Making "greener," more environmental decisions has become apart of a lot of our lives. And I'm sure you've heard a lot of tips being green that you don't need to hear again. I'm with you. But there's always a way to do more, so I want to share some new tips--and if you've heard them before, I encourage you to actually adopt them or expand on them! Here they go:

1. While You Shop: Make ALL your shopping bags reusable: In Washington DC, there's a new 5 cent tax for every paper or plastic bag you use. This has really forced the city to buckle down. It's no longer just "a good idea" to bring a reusable bag. If you don't, you pay. I think it's time for everyone to adopt that practice. If you don't, we will all pay eventually.

2. While You Shave: Turn off the shower when shaving: Bonus points for doing it while you lather. I would never make you go there though; I enjoy my showers too much.

3. While You Visit the Lavatory: Fill two water bottles with stones and water, seal, and put in the bottom of your toilet tank. This way every time you flush, that space of water is not being refilled. This saves about 10 gallons of water a day and does NOT mess with your plumbing. I've had mine for the past 6 months.

4. Along the same lines, if you're just hanging out at home, follow the "mellow yellow" rule. All for the fishes, people.

5. While Cleaning Your Home: The EPA says the air inside the typical home is about 2-5 times more polluted than air outside-and in extreme cases 100 times more contaminated-largely because of household cleaners and pesticides: Make your own toxic-free cleaners:

-For an effective glass cleaner, use a mixture of half white vinegar and half water.
-Baking soda and cornstarch are both good carpet deodorizers.
-To clean up mildew and mold, use a mixture of lemon juice or white vinegar and salt.
-A paste of baking soda, salt, and hot water makes a great oven cleaners.
-Do more research online!

6. At the Dinner Table: Follow Meatless Mondays. Livestock takes up more space than humans, they also have more waste that industrial farmers don't know what to do with. The industrial-farming techniques are unsustainable and failing. Fuel for transportation releases CO2 gases--especially when ground beef is coming from 5 different cows from 3 different work-plants. I could keep going here, but I'll move on. And if you already do Meatless Mondays, add Thursdays in there too.

7. While Staying Cool: Strategically use window blinds, shades and planted trees to shade the sun during the warmer months and keep your house cooler naturally.

8. At the Mall: Shop local, shop organic. You've heard this one. Local=less transportation fuel. Organic=less synthetic/chemical pesticides and waxes used (as well as a ton of health benefits). But what about organic clothing? Cotton and other fabrics use synthetic and harmful chemicals too, that pollute the air, soil, and can be harmful to humans.

9. While Rushing to Work: Observe the Speed Limit. Driving 10 mph above 60 is like adding 50 cents to the price of a gallon of gas, since higher speed equals more guzzling. This means exhaust is pumped into our blue skies more rapidly--no thanks!

10. After Dinner: Don't use the garbage disposal too often. A ton of water is being used this way. Disposals are hyped to be environmental because the waste is supposed to go to wastewater treatment plants where organic waste is separate and can be used for composting needs (in short). However, most disposal matter ends up getting mixed in with the regular dump which people have to sift through---not sustainable. Compost instead.

There you have it! 10 New Ways to Go Green. And here's another one! Turn off your computer and get some R and R; you and the planet deserve it!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenzie_Harrick

By Kenzie Harrick

After graduating from American University with a B.S. in Psychology and a concentration in Health Promotion, I knew I wanted to help people live healthy and happy lives. But I didn’t know how to turn that into a profession without getting my PhD in Psychology. Luckily, through my work at The Raw Food Institute, I found the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I began studying a range of dietary theories, tools and practices for health coaching.

After years of battling weight, acne, depression, and low self esteem, finding my own personal balance in health has helped me to start living an abundant life full of love, peace, and joy. My aim is to help my clients find the same for themselves, using nourishing food as the basis for living a fufilling life.

Good, nutritious food is easy and fun to make. Anyone can be good at it. Well balanced health is an art I will help you create!

Schedule a free consultation with me.

When working one-to-one with clients, I listen to your needs and goals. What have you been doing in the past? Has it been working or not? We then look to see what changes you can make that will help you reach those goals and achieve even greater health.

Learning all the tools needed for a balanced and healthy life can be difficult. That’s why I work with clients to make it as easy as possible. Guiding you towards the right decisions and teaching the tools you need to find health and happiness within yourself.

Contact me today to set up a health history consultation.

Please login to post your comments.