It Can Be Easy Being Green

Kermit had a hard time being green, but we don't have to struggle. Even a frog can make a few changes to reduce waste and improve the planet. Small steps seem too minor to make a difference, but if we all try those billions of small steps can help us outrun the issues of too much waste and not enough clean air and water. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We see that phrase all the time. We see it so much that maybe we don't really see it. In fact, most of what we need to do for our environment can be tied up in those three actions.

Reduce: My shopping days took a direct hit with my first yard sale. Watching my formerly valued possessions walking away for a dollar has changed the way I shop. When I fall for a gadget, garment or knickknack, I picture myself marking it down at my next yard sale. If it's something useful, the process isn't painful. If it's something that will sit on my shelf until yard sale time, it usually stays at the store.

When you buy, purchase goods that will last. Sometimes you'll pay more, but you'll replace less often and get more use out of the better constructed, well-designed products with longer warranties. As handy as paper goods can be, they are fodder for landfill. Disposable lighters, napkins, plates, cups cost more in the long run. When you do buy paper products, go for those made from post-consumer recycled materials. Just remember, cloth napkins are so civilized.

There are other good ways to reduce energy consumption: cut back water use, eat less meat-it's very expensive to raise and transport animals, turn your lights off and your thermostat down in winter and up in summer. Lay out a small kitchen garden. It's the ultimate reduction technique, gets you out in the fresh air, and is fabulous functional exercise. Look for products in simple, reduced, or no packaging. Make your own greeting cards. They're more fun and lots more personal.

Reuse: The most fun and creative of the three Rs, reuse can be the easiest. It's as simple as sharing a magazine subscription with a friend, hauling around those grocery bags to use again next time you shop, trading DVDs, donating your cell phone, or using storage containers instead of plastic wrap or bags. If you plan to hang out at the coffee shop, ask for a ceramic mug and save the paper cup for travel. Donate your old clothes and buy from resale shops. Reuse is a very handy way to reduce the growth of our landfills.

Recycle: I recycle. You probably do too. I save my cans and bottles, rinse them out and put them in a special blue can to be taken away by the city. Recycling is good, but reducing and reusing are better. Recycling requires old material to be remanufactured and reproduced as a new product. Buy products from recycled materials and collect bags, cans, bottles, and jars for recycling. Let nature help you recycle garbage and plant debris by composting. Check out the EPA page on food waste; composting never sounded so important. Demand that your favorite over-packaged products lose some of the packaging. Companies are listening to consumer complaints about wasted packing materials.

Raise your voice. Kermit will be so proud.