Five Earth-Friendly Habits
1. Swap till you drop!
When you replace a product at home or work, swap up for greener option. Instead of restocking your plastic wrap and tin foil, for example, stock up on washable glass food storage containers. Replenish cleaning supplies with products that have Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environmental label – or try swapping out vinegar or baking soda mixed with hot water for commercial cleaners. Swap your tucked-across-the-country groceries for locally grown or produced food. Need a new car? Consider a hybrid or – or a bicycle!
2. Be a savvy shopper.
Eco-friendly claims on product labels can be misleading or patently untrue. You can avoid being taken in by “greenwashing” – marketing that falsely promotes a product as sustainable – by keeping a few things in mind. Be wary of products using vague terms such as “all-natural” or “friendly to the environment” without any specifics to back up those claims. Look for a seal indicating that the product has been certified green by a reputable third party, and then check the certifier to ensure that the product really has been given O.K. Take a look at the packaging. The product itself may be green, but if it is in a plastic bottle that can be recycled, your are not doing the planet any favors.
3. Think organic.
Many people choose organic when it comes to produce, meats, dairy, and other food items because they want to avoid the chemicals, pesticides, synthetic hormones, and genetically modified organisms that can be found in the non-organic versions of those same products. However, harmful chemicals can be found across a spectrum of products, so expand your thinking to include organic cosmetics and beauty care products, pet foods, clothing and more.
4. Go Paper-Free
Perhaps considering canceling your print newspaper and magazine subscriptions, and read them online instead. Set your table with cloth napkins, and clean up spills with cloth towels or rags. Opt out of junk mail by registering with the Direct Marketing Association’s mail preference service (www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html); opt out of mailed credit card offers by calling 888-567-8688 or logging on to www.optoutprescreen.com
5. Plant a garden.
It does not get much more local than growing your own organic food. You will get chemical and pesticide free meals, and the only energy required to transport the ingredients to your kitchen will come two feet from your own garden. A backyard that provides the perfect opportunity for recycling food scraps via composting.
Sources: “Avoid Greenwashing”; “Green your home”; “Green your workplace”, NSF International 2014 / The complete Idiot’s guide to green living by Trish Riley (Alpha, 2007) / Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: An easy household guide by Nicky Scott (Chelsea Green, 2007).