How to Help our Planet

Use Your Green Sense

Green sense is merely common sense that's focused on the environment. Using your green sense in small actions every day can make the world a lot greener, a lot better. Small daily actions — conserving water or recycling plastic — soon become habitual and you move on to other daily actions that also become habitual. No matter how insignificant these habits may seem by themselves, collectively they have a direct impact on the health and future of our planet earth.

Everyone in the developed world uses too much energy. Take the time to review your lifestyle choices and personal habits to determine if you can soften your impact on the planet. Measuring your carbon footprint is a good way to find out what your environmental impact is.

A Call to Action

You can make a difference. Yes, you. Here's a list of numerous ways in which you can help the planet. Each one is easy. Many of them take no extra time at all. All that's required is a little green sense, a measure of commitment and a generous compassion for Mother Earth.

Act Locally

Get personally involved and put your money or your time where your heart is. Local, grass-roots action is the best way to induce change; it helps your neighbors and allows you to teach - and learn from - others.
Purchase locally grown food whenever possible. It will taste better because it's fresher, supports the local economy and in most cases requires fewer resources to get to your plate.
Join or start a local action group that promotes environmentally friendly practices such as carpooling, recycling drives or local energy or water conservation measures.
Support national and global green initiatives to the best of your ability. Reputable non-profit and grassroots organizations that work to help the planet need and deserve your support.
Plant a tree.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Waste is a terrible thing and our bursting landfills and trash-strewn roadsides are evidence that there's way too much of it. Use your green sense every time you shop to reduce over consumption. If you don't buy it, you'll never have to throw it away!

Reduce

Avoid buying products with excess packaging. Many manufacturers are getting the message and, with your help, more will follow.
Purchase foods in bulk whenever possible. Doing so not only reduces packaging but allows you to buy only as much as you need, which saves money too!
Perfect that document before you print it to reduce paper waste. Use both sides of the sheet whenever possible.

Reuse

Use durable products that can be used repeatedly instead of throw-away products like plastic forks, sandwich bags or disposable shavers. (When disposable products are purchased, reuse them as much as possible and dispose of them responsibly.)
Reuse grocery bags or better yet, buy a cloth bag that will last for years.

Recycle

Purchase products made from and packaged in recycled materials. This will help "close the loop" and create markets for recycled products.
Recycle as much as possible, especially electronic products, batteries and plastics, all of which are devastating to the environment when dumped in landfills.

Green Cleaning

Many common household cleaning products contain chemicals that are bad for the environment and your health. Learn how to easily replace these toxins with natural, nontoxic substitutes.
Learn more

Conserve Energy

Saving energy not only saves you money but reduces demand and prevents tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. There are countless ways to reduce your energy consumption. Here are a few:

Driving — leave the car in the garage and walk or ride a bicycle to nearby destinations. When you do drive, plan ahead to combine errands and eliminate extra trips. Keep your car tuned up and the tires properly inflated to reduce fuel consumption.
Water use — Wash your clothes and rinse your dishes in cold water. Use the dishwasher only for full loads. Take showers instead of baths and use a water-conserving shower head.
Lighting — Replace your incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs and turn them off when you leave the room.
Entertainment — Turn off or unplug electronics, especially if used infrequently. So-called "sleep modes" can consume a lot of energy. Keeping refrigerator coils and heating vents clean also reduces energy use.
Comfort — Lowering your thermostat 2 degrees in winter and raising it 2 degrees in summer from your customary comfort level can eliminate one ton of CO2 pollution annually.

Eat Green

You are what you eat. Use your green sense when you shop for food by choosing food that's sustainably produced. Depleted fish stocks, factory farming and unrestrained genetic engineering all contribute to the degradation of the earth.

Go Organic — beyond flavor and freedom from toxic residues, organic foods promote the health of soil, water and air. Organic farming is a hopeful enterprise that respects the planet and the creatures who live on it. Learn more
Look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification on seafood products, your assurance that it was harvested sustainably. If you don't see any certification, ask why. Learn more
Purchase meat and eggs that were produced and harvested humanely. Aside from the fact that such products are better for our own health, we must honor and respect the lives of farm animals from whom we require the ultimate sacrifice. Learn more
Grow your own vegetable or herb garden and start a compost pile to feed it while simultaneously recycling your own compostable garbage.

The Big Green Picture

If every citizen of industrialized countries adopted just a few of these suggestions, the effect on the environment would be dramatic and good. No one person can do it alone, but if we encourage and work with others to solve existing environmental problems and prevent new ones, we can change the world.

Green Action