How can one Live Green?

There are so many ways. We all can get creative and think of novel ways to live green (and reduce our carbon footprint). It is a continuous learning experience - educate yourself! Some of the most common ways are:

Conserve energy: By adjusting your thermostat up 2 degrees in the summer and down 2 degrees in the winter can cut carbon emissions by about 1 ton a year. Use Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) instead of regular bulbs. Switch off the lights of rooms or hallways when you leave. Some energy conservation tips from XCEL ernergy:

http://www.xcelenergy.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/docs/temp/Earth-Hour.pdf

Eat locally grown food: By eating more locally or regionally grown food, you can cut down on the amount of energy it takes to transport the food to you by about 20 percent. Only about 10% of the fossil fuel energy used in the world’s food system is used in production; the other 90% goes into packaging, transportation, and marketing. 

Reduce Dependence on Fossil Fuels (or conserve it): Every time you drive to the store, or to church, or to work, your vehicle is emitting carbon dioxide into the air. Use 'alternate energy' sources e.g. you can sign up with Xcel Energy to get 'Wind Energy'. Use Hybrid cars or do 'Car Pooling' or use 'Public Transport' or work from home. Support measures and legislations to support 'alternate energy' sources. Try to minimize the use of car chargers. By changing your driving habits you can improve fuel economy as much as 20% (or more) and reduce your vehicle's greenhouse gas emissions.

Conserve Water: It is limited. It CANNOT be manufactured. We need water to manufacture and produce EVERYTHING. Prevent leaks, use ultra-low flow toilet, recycle rainwater, and use water-saving showerhead. Calculate your water footprint:

http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/WaterFootprintCalculator

Recycle: Throwing away items that could be recycled diminish energy, water and natural resources that could be saved by recycling.
Did you know...
• For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
• You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.
• By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.
The more we throw away, the more space we take up in landfills. When a landfill becomes a “landfull”, taxpayers have to build a new one. The less we throw away, the longer our landfills will last. The amount of taxpayer money we save by extending the longevity of our landfills is an important community benefit.

Better 'than' Recycle: Recycle happens 'after the fact'. Even better is to not having to recycle. E.g. do not use pre-packaged water bottles, avoid 'individually packed' goods

Reducing Holiday Waste: Use earth-friendly gift-wrapping alternatives, recycle your tree, and host a zero-waste holiday party. Replace incandescent light bulbs with LED lights. Get 'creative' about gift-giving e.g. gift a 'learning experience' instead of a 'material' thing.

Go Green on Beauty as well: Most Americans go blithely about their grooming routines each day, using an average of nine separate products with 126 chemical ingredients. So consumers can make informed decisions about what to buy and what to avoid, cosmeticsdatabase.com has information and safety reports on more than 41,000 personal care products.

Calculate your Carbon Footprint:

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html

http://www.safeclimate.net/calculator

http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator

Some Useful Web Links:

http://www.buymytronics.com/

http://www.carbonwarroom.com/

http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivinginyourhome/Environmental_Issues_Green_Living_in_Your_Home.htm

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/

https://www.drivingchange.org/Pages/Reduction.aspx

http://earth911.org/

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/partners.htm

http://www.eiae.org/

http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/

http://www./organicbeautymagazine.net

http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/organicdivas.com

http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/beautorium.com

http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/cosmeticsdatabase.com

http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/greenbeautyguide.com