Try Simple Living

12 Responses

1. Future_Vet

   2008 Nov 05 1

   Use recycled grocery bags instead of plastic ones.
   REYCYCLE
   
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2. pixidoas243w

   2008 Nov 05 2

   ignore future, with the recycle bags, use a real bag over and over so you don’t wast plastics or paper. plant trees and bushes if you have the room. try to be a vegetarian its a different feeling once you break away from meats. and if you smoke, stop it work out, jog or whatever, live clean and healthy that way you will relate to the earth more and know what you want to do next.
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3. Katey

   2008 Nov 05 3

   1. Compost: Composting keeps naturally degradable waste out of the landfill where it won’t get the rain & sunlight it needs to degrade before being buried & capped. A compost pile is simple to begin in your backyard. You can add food wastes like vegetable and fruit peels and cores, egg shells, etc. You can also add shredded paper (not magazines or shiny stuff). And on top of reducing the immense amount of solid waste created and stored by humans, compost can be used for gardening!

   2. Buy things used instead of new when possible. Buying things used decreases the demand for newly manufactured goods (which use fossil fuels to produce) and keeps items out of landfills. Use Amazon for used books, use Craigslist.org for all sorts of used items, browse tag sales & Salvation Armies, etc.

   3. If you must buy new items, look for items made from recycled or sustainably harvested materials! I found environmentally friendly (unbleached) muffin cups in Stop & Shop yesterday!

   4. If you forget your re-usable bags at the grocery store, ask for paper instead of plastic. Save and use the paper bags for wrapping gifts and top off with a nice ribbon! People love the classic look and you can save money and wasted manufacturing of wrapping paper. Plus paper bags are more readily recycled after the gift is unwrapped.

   Good Luck, there are tons of easy ways to be just a bit more environmentally friendly!
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4. Sarukmum23gorgeousgirls!

   2008 Nov 05 4

   Grow your own veggies, recycle, use green bags, get solar power, or buy green power, sell your car and use public transport or walk, turn off your lights when you are not in the room, defrost your meat for the evening meal during the day not in the microwave, Plant trees. Get solar hot water, time your showers
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5. condor.wings

   2008 Nov 05 5

   defiantly eat less meat/ animal products
   being vegan is equivenlant to not driving a car as far as carbon dioxide is considered
   plus uses WAY less land

   and dont buy bottled water its TERRIBLE for our water systems
   drive less
   recycle
   consume less

   it’s wonderful to see someone taking an interest in living more sustainably <3
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6. Health Mama

   2008 Nov 06 6

   Bravo for You! One of the key places to start is right in your own home.
   Get rid of all your household products that contain hazardous chemicals. By switching to green cleaner’s and personal care products you will stop flushing chemicals into the environment through your own personal household waste. Use natural, non-toxic, biodegradable and concentrated products which will also reduce the amount of packaging going into landfills. Use supplements that are natural and sourced from sustainable resources in your nutrition routine. Use a water purification unit instead of buying bottled water to reduce packaging going into the landfills.
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7. www.AGUA-LUNA.com (Consultant)

   2008 Nov 06 7

   I have a HUUUUGE list available at www agua-luna com it’s like 33 pages long & would just spam this whole answer. But here’s a few cut from the list below. If you’d like the entire list feel free to visit www agua-luna com or email me through the site directly & I’ll send you a free copy.

   Also Agua-Luna com now offers Carbon Offsetting Credits, since our Team of Volunteers is already accomplishing several carbon eliminating projects, we’re now converting the carbon offsets to you. Visit www agua-luna com for a FREE carbon calculator to calculate your carbon footprint for free & more info on carbon credits.

   You could also Volunteer with us, planting a tree or working on a Sustainable Renewable Energy Building Project in Mexico OR The Amazon. Again see www agua-luna com for more info.

   If you can’t join us here are some ways you can at least contribute from home..

   Recycle paper, cardboard, newsprint & magazines.
   Recycle aluminum cans.
   Recycle all batteries.
   Recycle & reuse. Roughly 50% of the average person’s trash can be recycled. Don’t forget that hazardous waste like batteries, your printer’s ink cartridges, & cell phones can be recycled too! Find out how & where to recycle in your area. Always buy recycled paper. Just 1 ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees.
   Just because your community doesn’t pick up all recyclables on the curb, it doesn’t mean there are not viable alternatives nearby. Check with dry cleaners, supermarkets, manufacturers, your local public works department & civic organizations to find out where recycled goods can be dropped off, at a location near you.
   Did you know that just in 1995 alone, recycled toner cartridges kept over 21,000 tons of trash out of landfills? Believe it or not, now you can recycle your printer’s toner cartridges! Every year, Americans throw out enough printer cartridges to stretch from Los Angeles to New York City & back again. Toner cartridges can be recycled, having just as good a performance as an unrecycled cartridge. To recycle your toner cartridges, find a local business that does printer cartridge recycling, or contact the manufacturer of your current toner cartridge & ask about a cartridge recycling program.
   Not only should you recycle, but buy products that are recycled. By purchasing these products, you are helping to conserve natural resources, & to protect the environment.
   Wash clothes in cold water.
   Hot water is unnecessary for most clothes. When needed, use warm water.
   Fill your toilet tank.
   Put a plastic bottle or two, filled with water & rocks, in your tank to reduce the amount of water used in each flush.
   Clean your filters.
   Clean the filters of your air-conditioners once a month to improve energy efficiency. While you’re at it, change your car’s filters as recommended in your manual.
   Get a low-flow shower head.
   Stop at the hardware store on your way home, & get a low-flow shower head. Takes a few minutes to install, & it’ll save gallons of water a day.
   Lower your thermostats.
   If you use heating, get by with less heat & wear warmer clothes. If you use air-conditioning, get by with less cooling & wear cooler clothes.
   If it’s a nice sunny day, hanging clothes only takes a few minutes, & you’re using solar power instead of electricity to do the job. It also makes your clothes last longer.
   Turn down your water heater.
   Most people have their water heater’s thermostat turned up too high, wasting energy. Turn it down to 130 degrees, saving energy but still hot enough to kill bacteria.
   Use CFC light bulbs.

   Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online & on-site workshops, seminars & internships to help others help the environment.

   Dan Martin
   Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World… Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY… All With Just One Click of A Mouse…For more info Visit:

   www AGUA-LUNA com
   
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8. UXB

   2008 Nov 06 8

   Much of the air pollution comes from animals! Cow farts (and other animals) cause more methane gas to be released into the atmosphere than simply running automobiles!

   So, if you are really concerned about this planet you ought to become a vegetarian, in particular a vegan! The production of meat, from beef, pigs, chickens, carabao, emu, ducks, goats, lamb and anything else man buys and eats - causes more pollution than all of the cars in America!

   Time to put your “desire to help the planet” into a practical demonstration by never ever eating meat again!

   References :
   http://www.eatthemushroom.com/mag/article.asp?id=705&catID=2

9. whsgreenmom

   2008 Nov 06 9

   Going green is easy, there are so many great resources about the subject. My personal favorite is “The Green Book” which has parts of its book online as well at http://www.readthegreenbook.com.

   As I have been striving to “Go Green” I realize it is like stepping back in time without getting rid of my modern conveniences. I’m doing many things I learned as a child, like line drying my clothes, sweeping instead of vacuuming, opening the windows in the morning to catch the cool breeze, only buying what I need instead of everything that looks cool, growing some of my own food, and canning what I can’t eat now.

   To me “going Green” is a frame of mind. Do what fits your lifestyle and do the easy things first, it is a process and like dieting if you go to radical to soon, you are more likely to go back to bad habits. I also believe there are good, better, best choices in most things. If you aren’t ready to start a home garden, then try finding a farmers market, until you locate one look for produce grown as close to home as possible and go organic when available.

   Many people think “going green” is expensive, I disagree. Some changes may take an initial investment, but they usually have a short payoff time. Things like weatherstiping and insulation cost, but the energy savings will add up quickly. You may need to purchase reusable bags, but most stores give you a 5 or 10 cent credit, so you are paid back within a few months.

   My top tips are make your home more energy efficient, that also means using natural light, cooling and heating.

   Reduce your packaging, if you eat more fresh food you will generally reduce packaging, it’s the same thing they tell dieters, shop the perimiter, that is where all the meat, dairy and produce are located. Only buy what you will use, many Americans throw away a lot of unused food. Buy in bulk, that doesn’t just mean large packages, but that area with the bins that you buy only what you plan on using.

   Replace disposable items with durable items, if you eat outside often and use disposable paper or plastic plates, it is a wise investment to purchase a set of reusable plastic plates. Replace disposable razors, diapers and cleaning products like swiffer. Avoid bottled water, get a home filter like Pur or Brita.

   Recycle, http://www.earth911.org will help you locate the nearest recycle center. I try to only purchase plastics that are #1 or #2, they are more easily recycled. I also buy recycled products when available, that includes paper towels, napkings, toilet paper, tissue, school/office supplies and clothing.

   Detox your cleaning, vinegar and baking soda clean almost anything, they can even losen a hair clog. Seventh Generation and Method are a couple mainstream brands that are very earth friendly.

   Just start small and build from there, don’t get overwhelmed.

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10. Foreverhbk

    2008 Nov 06 10

    Do u hv a car? Sell it and go everywhere on a cycle
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11. Nah

    2008 Nov 07 11

    There are many things that you can do to live a greener lifestyle, and most are very inexpensive too:

    ~Of course, recycle everything you can! (Ex: cans, bottles, plastics, paper, ect.)
    ~Buy energy saving light bulbs
    ~Buy things like clothes, paper, ect that are made from recycled materials
    ~Use reusable batteries or recycle dead batteries properly
    ~Use reusable shopping bags
    ~If you have plastic shopping bags, use them instead of just tossing them. They can be used to pick up dog poo, line small trash cans, ect.
    ~Try not to use paper napkins or paper towel as much as possible. Instead use cloth napkins that can be washed.
    ~Try to use fewer paper plates and more washable ones.
    ~Take shorter showers
    ~Turn off lights whenever possible
    ~Try to buy more organic foods and local foods (for example, at a farmer’s market)
    ~Use regular silverware, not plastic
    ~Use eco friendly products in replace of regular dish washing liquids, house cleaners, ect. (Greenworks)
    ~Use cold water to wash clothes (Tide Cold water works great)
    ~On a nice day, turn off the air/heat and open some windows. You save on the cost, get a nice fresh breeze, and help the environment.
    ~Plant trees around your house to shade and save on using more air conditioning
    ~In the winter, use a space heater in a room or two because it will make it warmer without using as much heat from the heater because electricity for the space heater costs a lot less.
    ~Buy one stainless steel, reusable, water bottle instead of using regular plastic ones and then getting rid of them. This one you can clean and use over and over again!
    ~Change the setting on your sprinklers to use less water
    ~Buy eco friendly fertilizers (I think they have them at Home Depot)
    ~If painting, they have eco friendly paint at Home Depot
    ~Walk or ride a bike wherever possible
    ~Carpool

    That is all I can think of, but you can also get some tips at http://www.gogreen.com
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12. smashing ash

    2008 Nov 08 12

    Here’s a good website for all your green needs!
    http://betterthisplanet.weebly.com/
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