What are some convenient ways to make a difference in the world?

Question

any little change in a habit or anything?

Answer 1

Eliminate vs recycle.

So many people want to focus on recycling which, while good, is just slightly better than not bothering.

Don't buy the individual servings - plan ahead, buy the bigger container, less packaging and you'll save money.  It drove me crazy buying "Go-gurts" to give my kids 2 oz of yogurt and a trash can full of wrappers and boxes.  Now that they are older, they understand that "their contribution" is to pass up the flashy packaging and eat (the same stuff) from the adult bulk package.

There are tons of statistics on bottled water (bottles) going into landfills.  "Invest" in a reusable container and fill it, keep it, fill it,  repeat.

Examine your purchasing/consumption habits and you'll find quite a few of these that you could change.  The inconvenience will be offset by the money you save.

Answer 2

Reduce, reuse, and recycle are all pretty convenient.

In my personal experience greening my habits has added convenience to my life overall. I no longer have to run myself ragged going to millions of stores to buy stuff I don't need. I have less trash to haul out. I have less stuff that needs to be organized and cleaned. I don't have to buy and store 82 different cleaners since natural products are pretty multi-purpose. I don't have to work as hard or stress as much about getting the bills paid.

Although not really about the environment, another really easy thing that makes a difference is playing at http://www.freerice.com/index.php.

Answer 3

you can inspire other people. Check this article for some very cool ideas:

Answer 4

walk bike or take the bus, use environmentally friendly products shampoo , soap and shaving cream ( kiss my face products are great ) , compost, use eco friendly lightbulb, be energy efficient ...

a good guide that i like is the national geographic green guide .. it gives you plenty of tips and tricks ... and you can order it online in a electronic version so you ownt destroy tress for nothing ...  

Answer 5

You can make any change convenient, for me it is about a mindset, not doing things by automatic habit. Many people think there is only one way of doing things and that it will be hard. I'm the only one in my family who truly feels what I do makes a difference, so if I want my family to participte I have to make it easy. For example, recycling, there is no way my husband is going to make an effort to put recycling in a special place so I have the garbage and recyle can in the same cupboard, my son is motivated to sort the recycling by keeping any money generated from his efforts. I am lucky that I do most of the shopping and cooking, so I can just bring healthy and earth friendly items into the house and they don't notice the difference. They are starting to get excited by our new local and organic diet, because the food taste so much better.

I am putting my standard go green answer, start with the easy stuff, and go from there.

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 6

reuse reduce recycle

the 3 "r"s

Answer 7

here are ten ways..

-buy organic foods, modern agriculture pollutes the water supply with chemicals.

-air dry your clothes.

-change light bulbs.

-go hybrid. not really convenient but it helps.

-inflate your car tires and change air filter.

-check your water heater and go tankless.

-take shorter showers

-unplug appliances

-adjust the thermostat

-plant a tree.

some of these arent convient but they can really help the enviroment.

(i didnt make these up, copied them off the web)

Answer 8

if it were convenient, then why do it.  Being green takes sacrifice.