How Can You Get More Green?

We’ll give you tips on some easy ways to go green.* Use natural cleaning products made with plant-based, biodegradable ingredients. * Buy Plants. * Put locally grown food on your dining table.* Eliminate Junk Mail. * Choose eco-friendly sporting goods. * Go meatless one day per week.

VIDEO & ALL THE INFO AFTER THE JUMP...

“Easy Ways to Go Green”

Use natural cleaning products made with plant-based, biodegradable ingredients. Green Works™ cleaners are a new breakthrough line of natural cleaning products that are as effective as conventional cleaners in its category but made from plant-based ingredients. Starting in April, Green Works will donate a portion of product sales to the Sierra Club, the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the U.S. www.greenworkscleaners.com

Buy Plants. According at a study by NASA, tighter housing envelopes that increase your home’s energy efficiency save you money but also prevent harmful indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde (found in furniture, rugs, paints, cabinets – you name it) from being properly ventilated. One plant per 100 to 120 square feet of living space can clean air and negate the effects of harmful toxins.

Put locally grown food on your dining table. The average meal travels about 1,700 miles to get to your plate. Locally grown vegetables, meats and dairy provide food that can be fresher, more nutritious and delicious. Chefs know this too. Sustianabletable.org – www.sustainabletable.org helps you find supermarkets, restaurants, caterers and even butchers in your area that offer locally grown food.

Stay hydrated throughout the day. Instead of drinking bottled water, fill a reusable bottle with filtered tap water and you’ll cut down on plastic waste. Brita filtration systems are inexpensive and when paired with a FilterForGood bottle, make it easy to get great-tasting, healthy water on-the-go. See www.filterforgood.com.

Eliminate Junk Mail. Each week the people get tons of junk mail – none of which anyone really wants. GreenDimes is a trusted leader in stopping junk mail, and for $20, will remove you from dozens of junk mail lists – and plant 10 trees on your behalf. Since the company’s inception in Sept 2006, 3.5 million pounds of junk mail have been stopped. Check it out at www.greendimes.com

Choose eco-friendly sporting goods. Fair Trade Sports – www.fairtradesports.com offers basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, and rugby balls made with 30% PVC-free synthetic leather and 70% FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified sustainable rubber. The balls are also made in a unionized, fair-trade facility where workers make a fair, living wage.

Go meatless one day per week. Doing so is easy, will save you money, and help reduce your environmental impact. According to a study by the UN, raising cattle for food generates more global warming greenhouse gases, as measured in CO2 equivalent, than does transportation. I choose Tuesdays to go meatless. We like to call it Lazy Environmentalist Meatless Tuesdays.

Saving Power. There are several “smart” power strips out there that are handy and effective. Smart Strip Power Strip - http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Shop/Smart-Energy/Item/LCG5/ - can be timed to automatically shut off a computer and its peripherals/ Anything that plugs in (printer, scanner, speakers). Or the Watt-stopper Power Strip with Personal Sensor – 8 outlets. 6 controlled by motion in the room. 2 are not.

For other tips, check out "The Lazy Environmentalist" by Josh Dorfman. Its available in book stores now.