by Talina Norris

Created on: September 19, 2007

Green living is defined as living a more sustainable life. Sustainability is the idea that we can have a good quality of life while being environmentally responsible and cautious of the impact we have on our environment.

Going green or living a sustainable life has become more mainstream these days because people are realizing how easy and simple it is. Green living is anything that plays a positive impact on the environment. The idea is to tread more lightly on the earth, the key is simplicity.

It doesn't matter who you are or where you live, you can take steps today to live a greener life. All you have to do is commit to a concept or two and you will be on your way to living a greener more sustainable life.

Eat locally-
Did you know that the foods you buy from the grocery store often travel many miles from the farm to you? Fruits and vegetables often come from many different states, on average how many miles do you think your food travels? Some bananas are from Costa Rica, oranges are from California, potatoes from Idaho and the list goes on. Simple things like buying from the local farmers market, eating seasonably available items and growing some of your own foods will cut down on the travel time food takes to get to your table. The less travel time required the better for the environment!

Buy recyclable and biodegradable products-
Find out what types of packaging/ items are recyclable in your area and commit to buying only what can be recycled. This will send a message to manufacturers using excessive non recyclable packaging and it will reduce the amount of stuff that goes into the landfill. Using products that are safer and more natural for the environment is another great way to take care of the environment. There are many biodegradable products that can be used instead of the regular brands. Using biodegradable shower/ laundry products will help the environment and it will allow you to recycle household water wastes.

Conserve and reuse water-
My favorite green living practice is rainwater harvesting. I have a 58 gallon rain water barrel that is hooked up to our gutter at home. The water collects during storms and it sits until I need it for my garden. I collected 43.5 gallons of water in one day during a storm, now I have free water for my garden! Rainwater harvesting is just one way you can conserve water. Another pretty common way is to recycle grey water from your home. If you are using biodegradable shower and laundry products your bath, shower water and laundry water can be used for watering your plants. Reusing grey water is a great way to get double the bang for your buck, you pay for the water once but use it twice! This is a concept that will help your wallet and the environment!

When purchasing think energy efficient-
These days manufacturers are trying to cater to the green minded population. Energy star appliances are a very popular and easy way to live more sustainable. These appliances use less water and energy thus cutting costs for you and helping the environment. Also, replacing all your old light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs will cut costs and energy waste. Simply swapping out your light bulbs will help fight the battle against global warming! "If every household replaced just three 60-watt incandescent bulbs with CF bulbs, the pollution savings would be like taking 3.5 million cars off the road!"

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