Help others be more green.

Today’s tip is a hard one for some people. It is: Eat less or no meat.
The production of meat is incredibly wasteful. I don’t know the exact scary figures, but the amount of water and grain used to feed and support livestock is appalling. Why not skip the steps of harvesting and proccesing grain into foods for animals and eat it yourself instead? Not to mention that a lot of meat is pumped full of hormones and chemicals. This is obviously bad for the poor animals, but it’s prob. not too good for us humans either.
You don’t have to become completely vegetarian or vegan to reduce your carbon emissions. For example, I’m about 90% of the way there. I eat fish, but not other meats.

Think about it, even if you just decide to have 2 or 3 “veggie days” a week, you could lessen your impact on the planet.

Today’s tip? Canvas bags! Hooray for canvas!
We all know why plastic bags are bad, but we still use them. I am going to tell you why canvas (or any type of reusable bag) is better not just for the planet, but for you!
1. Reusable bags are more fun. You can get them in any color, with pictures or patterns or whatever. My favorite one that I own is a black and white Marimekko bag with a tree print.
2. If you use reusable bags, you no longer have a huge drawer full of plastic bags that you don’t know what to do with.
3. Reusable bags don’t break nearly as easily as plastic. Have you ever lost easily bruised fruit or eggs to a plastic bag with a hole in it? I have.
4. Using reusable bags may make you shop more conciously. If you only have a certain number of bags, you may have to regulate what you buy in order to have enough room in your bag(s) to take it home. This can be helpful if you’re trying to save money or staying away from certain foods.

Something that is easy to do, even though it sounds time-consuming?
Don’t throw plastic wrap away after one use. It’s good for at least 4 or 5 if you wash it and treat it nicely. Or, you could just eliminate the usage of plastic wrap entirely, and just use tupperwares or jars. (which can be bought at thrift stores…very cheap. Just remember to clean them thouroughly before you use them).

We are all told to take the bus, carpool, ride a bike, or walk. While the reasons why are obvious, sometimes there are days when you just don’t feel like doing any of the above. Hence, I will give you reasons (besides the obvious) to choose a cleaner transportation.

If you ride public transit:
-I enjoy people watching immensly. It’s a hobby anyone can develope and one that is easily done while riding a bus or metro.
-No parking necessary.
-Next time you take the bus or metro, and you have some time to kill, get off at a stop you’ve never (or at least seldom) stopped at before. A mini adventure!
-It’s a lot easier to eat, talk on your phone, or write while riding rather than driving. Not to mention safer. Do you have any idea how many accidents are caused by people who don’t pay attention?

If you carpool:
-Carpooling is a great way to catch up with friends and or neighbors.
-You get to drive in the carpool lane on the freeway. Much better than driving on congested non-carpooling lanes.

If you bike:
-Excersize. And it keeps you away from drive-throughs. Hooray for health!
-Biking is a great way to have some time to yourself. Use it as relax time.
-If you dress properly, riding in the rain can be really fun! Trust me. You notice things you normally would never notice.
-It’s easier to lock up your bike than find and pay for parking.

If you walk:
-Learn to ‘stroll’. Much more fun than average walking.

Lastly, for all the above options, it’s CHEAPER.
Let’s all look at the positive side of things!

The health of our earth is a very serious issue to me. Stopping global warming and the destruction of the natural world is one of the many causes I want to support. I figure if EVERYONE changes just 2 noticible things about the way they live that benefits a green world, the earth would be on a path to health.
So, I’m going to start by just giving advice on how to be more green. I would also like to say that though I am pretty green, I sometimes don’t do all that I support. For example, I’ll stay in the shower too long, or I’ll drive myself when I could carpool. I’m human. So this will be a growth experience for myself also.
Without further ado, here is the first tip:

1. The faboulous Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap:

This soap is amazing. Those who use it, (including myself) love it. It’s incredibly versitle. I use it for shampoo, body wash, face wash, and even toothpaste when I’m camping. It comes in many different ‘flavors’. I use tea tree oil for my face, and almond for my hair. Experiment with them to find your favorite. Other people use it for even more things (look at the wrapper on the bottle for ideas). It’s made with free trade, organic incredients, and the packaging is limited and recycled. Speaking of recycling, when you empty your bottle, you can take it back to the store you got it from and refill it with a gallon jug, rather than wasting another bottle. (ask your retailer if they do this first, most will). It can be found at any natural/organic store, and some common supermarkets. Just think, buying one or two bottles of this amazing and inexpensive soap saves you from buying other unnecessary bathroom products! (and less is more as far as consummerism and the planet go).