan | 06/10/2008
Radioactive elements have a lot of important uses and they also cause some dangerous problems if they are not handled properly. Ever since Henri Becquerel first found out about radioactive elements more elements have been investigated for their radioactivity, and different isotopes of elements have different radioactive behavior. Many are used commercially and medically, and others are just nuisances.

Acid Deposition
By: Dr.Badruddin Khan | 06/10/2008
Acid rain has become a popular phrase to describe rain, snow, fog, or other precipitation that is full of acids that collect in the atmosphere due to the burning of fuels such as coal, petroleum, and gasoline. Acid rain occurs when polluted gases become trapped in clouds that drift for hundreds and even thousands of miles and are finally released as acidic precipitation. Trees, lakes, animals, and even buildings are vulnerable to the slow wearing away effects of acid rain.

Global Warming: A Ghastly Proposal
By: James Nash | 06/10/2008
Global warming is occurring at even a more accelerated pace than what was originally predicted. It is starting to look like a nightmare for humanity and becoming more a ghastly proposal, not an "inconvenient truth."

Key Questions About The Voluntary Carbon Market
By: James Nash | 06/10/2008
The voluntary carbon market experienced further growth in 2007, and experts predict the pattern to be repeated through 2008. Have these initiatives achieved their purpose, and is the market really providing the consumers with what they want?

New Green Museum Allows Roof To Leak Water Like A River
By: Aydan Corkern | 06/10/2008
What is the point of having a leaky roof on a museum that is supposed to protect the earth and educate about going green?

Is Your Smoking Vehicle Choking Up The World
By: Aydan Corkern | 06/10/2008
Everywhere you look, green is the craze, so are you killing the world or helping the earth?

Tips on Caring for Antique World Maps
By: Danuin Mumm | 06/10/2008
Paper is rather fragile, but many antique maps — drawn on parchment, have survived through centuries. If you would like to get your hands on a authentic, antique world map, you’ll need to know how to preserve it. It has lasted through centuries because it was properly preserved, and you’ll need that knowledge as well.

How to Tell if Antique Maps are Genuine
By: Danuin Mumm | 06/10/2008
There is an increase in people fascinated with antique world maps. Collecting antique maps and prints can be a very rewarding and exciting hobby. Maps have always been considered fascinating, and many today are finding out why. Not only are antique world maps interesting, but they’re very beautiful as well. Historic maps are truly a work of art, as any map enthusiast will tell you.

More from Dominique Lummus

Choosing a Vet
By: Dominique Lummus | 23/07/2008 | Pets
Choosing a vet is a similar process to that of choosing a good family doctor or paediatrician. You are looking for someone with good credentials, but you also need to find someone you feel comfortable with. Someone who is patient, unhurried and who will answer your questions, no matter how insignificant they might be. To help you find the veterinarian that's right for you, here are a few things to consider...

Twenty Ways to Streamline Your Mornings
By: Dominique Lummus | 23/07/2008 | Parenting
If you're not a morning person, it's not always easy to get out of the house completely organised – however these tips should help.

Puppy Power!
By: Dominique Lummus | 23/07/2008 | Pets
Most of us are aware that having a pet is beneficial to our emotional well-being and that if we enjoy a good relationship with our pets, this will also reflect in our physical health too. There is a growing body of scientific evidence to support this with various studies repeatedly showing that owning a pet can have very real physical benefits for their owners.

But Mummy! Where Am I From?
By: Dominique Lummus | 23/07/2008 | Parenting
When he was six years old my son asked me, “Mummy, where do I come from?” and instead of reaching for the anatomy book, I pulled out the atlas instead. I knew his question was triggered by the school’s impending international day and not by the birds or the bees.

Article Categories

Article Marketing

Article Notepad

Stop Duplicate Content

Term Papers

Need Help?

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.12, 9)