Going Green Does Not Have to Happen In A Day

My life is not one hundred percent green. And unless you are ready to pack it up and go live in a teepee out in the middle of nowhere, I really don’t think anyone can be one hundred percent green.

Sometimes it’s hard to make changes in the way we do things, like going green, because it seems like the change has to be an all or nothing proposition. And then it becomes overwhelming. Well, it doesn’t have to be. Going green can happen in baby steps. Change your life by changing the way you do one or two things at a time. For some going green may be asking for too much of a sacrifice. If that’s the case, then in the beginning change the things that don’t matter to you so much.

Here are four things that you can change that are so simple, they might even seem unnoticeable:

Change your dish soap. It can be that simple. Instead of using commercial soap, start trying out biodegradable ones. Read your labels. If you can’t pronounce the items listed, it’s probably not good for the environment.

For example, here is a description of Method’s Go Naked Dish Soap:

Coconut oil derived biodegradable cleaners, aloe vera gel and vitamin E combine for high-powered cleaning that keeps hands soft and goes down the sink without a trace of guilt. This is the first dish soap to be recognized by the Design for the Environment (DfE) program and is manufactured using renewable energy.

• naturally derived and biodegradable surfactants
• corn alcohol
• table salt
• citric acid
• light stabilizer
• aloe vera gel
• vitamin E
• preservative (under 0.1%)
• purified water

Dish soap can be used to clean a lot of household areas and items on a daily basis. It’s not only for doing dishes, you can wipe down counters, cupboards, bathroom areas, and use it to scrub floors.

Change your regular shower head to a low-flow shower head. This not only cuts down on the amount of water you use for your showers, but it cuts down on the energy used to heat the hot water. All this takes is a trip to the hardware store. The shower heads screw on and off, so they are easy to change.

Use public transportation, ride a bike, or walk. Reconsider driving that car three blocks to the grocery store. Save on gas and get some exercise at the same time. Public transportation really depends on the community where you live, but if you have it, start using it!

Buy a reusable shopping bag for your groceries. This one is an easy one, but it does take a while to get used to carrying a shopping bag with you or to remember taking it at all. But once you get it into your shopping routine, you’ll wonder why it took you so long to adapt. If I forget my shopping bag and I only buy one or two items, I tend to tuck them into my purse with the receipt after purchasing them.

So, there are four easy things to do to start your green life. If you can think of any more, add them in the comments!