The Insanely Easy Green Guide
The Only Things You Need to Know to Live in a More Eco-Friendly Way
Apr 3, 2008
Green might be in, but it comes in many shades, from truly green to greenwashed. With an ever-multiplying selection of books, Websites and businesses aimed at helping you live a green lifestyle, it's easier to feel more overwhelmed than informed.
Which is better for the environment: fair-trade coffee or organic? Where is it better to shop: the Wal-Mart just down the street or the natural food co-op that's a 25-minute drive away? Should you throw out all your old appliances in one fell swoop and replace them all with the latest, most energy-efficient models? Who needs your volunteer time and donations more: the local nature park or the Clean Air Conservancy?
A lot of these decisions end up involving complicated formulas in which you might not even know all the variables. Do the carbon emissions of a trip to Wal-Mart outweigh those you produce by driving 15 miles to the co-op? Are the resources you consume by buying new appliances a greater burden on the planet than the small amounts of additional energy you might be using with the old ones? In many cases, the answers are impossible to find. And, in the process of looking, you're going more crazy than green.
So here, then, is a simple guide to going green, which is really easier than most people would have you believe these days. I call it, "The Insanely Easy Guide to Going Green."
How easy? So easy that all you need to remember is four things: Buy less. Use less. Save more. Do more.
- Buy less. You wouldn't know it from the tens of thousands of green gadgets, widgets and doodads on the market, but the real purpose of a green lifestyle is not to go out and spend like there's no tomorrow. If you don't need something, don't buy it. If you do truly need something, then make the greenest, most environmentally friendly, most ethical purchase you can.
- Use less. Energy. Water. Gas. Plastic. Paper. Chemicals. Resources. Whatever you use on a daily basis, try to use less, and you'll automatically reduce your impact on the planet.
- Save more. Clothing. Food. Money. Whatever you can reuse, do so. Whatever you can repair, do so. Whatever is of use or value that you can pass on to your kids, grandkids, neighbors, friends or community, do so.
- Do more. This last step is one in which you can probably make the greatest positive difference for our world, and the sky's the limit. Recycle more. Walk more. Bicycle more. Grow more of your own food. Plant more trees. Write letters to the editor more. Lobby your elected representative more. Volunteer with environmental groups more. And help others in your family, your workplace and your neighborhood to do the same.
So there it is. About as basic a guide to going green as you're likely to see anywhere, but it's basically all you need to know:
- Buy less.
- Use less.
- Save more.
- Do more.
End of story.
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