by Hannah Kampen

Created on: March 20, 2010   Last Updated: March 21, 2010

Have you ever wasted water and felt a cringe, like you know you shouldn't have? So you make yourself a silent promise not to do it again, but it always gets forgotten? Here's some ways to be green, and to help you remember to be green!

When you shower, remember that an average shower head puts out 2 gallons of water per minute. How long are your showers? That's a lot of water, huh? So you can do the free, old fashioned way of saving and going green, and just take shorter showers. You can also shut the water off between soaping up and rinsing off.

You might spend some bucks and buy a low pressure shower head that uses a lot less water; or you can even buy timers for your shower to let you know how long you've taken.

Plastic disposable razors are better for the environment than electric razors. To make a disposable razor last longer, you can wash it and dry it out when you're done with it. Choose shaving cream that is non-toxic and comes out of anything but an aerosol can.

Brush your teeth with a manual toothbrush, instead of electric - you'll get a workout if you do it properly. Natural shampoos and hygiene products are greener since you'll be washing less chemicals down the drain, and your body will absorb less of the harmful things.

Unplug all of your appliances in the bathroom (and kitchen) when you leave the room, and always shut your lights off. And remember, turn the water off while you're brushing your teeth!

When you cook your breakfast, it's much greener to cook your food in a microwave or toaster oven. It's greener, easier and faster if it's just you or one other person. For larger families, your stove is best. Make it a point to recycle, and set up containers for glass, paper, and plastic.

Take your kitchen refuse (vegetable peels, used coffee grounds, eggshells, etc) and make a compost heap. Clean your kitchen naturally, with things like lemons, oranges, baking soda, salt, borax (sounds a little weird using all these things, but I have tried these personally, and they WORK, and smell great, too).

You can also make a "tea" out of lavender or thyme (they're both antiseptics for cleaning) and use this tea to clean with. Fill in scratches in your wooden floor with a walnut. Got extra mail? Crumple it up to provide air pockets, and throw it in your compost heap. Or use MailStopper to stop your mail before it gets to you.

Instead of driving your car to drop your kids off, then to the store, then to work, then to class, then to the store again, then to pick up the kids, then your spouse; why not carpool? Find your kids' friends' mothers or fathers, and work out a carpooling schedule with them. See if you can work out a carpool with your friends during the day, and save all of your errands for one trip. 

These are just some of the many ways you can go green. One more thing you can do is check into alternative energy. Did you know you can get your house powered by a windmill or solar panels? Take advantage of the free energy that is all around us, and let's stop using energy that will deplete our Earth.

All it takes is one person, then another, and another, and pretty soon, everyone will be helping to save the planet. It is our responsibility as humans, and as the higher life form - when you want to be in charge, you have to take on the responsibilities. That's something that is forgotten, or not taught enough.

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