Over the past year, I have done a pretty good job reducing the use of plastic in my day-to-day life. There are a few areas I need to work on, like the use of plastic produce bags at the grocery stores and farmers markets, but overall, I’ve done better than I have in years past.
For 2010, I decided to make an effort to cut back on the amount of paper I use . I am usually mindful of my paper usage when it comes to eliminating unnecessary magazine and catalog subscriptions, junk mail, grocery stores bags, and reducing office and shipping paper. My use of miscellaneous paper products like napkins and facial tissue can be excessive at times, though I only buy 100% recycled paper products. In an effort to reduce the amount of paper I use, I started using cloth napkins at the dinner table and handkerchiefs instead of facial tissue. I normally only use cloth napkins when I have guests, but whats stopping me from using them everyday? Thankfully, I haven’t purchased a roll of paper towels in months, so that’s also a good start!
Have you made an effort to reduce the amount of paper and/or plastic in your life? Do you have any other ideas aside from what I mentioned?
During our short lived gas crisis in the spring of 2008, many people had to put the breaks on driving. Taking public transportation when possible, carpooling to work, telecommuting, reduced work weeks, and so on started to become the norm in many areas. The motivation for these changes were mostly financial. Once gas prices started to come down a bit (I admit, I was very glad) people started to resume their old, familiar habits.
This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of Physical Therapy Assistant degrees at her blog Physical Therapy Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.
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A wedding signifies the beginning of a lifelong union, a relationship that should stand the test of time and tribulations. And when you join the person you love in matrimony, it’s time to spare a thought to the world that sustains us all and gives us a planet to call home. Should the commencement of a new life for us spell doom to the earth through global warming and pollution? Is it not a better and more ethical option to celebrate our new relationship by pledging to do what it takes to save the earth and its almost-depleted resources? If your big day is in the offing, here’s how you can make green the theme of your wedding celebration:
• Hold all your events in one location. This way, you and your guest avoid having to drive to and from the location of each event.
• Hold the wedding at a location that is close to most of or all your guests.
• Go organic when it comes to food even though it may be more expensive. Use local produce and poultry to minimize your carbon footprint.
• Use biodegradable materials for your crockery and cutlery.
• Use recycled materials for your decorations.
• If you want to go the traditional way and send out regular invitations, use recycled paper (handmade paper makes very stylish statements) with eco-friendly ink. If you want to avoid paper altogether, use email to send out your invites.
• Invest in clothing and accessories that are reusable, especially for your bridesmaids and other members of the wedding party. Most bridesmaids and flower girls are clad in outfits that are never going to be used again because they’re really impractical.
• Use flowers that are in season and grown locally.
• Buy your ring from jewelers who do not deal in “blood” diamonds that have been illegally mined in Africa. Or better still, use old and antique jewelry that has been passed down from generation to generation to pledge your love for each other.
• Go digital when recording memories of your special day; store your photos in an online album instead of having them printed.
• Go on a green honeymoon to an eco-friendly resort or somewhere close home that does not require you to fly.
Most of these measures don’t require you to go out of the way to do something positive for the earth. So when you think wedding, think green instead of white.
Last year, I set a goal to never bring home disposable grocery store bags again. We had collected so many paper bags, we were running out of places to store them in our kitchen armoire. Thankfully, most stores around here no longer offer plastic.
So far we have about 15 reusable bags split between the two of us at home, in the car, etc. We either got them from places like Whole Foods for just $2 each or free from industry trade shows. Two dollars is decent, but I have seen some cost as much as $40 (granted, they are nicer).
Its been noted in various publications over the past few years that beef consumption is contributing to global warming and is linked to various health problems. Mc Spotlight points out that “…beef consumption plays a major role in the development of heart disease, strokes, and cancer. But the over-consumption of beef is also a major cause of human hunger and poverty, deforestation. spreading deserts, water pollution, water scarcity, global warming, species extinction, and animal suffering.”
On the other hand, the Weston A. Price Foundation for Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts points out that the way mainstream beef is produced is the issue, not the beef itself. According to this and other organizations, beef that is raised sustainably where the cows eat only grass – not grain, soy, corn, antibiotics and hormones, and not raised in a factory doesn’t contribute to ill health of the human body and earth.
I never thought I’d say this, but I am burn out on “green”. Not the lifestyle or movement; I guess I am sick of the word being used and overused everywhere you look. If you glance over my previous posts, you will find that I myself use the word “green” quite a bit. I guess part of why I am tired of the word green in this context is because of the issue of greewashing.
If you use a microwave, do you stand ten feet away when its on because of the radiation? Do you avoid using sponges at all cost because of germs? Do you avoid eating certain foods or produce if you don’t know for sure if its organic or not to avoid pesticides?
On this blog, I do write a great deal about toxic substances that are used in our day-to-day lives, but also want to keep it light and (hopefully) fun. Baring allergies, intolerance’s or illness you or your family members may have, sometimes we can get too caught up up in whats “deadly” .The question is, how do you find that balance once you become aware that certain habits you’re used to may not be healthy for you and your family?
Cloth napkins I recently made
Envelope I made from a paper grocery bag 
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