Should I "Go Green" or not? (read details)?

Question

I do NOT want to go green to stop "Global warming", because i don't believe it exists. Don't hate on me for it. But I want to help the pollution problem and stuff like that. So, I already recycle but what else can I do without being all "Reduce your carbon footprint" and in-your-face greenness-y?

Answer 1

Stop worrying about what your friends will say about you and go with your gut instinct - it's trying to tell you something - listen.

Plant as many trees as you can because the plants will NOT be able to keep up with your footprint since they are being plowed over somewhere right this second.  

Answer 2

Either you believe in pollution affecting the environment or you don't, so which is it? If you care about pollution then you must acknowledge that it's having adverse affects on the atmosphere, and we cause pollution, hence global warming is real, it's just a general misnomer.

Answer 3

That's perfectly fine. Nothing to hate on at all. Most of the people I know that are trying to live greener care more about immediate things like air pollution or water contamination.  There's no reason why living a greener life has to mean being "in your face".  I do what I do because I believe it's the right thing for me to do. If someone asks I'm more than happy to share, but I don't go around accosting people in the grocery store for not bringing their own bag.

The simplest thing you can do is evaluate your own life through the 3 R's - reduce, reuse, recycle.  If you don't need it don't buy it. Try to reduce transport miles by buying local products, walking, biking, or taking mass transit. Reduce chemicals and try to bring all natural or eco-friendly products into your life. Reduce packaging wherever possible and buy 2nd hand.  If you do need it, try to re-use it somehow or give it to someone who can.  Lastly if you need it and it can't be re-used try to recycle.

Answer 4

Use reusable aluminum water bottles. Buy reusable shopping bags. Use earth friendly natural cleaning products like Method and Shaklee.

Answer 5

Your corbin footprint has already been taken care of by the plants. The plants are doing a beautiful job.

Answer 6

I don't frankly care much WHY you want to go green - don't want to do it because of man-made global warming? Fine. Want to do it to reduce pollution? Awesome. Every little bit helps.

And regardless of what you choose to do (which I'll get to in a minute), it's totally up to you whether you're an "in your face" self-righteous twit about it. Some people make a big show of recycling, some people just do it.  It's not the act that annoys people, it's the show.

That said, here are some tips to help reduce pollution and clean up your personal environment:

- Drive less. In some metro areas, especially those without good mass transit systems (like mine!), most of the air pollution comes from personal transportation, not from industrial sources. Drive less particularly on Ozone Alert days, and be sure to fuel up in the evening, not the morning.  Alternatives to driving?  Try to walk or ride a bike for short errands (good exercise, too) or look for carpools. Try transit if that's an option in your area. This will save you gas money, too!

- Throw away less. Recycle as much as you can. If you have curbside, use it, but also look for places to recycle other things. For example, we can't recycle glass, phone books, or batteries at the curb, so we save all these things in a different crate, and take them to a community center every couple of months to be recycled.  If you own a home with a yard, yard waste can be composted instead of hauled to the dump, reducing trash, trash collection, and providing you with some nice fertilizer.

- Consume less.  Buy less stuff - be sure you really need everything you buy. This way, you reduce your personal impact on the front end, and also at the end of a product's life when it gets thrown out.

- Clean smarter. Many products we use to clean our homes are dangerously toxic.  You can make your home safer and reduce pollution in the waste stream by using natural cleaners... just baking soda and vinegar, for example, go a long way. You can search the internet for "natural cleaning solutions" for details, but the biggest one to avoid is bleach. Cut that out, and you're doing great for avoiding pollution.

- Garden smarter. The whole purpose of this one is to make sure that any storm water coming off your property is clean, and that there's as little of it as possible. This keeps the sewer and wastewater systems in your city as clean and healthy as possible.  Avoid pesticides and use native plants and grasses (they require fewer water and fertilizer resources).  Sweep (don't blow) your driveway and sidewalk clear to make sure debris doesn't end up in the stormwater system.

When I was in elementary school, we learned the 4 R's of being green. (Now you only hear 3....)  In rank of importance, they were "Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."

When you rethink, you change your mind about how you live and what you need.  When you reduce, you consume less. When you reuse, you make what you've consumed last longer, and when you recycle, you keep that that's been fully consumed from becoming permanent waste.

Good luck.  

Answer 7

a simple , not in your face,  solution is to use reuseable shopping bags when grocery shopping.   Plastic bags are perhaps the worst scourge on the face of the planet...........one of those things we invented........and probably wish we could dis-invent,

Handy, durable, and extremely useful.........they also clog and clutter our landfills and take forever to break down.  We MUST break that bad habit.  In Europe......they CHARGE YOU, per bag, at the supermarket, and encourage re-useable fiber or cloth bags.

That simple thing........could be an enormous help.  

Answer 8

I don't have an opinion on Global Warming either, I actully think the debate has prevented some people from making better choices. I want to reduce the toxins in my life, reduce the garbage I create and conserve resources that are finite. All while living a comfortable suburban life. I'll add my standard go green answer.

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 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, 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.

Answer 9

Well, I guess you do not believe in science then.

Some simple tips to go green...

Turn off all your lights when you leave.

Turn your AC up so it doesn't cycle as much.

Get canvas bags to reuse at the store.

Use the energy efficient light bulbs- cost more up front but you do save on your light bill.  

Do not run your major appliances (dish washer, washing machine, etc...) during peek hours- (I think it is 3p-7p).

Only fill up on gas in the evening (not sure this is a fact thing- just heard it once and try to do it).

Ride bike or walk to close stores for items you can carry.

Take the bus (unless you are like me and afraid of being murdered).

Hand wash dishes and let them air dry.

Turn off water when brushing teeth or washing face.

If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down.  

These are little things you can do that aren't too hard to adopt into your life.  I do them and they actually make things a lot easier.